How can Tribal knowledge help us weather the extremes of climate change?
CalEPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) explored the answer to that question in the fourth edition of its Indicators of Climate Change in California Report last year. The report documents the wide-ranging impacts that global fossil fuel reliance has had on the state’s weather, water supplies, plants and animals, and human health.
For the first time, this latest edition incorporated knowledge and impacts on California’s Tribal Nations, including first-hand accounts written by Tribal members. We will hear from OEHHA scientists and a Tribal leader who helped write the report and discover how tribal knowledge adds to our scientific understanding of climate change with information gleaned from centuries of interactions with the Earth that pre-date instrumental records.
Our Speakers
Tamara Kadir is a Senior Environmental Scientist at the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. She is part of a team of scientists who identify, track, and publish indicators of climate change in California. These indicators describe how California’s climate is changing and how these changes affect the state. She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and M.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from UC Davis.
Laurie Monserrat is a retired annuitant with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, where she served for over 30 years. During that time she is most proud of her work with tribes on climate change and her service as a Tribal Liaison. She is lucky to continue to work with many of the Tribal Nations she met while at OEHHA. Laurie lives in Mendocino County and spends her free time exploring the forest and hunting mushrooms.
L’eaux Stewart is the former Tribal Chairperson for the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley and currently the lead consultant for the business Tribal Awareness. After six years of Tribal office, she decided to retire to pursue her twin passions of Native American culture and educating others. She has a background in anthropology and archaeology, specializing in the Owens Valley and Great Basin Paiute with eighteen years of experience in the field. She currently lives in California and when she has free time she's enjoying the beautiful Eastern Sierra.
Registration
Registration is free for AWWEE members. Members may add up to 2 guests for no charge at the time of registration (individuals new to AWWEE, please).
Non-member registration fee is $20.