Summer Science Camp for Native American Youth: Finding Common Ground Between Scientific Ecology

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Summer Science Camp for Native American YouthThe Center for Native Peoples and the Environment (CNPE) at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) will develop and coordinate an ecological science education program in collaboration with Native American communities of the northeastern United States. Integral to this effort is a ten-day summer field experience which will combine ecological science and traditional ecological knowledge. The program would serve 20 Native American students annually, for a sequence of three years. Students will be recruited from the 15 tribes in the northeastern United States, through existing collaborative networks. SUNY ESF Cranberry Lake Biological Station (CLBS) in the western Adirondacks and the Thompson Island Youth Camp (TIYC) operated by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, on the St. Lawrence River will be utilized. The two sites represent centers of scientific ecological knowledge and traditional ecological knowledge, respectively and both are well equipped and staffed to provide programs in that arena. This program will nurture motivation and preparation for higher education in environmental sciences among Native American youth, through this summer science experience which combines scientific and traditional ecological knowledge. It will foster collaborative scientific and educational initiatives between Native American Nations and SUNY ESF Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, which can serve as a model for university-tribal partnerships. For additional information, contact Robin Kimmerer, PI at: rkimmer@esf.edu and visit http://www.esf.edu/efb/faculty/kimmerer.htm .