In 2024, First Nations amplified opportunities to invest in the TLC Fund with the “Bring Back the Native” campaign.
The campaign was based on the knowledge that Native peoples have cared for biodiversity on this continent for tens of thousands of years. The strong relationships Native people and their non-human relatives share are grounded in reciprocity. Each is dependent on and responsible to the other for health and continuity. Native people are nourished by the plants and animals that live in the forests, grasslands, deserts, tundra, and waters that connect them.
Through the “Bring Back the Native” campaign, First Nations continues to invest in reciprocal relationships, providing Tribes and Native-led organizations with resources to continue protecting and restoring Native species. For this campaign, bring back the Native supported approaches including:
- Bringing back rivercane to prevent erosion and support traditional basket weaving
- Bringing back beaver to restore wetlands and meadows that provide medicinal and subsistence plants
- Bringing back buffalo to revitalize native grasslands that are critical to tribal food systems and ceremony
- Bringing back shellfish beds for subsistence and to prevent costal erosion
How did we deploy support raised through the “Bring Back the Native” campaign?
Through this campaign, First Nations raised more than $750,000 from donors and supporters committed to honoring our reciprocal relationships. Funds received for the 2024 “Bring Back the Native” campaign are being directed to projects under First Nations’ Stewardship Initiative. More information coming soon.