Stories for Action

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

 

Strengthening Community in a Changing Montana

Today’s episode looks at changes and pressures being felt in Montana communities, and the importance of community involvement in navigating how this change can occur in a sustainable way. Changes are nothing new for Montana communities, but as you listen to residents from around the state, they know that the changes currently taking place, are a bit more ramped up than before. Trends of folks with higher, out-of-state incomes, moving into Montana have been on the rise for decades, but with the pandemic, these trends are amplified. As housing prices skyrocket, working class local residents are unable to afford to stay, making many towns, large and small, feel pressures in their own sustainability.

We will hear from Pat Baltzley of Gardiner, MT, who joined other community members to be proactive with the felt pressures of rapid growth, we will speak with Hermina Harold, Executive Director of Trust Montana, about the community land trust model as a way of ensuring long-term, housing and farmland affordability, and finally we will hear from the Program Leader of MSU Extension’s Community Development Program, Tara Mastel, who is working on a different type of change occurring in Montana’s towns and who explains why we should rethink the narrative of “rural decline”.

LINKS:

Successful Gardiner: https://www.successfulgardiner.org

Trust Montana: https://trustmontana.org/
MSU Extension Community Development Program: https://msuextension.org/communitydevelopment/
Reimagining Rural Series: https://msuextension.org/communitydevelopment/reimagine-rural.html
Future West: https://www.future-west.org/ 
Shirley Sherrod & the Center for Community Land Trust Innovation: https://cltweb.org/resources/hall-of-fame/shirley-sherrod-2/

Stories for Action: Facebook & Instagram @Storiesforaction Twitter: @Stories4Action

To support our upcoming short film project, "Life in the Landscapes" with a tax-deductible contribution: https://www.storiesforaction.org/general-6

 

#community #Montana #406 #development #rural #urban #urbangrowth #ruralgrowth #Havre #missoula #bozeman #billings #equity #landtrust #gardiner #msuextension #sustainability #change #sustainabledevelopment #environmentalimpact

A Just Transition for Black Mesa: Nicole Horseherder

In the 1960’s, Peabody Energy began operating coal mines, and then later coal power generating stations on both the Navajo and Hopi Reservation land. While the coal operations generated jobs and tax revenue for the Navajo and Hopi people, the environmental impact has been astounding.

In this episode we speak with Nicole Horseherder, a Diné woman who lives on the Black Mesa Plateau in Navajo Nation. She is the Executive Director of the group Tó Nizhóní Ání, a Diné term translating to “Sacred Water Speaks". For the past twenty years, the group has served as the eyes, ears, and voice of the Diné people in the region…striving to preserve and protect the water, people, and advocate for the responsible interaction with natural resources of the region. 

Nicole speaks with us about the complex dynamics between the coal industry, the water, and the people of Black Mesa. She speaks with us about her organization’s work and the importance of a new way forward that empowers Dine` people to determine the fate of their energy, economies, and stewardship of the water. 

Links:

Tó Nizhóní Ání website: http://tonizhoniani.org/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonizhoniani 

Navajo Equitable Economy, a path for just economies: https://www.NavajoEquitableEconomy.org

Native Renewables: https://www.nativerenewables.org/

Navajo Yes: http://navajoyes.org/

Diné Community Advocacy Alliance: https://dineadvocacy.org/

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre tracker tool for the renewable energy industry: https://trackers.business-humanrights.org/transition-minerals/

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Subscribe to the Stories for Action podcast and share with friends, to hear other inspiring stories from those taking bold action, and to help you find your role in advancing a thriving planet.

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.

#BlackMesa #JustTransition #Waterislife #coal #renewableenergy #climate #Indigenous #Diné #Navajo #Hopi #Arizona #jobs #Native #Empowerment

A Journey in Organizing for Environmental Justice: Tianna Arredondo

Tianna Arredondo has been active in organizing for environmental justice since they were a child. Their organizing has ranged from the local community level to international, with groups such as Power Shift Network and SustainUS, where Tianna was a delegate for the UN Climate Negotiations in 2018. Tianna is currently a National Organizer for Environmental Justice at 350, an organization dedicated to advancing a clean energy future for all. Tianna’s role entails supporting local climate advocacy leaders around the country while helping to create a BIPOC led climate justice narrative in these spaces.

Tianna shares their story with us, speaking about what brought them to environmental justice organizing, the power of sharing stories and human connection, and advice for others in the climate justice space; whether you are looking for how to become involved or are already leaders within your communities.

If you want to contact Tianna about climate justice organizing and the inner work that this entails, or fossil fuel divestment: Tianna.Arredondo@350.org

 

Subscribe to the Stories for Action podcast and share with friends, to hear other inspiring stories from those taking bold action, and to help you find your role in advancing a thriving planet.

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.

#environmentaljustice #climatejustice #climatechange #climateaction #organizing #pollution #justice #community #BIPOCleadership #cleanair #environmentalracism

Crop Swap LA: Transforming lawns into sources of food and empowerment

Jamiah Hargins is the founder of Crop Swap LA, a social enterprise that will convert lawns and unused spaces into hubs of nutrient-rich food for Los Angeles communities that are the most affected by nutritional food discrimination. What started as a method of connecting neighborhood gardeners to share their extra produce, has grown into a full venture that includes Jamiah and his team literally planting the seeds for community connections and healthy food. Jamiah speaks with us about this work, the challenges and pay-offs of starting up a social enterprise, food justice, and the power of nutritious food to connect us to our communities and environments.

More info:

Crop Swap LA: Site: https://www.cropswapla.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/lacropswap/

Jamiah Hargins IG: https://www.instagram.com/blacksuperdad/

Prosperity Market IG: https://www.instagram.com/prosperity.market/

Garden Soxx product: https://gardensoxx.com/

Crop Swap App (a partner of Crop Swap LA): https://cropswap.com/

Subscribe to the Stories for Action podcast and share with friends, to hear other inspiring stories from those taking bold action, to help you find your role in advancing a thriving planet.

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.

#sustainablefood #organic #LosAngeles #gardening #cropswap #environmentaljustice #fooddesert #foodjustice #foodsovereignty #community #organicfarming #urbanfarming #healthyfood #startup