Preserving biodiversity with traditional knowledge

The recent Tubbs Fire in Northern California severely damaged some Q. kelloggii trees at Pepperwood Preserve. The preserve is located on the traditional ancestral territory of the Wappo and Pomo peoples; many cultural traditions depend on the continued access to Q. kelloggii. Native peoples create intimate multi-generational relationships with individual Q. kelloggii trees. The first step in again fostering this type of engagement with the Black Oaks at Pepperwood was to identify and locate specimen Oaks on the preserve that are large and healthy with broad low crowns, and easily accessible from the road. A collaboration with the Native Advisory Council and Sonoma State University, to address the needs and concerns of native peoples, including mapping of specimen trees to allow for the reimplementation of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and encouraging cultural revitalization and the preservation of California biodiversity.

Winner of an ORSP Student Research Award.