This Week at First Nations: September 6, 2024

What We’re Reading: ‘Environmental Justice as a Birthright’

An analysis last week in Yes! Solutions Journalism explores how young people worldwide are filing lawsuits to hold governments and companies accountable for their role in promoting climate change. For example, four Alaska Native youth this year joined four other Alaska residents in suing the state of Alaska to block a liquefied natural gas pipeline project that’s expected to triple the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. The article cites the growing recognition that Indigenous people are uniquely susceptible to climate impacts, and that the willingness of Indigenous youth to take the lead in climate changes cases makes sense. Read more.

Photo credit Yes! Solutions Journalism, Mario Tama/Getty Images

REMINDER: Register Now for How to Map for Land Return

As part of our Fortifying Our Forests project, First Nations is presenting a hands-on webinar about funding opportunities for land return, restoration, and management objectives. The webinar will walk through what to expect when applying for the U.S. Forest Service’s Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, what’s needed to make a robust application, and how to use geospatial data to determine eligibility and changes in landscapes of interest.

The webinar is on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at 1 pm MT. Register here.

Apply Now for the Northern Great Plains Young Natural Resource Professionals Cohort

First Nations is launching a Young Natural Resource Professionals Cohort to encourage peer-to-peer learning, foster leadership skills, and enhance technical knowledge. The first cohort is open to 15 young tribal natural resource professionals in the Northern Great Plains. The cohort includes a $50,000 tribal grant to lead a conservation-focused project.

Learn more and apply here by September 12, 2024. 

Apply Now for Promoting Tribal Co-Stewardship for Grasslands Health

First Nations is now accepting applications under our Stewarding Native Lands program to support the development of tribal co-stewardship agreements on National grasslands. First Nations expects to award six grants of up to $125,000 each to tribes located in the Northern Great Plains.

Learn more and apply here by September 16, 2024.

Klamath River Runs Free for First Time in a Century

Last week, the last coffer dams were broken at the former Iron Gate and Copco No. 1 Dam sites, returning the Klamath River to its natural path and helping revitalize the culture and economies of several Tribal Nations, reports American Rivers. In a press release, Yurok Tribe Vice Chairman Frankie Myers said, “Another wall fell today. The dams that have divided the basin are now gone and the river is free. Our sacred duty to our children, our ancestors, and for ourselves, is to take care of the river, and today’s events represent a fulfillment of that obligation.” Read more at EcoWatch and in the BBC’s ‘Anything that can be built can be taken down’: The largest dam removal in US history is complete – what happens next?

Watch for a blog post in the coming weeks from First Nations COO Jackie Francke (Navajo), who will be onsite next week to observe the final completion of this historic removal.

Photo credit EcoWatch, Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Vote for Native Food Justice for Kids Finalists

First Nations is happy to share the opportunity to vote in Newman’s Own Foundation’s Community Choice Awards, where two $10,000+ grants will be awarded to the two top finalists. Community members can vote now or after the virtual Live Pitch Event, featuring the 20 finalists, including 10 that are focused specifically on Indigenous food justice. Learn more, vote, and register for the event here by September 10, 2024.