Stories for Action

Life in the Land: Blackfeet Nation: Kristen Kipp; Rancher, Mother, and Griz Advisory Council

Kristen Kipp is a member of the Blackfeet Nation, Amskapi Piikani. Kristen is a cattle rancher, a mother, a hunter, an advocate, and so much more. She runs her own cattle operation within her family’s ranch outside of Browning, MT in the heart of Blackfeet Country in Northwest Montana. She works in Producer Outreach for the Piikani Lodge Health Institute and the Blackfeet Nation Stockgrowers Association. Kristen shares about her own connection to the land and role in stewarding it, as Amskapi Piikani, and as a rancher. She also speaks to her experience living in grizzly bear country, the Blackfeet's cultural connection to the bear, and being on the Governor’s Grizzly Bear Advisory Council, and the need for representation in all forms of advocacy.

LINKS:

Piikani Lodge Health Institute, also on FB & IG

Governor's Grizzly Bear Advisory Council

Blackfeet Nation Stockgrowers Association, also on FB & IG

This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org

This episode was Co-Produced by Lailani Upham of Iron Shield Creative.

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org  Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: Blackfeet Nation: Jesse DesRosier; Blackfeet Language

Jesse DesRosier, Amskapi Piikani, Blackfeet Tribal Member, is a teacher of the Blackfeet Language. He teaches at The Piegan Institute's Cuts Wood School and Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana. Jesse is also an artist, a community and cultural advocate, a Veteran, a husband, and father. Jesse shares with us about the intricate connection of the Blackfeet Language to the land and how Blackfeet ways of life are directly embodied in the language. Following two centuries of forceful assimilation policies, the existence of the Blackfeet Language was threatened as of 20 years ago, as there were no young speakers remaining. With efforts from within the community, such as The Piegan Institute, started by the late Darrell Kipp, there are over 100 new language learners who are carrying it on. Jesse shares the hope he gains from witnessing the young members of the community connecting to their culture. He also speaks to the connections to the Badger-Two Medicine area and the significance of this land being stewarded by the Blackfeet people.

Links:

The Piegan Institute

Jesse's Art Page on IG

Badger-Two Medicine, article from Flathead Beacon 

This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at  LifeintheLand.org

This episode was Co-Produced by Lailani Upham of Iron Shield Creative.

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org  Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: Seeley Swan, Caryn Miske, Clearwater Resource Council

In this episode we are in the community of Seeley Lake, in Western Montana. We hear from Caryn Miske, the Executive Director of the Clearwater Resource Council, a locally-led entity that works to engage the community and facilitate efforts that enhance, conserve, and sustain the natural resources and rural lifestyle of the Clearwater Watershed for present and future generations. Caryn shares with us about what holistic, community-led work around climate, equity, and environmental quality can look like, the realistic challenges to starting and sustaining a local nonprofit, and as pressures on small towns and wild places increase, why the efforts are always worth it. She also shares an example of a collaborative process that did not go so well, so there's a lot of information in here for folks in other regions who are looking to embark in collaborative or locally led work in their own community or work. 

LINKS:

Clearwater Resource Council You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook.

Montana Legacy Project

This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at  LifeintheLand.org

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: Seeley Swan, Pyramid Mountain Lumber

We are in Seeley Lake, a community in the Clearwater Watershed, and an hour north of Missoula, hearing from Gordy Sanders (Resource Manager) and Wendy Dalrymple (Controller) of Pyramid Mountain Lumber. Pyramid is is the largest employer in Seeley Lake, and the oldest surviving family owned lumber mill in Montana.

Gordy and Wendy speak with us about what it can look like when a natural resource industry approaches its work through a stewardship lens; not only going above its expected duties as a lumber mill to be involved in work that benefits the greater ecosystem, but also to benefit the community it is a part of. Pyramid is also intrinsically very collaborative in its approach, working closely with government agency, tribal entities, conservation organizations, and private landowners. Gordy speaks with us about the value in this approach and about working with entities with different priorities. 

LINKS:

Pyramid Mountain Lumber You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook.
Montana Forest Collaboration Network

Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project & legislation: www.blackfootclearwater.org
 
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at  LifeintheLand.org

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. Storiesforaction.org  Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: CSKT Forestry Division (Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes)

In this episode, we are on the Flathead Reservation in Western Montana, speaking with Tony Incashola, Jr., Director of the Tribal Forestry Department for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), and Ron Swaney and Darrell Clairmont of CSKT’s Division of Fire. These interviews are featured in the Life in the Land film on the Seeley-Swan, as that region was not only significant for the Kalispell, Salish, and Kootenai Tribes for thousands of years, but today, the jurisdiction line between Tribal management and U.S. Forest Service follows the ridgeline of the Mission Mountains.

For over a century, forest management on the Flathead Reservation was held by federal agencies. In 1996, management was transferred to the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, who stewarded these lands for thousands of years. Tony Incashola, Jr. and his team speak about their ecosystem approach to their forestry plan, working in partnership with neighboring jurisdictions, combining Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western Science, and reconnecting to a traditional relationship with fire on the landscape. 

Links:

CSKT's Fire on the Land Presentation
CSKT's Forestry Department & forestry plan
 
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at  LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org  Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: Timothy Ryan, Cultural Educator Mission Mountain Youth Crew, Salish Kootenai College

In this episode we are speaking with Timothy Ryan, Salish tribal member, cultural educator, and Department Head for the Salish Kootenai College’s Culture and Language Studies Department. We are on the banks of the Flathead River, on the ancestral homelands of the Salish, Kootenai, and Kalispell Peoples in what is now known as Western Montana. Tim speaks about connections to this land, here, in the Seeley-Swan, and well beyond in the ancestral homelands of the tribes. He speaks to the sense of place, which all of humanity can learn from, Indigenous worldviews, and the ways he sees his communities weaving traditional life ways into present day life, to benefit the health of people and place.

LINKS:

Mission Mountain Youth Crew
Salish Kootenai College
The Séliš-Ql̓ispé Culture Committee

This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at  LifeintheLand.org

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org  Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: Seeley Swan, Rebecca Ramsey, Swan Valley Connections

We are in the Swan Valley of Northwest Montana, hearing from Rebecca Ramsey, Executive Director of Swan Valley Connections. SVC is a locally-led organization with a mission to inspire conservation and expand stewardship in the Swan Valley. SVC really dials into the holistic values of stewardship; of connecting people to their environment, in ways that directly benefit the health of the local communities. In this conversation, Rebecca shares with us about the critical nature of listening to folks on the ground within rural communities and successes and challenges of working with varied interests, which creates insight for those thinking of applying this approach to their own work. We spoke with Rebecca on the banks of Elk Creek, in the Elk Creek Conservation Area, which Swan Valley Connections co-owns with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, which Rebecca will also share about this important partnership.

LINKS:

Swan Valley Connections You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook.

 Montana Legacy Project

This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at  LifeintheLand.org

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: Blackfeet Nation, Lauren Monroe Jr., BF Tribal Business Council

In today’s episode, we hear from Lauren Monroe Jr., Amskapi Piikani, of the Blackfeet Nation. Lauren serves as Vice Chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council. He is also an artist, a film director, and worked for Blackfeet Nation Fish and Wildlife Department. 

Lauren speaks with us about his own connection to the land, the critical nature of having Blackfeet leadership in regional land management, including the stewardship of the Badger-Two Medicine. Lauren also shares the hope he holds for his community, seeing them move forward in ways that carry on traditional connections and life ways, for the health of people and the land. 

This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. View the whole project at LifeintheLand.org

This episode is Co-Produced by Lailani Upham (Amskapi Piikani, Aaniiih, Nakoda, Dakota) of Iron Shield Creative, which holds a mission to foster the natural world and draw human connection through Indigenous perspective storytelling.

LINKS:

Back story and updates on the stewardship of the Badger-Two Medicine area, from the Blackfeet Nation: https://blackfeetnation.com/badger-two-medicine/

Article on Blackfeet stewardship of Badger-Two Medicine, from US News, September 2021: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/montana/articles/2021-09-18/blackfeet-continue-work-to-defend-badger-two-medicine

Iinnii Initiative's Facebook Page

Iinii Initiative: The Return of the Buffalo, short film on the program:  https://youtu.be/6LJfPMoGMAg

"Blackfeet Nation Taking Back the Food System", article from NRDC on one of many Blackfeet-led initiatives to reconnect to traditional lifeways: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/blackfeet-nation-taking-back-food-system

The Blackfeet Climate Change Adaptation Plan, a Blackfeet-led, holistic plan to guide many aspects of community and ecosystem health in a changing climate: https://blackfeetclimatechange.com/our-environment/climate-change-adaptation-plan/

Creative Indigenous Collective, is a collective of Native American artists, which Lauren co-founded and is a member of. They're Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeIndigenousCollective

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Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

Life in the Land: Big Hole Valley, Rancher Jim Hagenbarth

Jim Hagenbarth is a cattle rancher near Glen, Montana, in the Big Hole Valley. Jim tells us what he wants the public to know about a rancher's role as a steward of the land, the success and challenges of collaborative work, and the impacts of droughts, not only to ranchers, but on the sustainability of open space and connected ecosystems.

The Life in the Land project is a series of films and podcasts that share the success of collaborative, locally-led work on the land, as well as share the nuance in how to hold healthy relationships with the land and one another, to benefit people and place. View the whole project at LifeintheLand.org

Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction

LINKS:

Big Hole Watershed Committee

Montana Watershed Coordination Council: info and resources on this watershed-scale, collaborative approach

 

#collaborative #collaborativeconservation #ranchers #ranching #montanarancher #regenerativeranching #localleadership #Montana #bigholevalley #watershed #rivers #ecosystems #water #waterinthewest

Indigenous self-determination through political advocacy & food sovereignty: Patrick Yawakie

Patrick Yawakie is on a path to address as many angles that move forward Indigenous self-determination and empowerment as possible.
He lives on the Flathead Reservation in Western Montana. Originally from Minnesota, Patrick is of Zuni-Pueblo, Turtle Mountain Anishinabe, Fort Peck Assiniboine Sioux, and White Bear Nakoda Cree descent. 

Patrick and his wife, Regina MadPlume founded the People’s Food Sovereignty Program, a Native led, grassroots organization that promotes food sovereignty and self-determination for the tribal members living on the Flathead Reservation. Along with Alissa Snow, he co-founded Red Medicine LLC, which provides professional civic engagement resources to tribal communities everywhere. He also served as a lobbyist for the Blackfeet Nation in the 2021 Montana Legislative session. He is also the Political Director of Indigenous Vote, an organization based in Billings, MT which enhances the level of civic engagement for Native Americans to achieve political and economic empowerment. They conduct this work through community outreach, voter education, and policy advocacy.

Patrick spoke with us about his inspiring work, where he sees the greatest needs, and successful approaches that can apply to other grassroots, community-led work.

People's Food Sovereignty Program: on IG & FB @PeoplesFoodSovereigntyProgram

Red Medicine LLC: FB @RedMedicineLLC

Indigenous Vote: https://www.indigenousvote.org & on FB & IG

Stories for Action is a media hub that uses the power of storytelling to advance a thriving planet for all. Submit your story or contact us to help you share your call to action through media at https://www.storiesforaction.org or @storiesforaction on Facebook & Instagram and @Stories4Action on Twitter.

 

#foodsovereignty #salish #CSKT #FlatheadReservation #selfempowerment #empowerment #indigenousvote #getoutthevote #Montana #nativeland #selfdetermination #sustainability #sustainablefoodsystems #systemschange #regenerative #politicaladvocacy #NativeAdvocacy #NativeEmpowerment #Nativeleadership #Indigenousleadership #food #community