First Stewards Panelist Biographies

July 17-20, 2012
THE SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN,
WASHINGTON, D.C.
__________________________________________________________

Panel Information and Presenter Biographies
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
West Coast Panel ________________________________________________ Pages 2-4
Habitat of Culture: Maintaining Identity in the Face of Climate Change
9:30 am - 12 noon

Alaska Panel ____________________________________________________ Pages 5-6
The Lands and Waters Are Life: The Impact of Climate Change on Infrastructure, Food
Security, and Community in Alaska
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Pacific Islands Panel _____________________________________________ Pages 7-10
Little Changes Have Big Impacts on Little Islands: Relying on Tradition to Sustain
Cultural Resources
9:30 am - 12 noon

Great Lakes, East Coast, and Gulf of Mexico Panel____________________ Pages 11-13
Co-Management as an Adaptation to Climate
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Friday, July 20, 2012

Looking Forward Panel _________________________________________ Pages 14-16
The Hawk and the Whale: Lessons from the Past; a Vision for the Future
9:30 am - 11:30am

Witnesses to the First Stewards ___________________________________ Pages 17-18
11:30 am - 12:30pm

West Coast Panel
Habitat of Culture: Maintaining Identity in the Face of Climate Change
9:30 am - 12 noon

The indigenous peoples of the west coast have always relied on the sea for our livelihoods–harvested resources
formed the basis of our economies and provided sustenance; the water was the highway and canoes the primary
mode of transportation. The people have always lived here. It is integral to who we are. Whether codified in
treaties with the United States or through sovereign rights never relinquished, we have maintained that connection;
however, the sea is changing along with the climate. The coast is eroding, the seawater is acidifying, and the rivers
we rely on are threatened from loss of glaciers at headwaters and erratic rainfall patterns.

We are the first responders for the negative effects of climate change, but we are also the leaders in finding a way
forward. The tribal commitment to finding solutions is, like our identities, inter-generational. Our path is not
dictated by the politics of the day or subject to any one law; it is an encompassing commitment to adapt and
maintain our identity in the face of climate change. This same logic of truth can lead the nation toward a sustainable
future that slows our impacts on the climate and leaves us resilient to the climate’s impacts on us.

We have changed before and will change again to stay true to who we are - people of the Pacific Coast.

Moderator
Dr. Jan Newton, Senior Principal Oceanographer, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington

Speakers:
Chris Morganroth III, Elder, Quileute Nation
Dave Hudson, Vice Chair, Hoh Tribe
Ed Johnstone, Fishery Policy Spokesman, Quinault Indian Nation
Tom Younker, Former Vice-Chair, Coquille Tribe
Dr. Simone Alin, Oceanographer, Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, NOAA

Background information:

Dr. Jan Newton is a Principal Oceanographer with the Applied Physics Laboratory of the
University of Washington and affiliate faculty with the UW School of Oceanography and
School of Marine Affairs. A biological oceanographer, her research has focused on a
systems view of marine ecosystems, spanning estuaries, such as Puget Sound, the outer
PNW coast, and the open Pacific Ocean, assessing factors such as human and climate
forcing on the characteristics and productivity of these systems. Jan is the Executive
Director for the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems
(NANOOS), the Pacific Northwest regional association for the US component of the
Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observing System (IOOS), working towards building better
ocean observing infrastructure. She has been working with the Northwest Indian College to
involve their students on ocean research.

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Chris Morganroth III is an elder of the Quileute Indian Tribe, La Push, Washington. He
was born in Forks, Wash. on February 24, 1939. Chris was raised up to the age of 11 by his
grandmother who spoke only the Quileute language. She imparted to him many legends and
stories as well as her extensive knowledge of the culture; including native foods and
materials, medicines, history and values. In addition to being a Quileute story teller and
keeper of Quileute history and culture, Chris is a master carver, specializing in canoes, both
full sized and model as well as paddles, rattles, and masks. Chris served as Director of
Quileute Department of Fisheries from 1974 to 1981. He also served several terms on the
Quileute Tribal Council. For 14 years he taught the Quileute language, carving and science
at the Quileute Tribal School. Presently, Chris serves on the Quileute Natural Resource
Committee where he is actively engaged in development of Quileute Natural Resource
Policies. Chris enjoys sharing his knowledge of Quileute language, legends, history and
culture whenever the opportunity arises.

Howeeshata, David Hudson, was born June 17, 1954 in Forks, Wash. He has lived on the
Hoh River or nearby LaPush his whole life. He is a Hoh tribal member and also the
hereditary chief of the Quileute Tribe. His mother and father and extended family taught him
to hunt, fish and gather as they always had. Their family canoe was one of the first to be used
in the resurrection of the canoe culture in 1976. Since then, David has participated in many
canoe journeys and mentored young people in the ways of the journey and the songs,
including skippering a canoe during last year’s Paddle to Swinomish. David has been a
member of the Hoh tribal council and has served for many years as the fisheries and natural
resources policy representative for his tribe. He is also a commissioner for the Northwest
Indian Fisheries Commission, a support service organization that provides direct services to
20 treaty tribes to assist them in their natural resource management efforts.

Tom Younker, Coquille Indian Tribe, North Bend, OR. I grew up on the mud flats
of the South Slough where my Native American ancestors once lived 5,000 years ago
on Oregon’s south coast. I attended Linfield College, and upon graduation, signed a
contract to play professional baseball for the Dodgers. During my four years in college,
I earned NAIA All American honors in football and baseball and was named Linfield’s
scholar-athlete. I also earned my masters degree in education there. After a short stint
in baseball, I taught school and coached for forty-plus years. I was recognized twice in
Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, received honors as an All-state high school
coach in two sports, and have been inducted into three Halls of Fame: high school,
college, and NAIA, District 2. I served twenty years on tribal council as secretary-
treasurer, vice-chairman and on many committees: Bio-mass energy, Head Start,
Realty, Housing, Pension Planning, Taxes. I have served on several state and local boards and committees: Oregon
Coast Zone Management Association, Southern Oregon Ocean Resource Committee, Territorial Sea Plan Action
Committee, Bureau of Ocean Energy and Mineral Resources, Oregon Youth Authority, Coos County Historical
Society, the Charleston Community Enhancement Corporation. Forty-five years ago, I started a family. I moved
back to South Slough, now a national estuarine research reserve. Our two boys, one an assistant professor of
anthropology, the other an art program manager, work with Native American students. Our daughter and her
husband are rearing their children in our ancestral homeland. We stand proud of our Native American roots.

Edward Johnstone, Quinault Indian Nation, Taholah, WA. Ed Johnstone is a
Quinault Tribal member born in Aberdeen Washington and raised on the Quinault Indian

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reservation. He has worked in the timber and fishing industries of the Quinault Indian Nation most of his life. A
two-term Councilman from 1996-2002, Ed currently represents the Quinault Tribal Council in fisheries, fisheries
habitat and marine governance matters as the Quinault Fisheries Policy Spokesperson. Since 2009 he has served as
Treasurer of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and is also the current Chair of the Intergovernmental
Policy Council a forum of tribal and state co-managers of the ocean area that includes the Olympic Coast National
Marine Sanctuary.

Dr. Simone Alin. Simone Alin is an oceanographer and marine chemist at NOAA's
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle. Her research focuses on coastal
carbon cycle processes and ocean acidification, with emphasis on the West Coast and
Puget Sound ecosystems. Simone received her B.S. from Stanford University in 1993 in
Biological Sciences and a Ph.D. from University of Arizona in 2001 in
Geosciences. She held a fellowship from the NOAA Climate and Global Change
Postdoctoral Fellowship program to study large lake carbon cycling at the University of
Minnesota Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory from 2001–2003. Following this, she
studied the carbon cycles of large tropical river systems (Amazon, Mekong) at the
University of Washington before commencing her current position at NOAA in 2007. At NOAA, Simone leads the
coastal carbon research program of the Marine Carbon Program and is actively involved in national and
international efforts to synthesize marine carbon cycle data.

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Alaska Panel
The Lands and Waters Are Life: The Impact of Climate Change on
Infrastructure, Food Security, and Community in Alaska
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
As Alaska’s Native peoples, we have relied the lands and waters for our nutrition and traditional subsistence uses
since time immemorial. Yet climate change is wreaking havoc in Alaska – we are experiencing melting sea ice,
rising oceans, rising river temperatures, thawing permafrost, severe erosion, and dying forests. Our animals are at
risk and as a consequence, so are our communities. Yet we are strong people and are taking creative steps to find a
path forward. For the future of our children, we look to our elders for their wisdom and guidance.

Opening Remarks: The Honorable Mark Begich, US Senator, Alaska

Moderator:
Mike Williams, Member, National Tribal Environmental Council Executive Community; Akiak, Alaska

Speakers:
Erin Dougherty, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund
Stanley Tom, Newtok, Alaska
Stanley Tocktoo, Shishmaref, Alaska
Pat Pletnikoff, St. George, Alaska
Caroline Cannon, Point Hope, Alaska


Erin Dougherty, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund. Erin Dougherty is
a Staff Attorney at the Native American Rights Fund in Anchorage, Alaska. At
NARF, Erin works on a variety of Indian law and tribal jurisdiction issues, including a
project to assist Alaska Natives in their efforts to relocate coastal villages threatened
by erosion and other problems associated with climate change. Erin joined the Native
American Rights Fund in 2009 as a Skadden Fellow.

Erin is originally from Newport, Oregon. She received her B.A. from Willamette
University and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Prior to law school Erin was a Fulbright
Scholar based at the University of Tromsø in Tromsø (Romsa), Norway where she conducted masters-level research
on Sámi political mobilization and indigenous self-governance. Erin previously worked for the Brennan Center for
Justice in New York and civil legal services programs in Alaska and Vermont. After graduating from law school
she was a law clerk for the Honorable Dana Fabe, Chief Justice of the Alaska Supreme Court.

Mike Williams, Akiak Community, Member, National Tribal Environmental
Council Executive Committee. Michael Williams is a Yupiaq from the small village of
Akiak on the lower Kuskokwim River in Western Alaska. He grew up in a traditional
subsistence household and was taught by his father, mother, grandmother, and
grandfather. Mike graduated from the Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon and
served in South Korea as a member of the U.S. Army. He then studied at the University
of Alaska, Kuskokwim Campus while working full time as a Mental Health
Counselor. He and his wife, Maggie, later moved to Akiak and raised five children. Mike
is currently the Chief of the Yupiit Nation; Secretary/Treasurer of the Akiak Native
Community; a Board Member of the Institute for Tribal Governments at Portland State
University; a Board Member of National Tribal Environmental Council; Vice Chairman
of the Yupiit School District; and a Board Member of the Rural Community Action Program. In addition, he is a

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former Board Member of the Native American Rights Fund, a former NCAI Regional Vice President, former
Chairman of the Association of Village Council Presidents, and the former Vice President of Yukon-Kuskokwim
Health Corporation. In addition to his commitment to community and tribal sovereignty, Mike has testified in front
of Congress on climate change. He currently works as a Wellness Counselor for his village and he is also an avid
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race competitor.

Stanley Tocktoo, Shishmaref, Alaska. Stanley Tocktoo is from Shishmaref, an
Inupiaq village of 560 residents located on Sarichef Island in the Chukchi Sea and
within the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Climate change is having a direct
and profound effect on Shishmaref. The reduction in sea ice has left Shishmaref’s
coastline vulnerable to fall and winter storm surges while melting permafrost has
resulted in severe erosion. The community must relocate and is taking steps to do so.
Stanley was born in Shishmaref and as President of the Native Village of Shishmaref
IRA Council he has been involved in the community’s relocation efforts. He has
previously served as Shishmaref’s Mayor and Vice-Mayor. He has also been a
volunteer for the Shishmaref Search and Rescue since 1981. Stanley has two children and lives a traditional
subsistence lifestyle.

Caroline Cannon, Point Hope, Alaska. Born and raised in the harsh Arctic
environment in Point Hope, Caroline Cannon grew up in a tight-knit Inupiat
community who do everything together to provide for their families. The village
elders teach everyone in the community to care for each other and respect the land
and sea that feed and clothe them. Nurtured by these values, Caroline has been an
active leader in Point Hope for over 30 years, having served as president of the native
village and on the board of Maniilaq Association. She has been a leader for her
community on a number of environmental issues and she is driven by a hope that the
next generation of Inupiat people, including her 26 grandchildren, will have the opportunity to carry on the way of
life that she and her ancestors have known.

Pat Pletnikoff, St. George, Alaska Pat Pletnikoff is the Mayor of St. George, a small
community on St. George Island in the Pribilofs, a small island group in the Bering Sea. Pat
was born and raised on St. George Island and also serves as President of the St. George
Fishermen’s Association. In addition, he is a board member for the Aleutian Pribilof Island
Community Development Association. Pat previously served as the Executive Director for the
Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, President and Chairman of the Board for Tanaq
Corporation, and as a board member of the Aleutian Housing Authority. Pat studied Political
Science at the University of Washington and the University of Colorado. He is the father of
two sons and is an avid fisherman, reader, and outdoorsman.

Stanley Tom, Tribal Administrator, Newtok, Alaska. Stanley Tom is from the
village of Newtok, a Yup’ik village of 350 residents in Southwest Alaska. The
impact of climate change on Newtok has been devastating. Melting permafrost and
large scale erosion have greatly compromised village infrastructure, safety, and
public health. As a consequence, the community has decided to relocate and is
currently working on infrastructure at Mertarvik, the new village site. Stanley serves
as the Tribal Administrator of the Newtok Traditional Council and has spearheaded
Newtok’s relocation. In 2010, this innovative work was recognized with a high
honors award by Honoring Nations, administered by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic at Harvard
University’s Kennedy School of Government. Stanley and his wife are the proud parents of five boys and four girls
and in his addition to his work on behalf of his community, he owns and operates Tom’s Store.

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Pacific Islands Panel
Little Changes Have Big Impacts on Little Islands: Relying on Tradition to
Sustain Resources
9:30 am - 12 noon
The US Pacific islands comprise approximately 1.5 million square miles and accounts for half of the nation’s
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Within this area, seafaring cultures have survived for millennia on small, isolated
islands. Through observation and adaptation, the Refaluwasch, Chamorro, Samoan and Hawaiian have maintained
subsistence lifestyles and survived super typhoons and droughts. Today, the accumulated impacts of Western
colonization exacerbated by the impacts of climate change are threatening coral habitat, drinking water, coastlines,
fish stocks, other natural resources and the native cultures that rely upon them. Traditional observations, resource
inventories and adaptation practices can enhance Western scientific knowledge of climate change and help societies
to adapt to its impacts. Such a partnership is being explored in areas such as Samoa, Cook Islands and
Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Welcoming Remarks:
The Honorable Daniel K. Akaka, US Senator, Hawaii

Moderator:
The Honorable Brickwood Galuteria, Senator, Hawaii Senate

Speakers:
The Honorable Ben Fitial, Refaluwasch, Governor, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Joseph Artero-Cameron, Chamorro, President, Department of Chamorro Affairs, Guam
Ufagafa Ray Tulafono, Director, American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources
Paulokaleioku Timothy Bailey, Manager, Haleakala National Park, Hawaii
Pualele Penehuro “Pene” Lefale, Manager, International Affairs Office, Meteorological Service of New Zealand


Daniel K. Akaka is America’s first United States Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry and
the only Chinese American member of the US Senate. During WWII, he served in the US
Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 to 1945 and then in active duty from 1945 to 1947.
Following the war, he made a career in education as a teacher and principal in the State of
Hawaii Department of Education. He was first elected to the US House of Representatives in
1976. He was appointed to the Senate when Senator Spark Matsunaga passed away,
subsequently winning election to the office in 1990 and re-election in 1994, 2000 and 2006.
Senator Akaka is the chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee and the Homeland Security
and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the
Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia. He also serves as a member of the historic Kawaiahao Church,
where he directed the choir for 17 years.

Brickwood Galuteria is a Hawaii State Senator. Elected to office in 2008, he was assigned
to the Committees on Ways & Means, Education & Housing, Public Safety and Military
Affairs, and Tourism (vice chair). He previously served as chairman of the Democratic
Party of Hawaii (2004–2006). He is of Hawaiian, Filipino, and Portuguese descent. After
initial work with Hawaiian Airlines, he pursued interests in music and entertainment,
winning the Na Hoku Hanohano Award in 1985 for Male Vocalist of the Year and Most
Promising Artist. In 1980, he began radio broadcasting and currently co-hosts the Na `Oiwi
`Olino “People Seeking Wisdom” morning show. He has worked in television, film and
video; served as a spokesman for the State of Hawaii and various businesses; done the
voice-overs for numerous TV, radio and political campaigns; and produced/ promoted concerts, pageants and other
events.

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Ben Fitial, Governor, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Ben Fitial is
the first Refaluwaasch Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
(CNMI) and is a cousin of the late Master Navigator Mau Pialug. His ancestors came from
the island of Satawal in Yap. He is one of the few Micronesian leaders alive today from the
Trust Territory era. He is a champion of indigenous rights and a signatory to the
Micronesian Challenge, which protects and preserves the limited treasures of Micronesia
for future generations. He holds a degree in business administration from the University of
Guam. He began work in government as a news director, budget analyst of the Trust
Territory Government, and budget officer, chief administrative officer, Minority Leader, Vice Speaker and Speaker
of the CNMI House of Representatives. He has served as president of banking, insurance, travel, transportation,
home improvement and other businesses, as well as chairman, founder, delegate and member of numerous political
and civic organizations.

Governor Fitial is a third generation Refaluwasch, which is one of the two indigenous cultures officially recognized
by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the other being Chamorro. His ancestors settled on
the island of Saipan in the CNMI as desperate islanders forced to leave their homeland of Satawal, an island in Yap
in present-day Federated States of Micronesia, after a typhoon had nearly destroyed it. Governor Fitial is, himself,
living proof of the Refaluwasch’s resiliency to natural climate-related disasters, especially typhoons and droughts.
However, the community’s ability to continue adapting has become critically challenged as extreme weather
conditions are more frequent and destructive. The people must also deal with other man-made, climate change
impacts never before experienced in the CNMI and for which they are not prepared. For example, slight variation in
the normal temperature range of the ocean alters the salinity and turbidity of waters surrounding the islands and will
cause corals to disappear. Lost corals lead to lost fish and to lost culture and traditional food. As one of the elected
leaders in the Pacific islands, Governor Fitial keeps himself informed about the changing world environment and
crafts policies to begin to address climate change.

Joseph Artero-Cameron, President, Department of Chamorro Affairs, Guam. Joseph
Artero-Cameron is a native of Guam and has over 19 years of service to the Government
of Guam. He currently serves as the president of the Guam Department of Chamorro
Affairs (Dipattamenton I Kaohao Guinåhan Chamorro), a public non-profit corporation of
the Guam government dealing with the Chamorro people and culture, the Guam Public
Library System, the Council on the Arts and Humanities, the Guam Museum, the Hagåtña
Restoration and Redevelopment Authority, and PBS Guam. He has published numerous
professional works in psychotherapy, education and theology. He serves on the Western
Pacific Fisheries Commission, the US Permanent Advisory Committee, the Pacific Islands
Ocean Observing System Governing Council, the US Coral Reef Task Force and its All
Islands Committee, and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.
Artero-Cameron is Guam’s point of contact for Coral Reef Conservation Programs/Fisheries and Oceans and is
proficient in speaking, reading and writing Chamorro, the native language of Guam.

During ancient times, Chamorro people were renowned throughout the Western Pacific for their ability to
fish the open ocean as well as inside the reef. They depended on their natural resources for sustenance and to
maintain their cultural identity and traditions. Yet, like many other cultures throughout the Pacific, they now face the
danger of climate change impacts that may lead to the loss of local seafood and traditional practices. For the first
time in 4,000 years, habitat destruction has compromised the ability of the Chamorro people to rely on their cultural
resources and practices for sustenance. A major issue is erosion and sedimentation. Guam is an island of torrential
rains, receiving an average of over 100 inches of rainfall per year with recorded rates of up to 7 inches in four hours
during tropical storms and 7 inches per hour during typhoons. Historical records suggest that during WWII, 95% of
Guam was denuded of all endemic vegetation, which has since been replaced with introduced species that do not
provide protection from rainy seasons. Muddy water coursing through southern watersheds and over impervious
surfaces tax the drinking and waste-water systems and flood roads on their way to the coastlines, negatively
impacting coral reef ecosystems. By virtue of its strategic geographic location, Guam plays a key role in protecting
US interests within the Western Pacific Region. It is time for the traditions and values that have enabled the
Chamorro people to coexist in harmony with nature to play a more active role in local and national management of
natural resources.

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Ufagafa Ray Tulafono, Director, American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife
Resources. Mr. Tulafono has been director of DMWR off and on since 1985. He holds
college degrees in both chemistry and biology.

The traditional village-based system in America Samoa helps the local government
formulate policies and address climate change issues. Land use permits for building homes
and other structures are facilitated by village chiefs, especially regarding communal lands.
Village residents plant trees along the coastlines and build seawalls using sawed sections of
coconut tree trunks to help fight erosion. Village residents oversee traditional practices that
sustain fishing near wetlands and near-shore areas. Village-managed protected areas under
the guidance of matais have been introduced to address the decline in subsistence catches that have been
documented in some areas. Climate change may have contributed to the absence of some seasonal fish species like
akule in some villages, but traditional practices of requiring ula mosooi, and banning village residents from selling
the lau catch, may bring back these species. Not all climate change effects are negative. The old farmers believe that
climate change may have resulted in an abundance of bananas and breadfruits, which have provided more stable
food by maturing several times a year instead of their normal one to two seasons per year. Some villages have
decided to move inland after the devastation by the 2009 tsunami. Traditional village knowledge and practices of
sharing resources and planting certain crops during certain seasons and at certain areas may ease the relocation.

Paulokaleioku Timothy Bailey, Manager, Haleakala National Park, Hawaii. Mr.
Bailey is recognized as a premier authority of the relationship between native Hawaiian
natural resources and culture. He has given numerous presentations on this topic at
Kamehameha Schools, University of Hawaii, Hawaii high schools, National Park Services
and the Hoohanohano I Na Kupuna puwalu series. He has worked since 1992 as a
biological science technician for the Haleakala National Park on Maui and now serves as
the manager for the Park’s aviation, fire, feral animal removal and management program.
He is an expert in living, working and adapting to remote conditions and in tracking and
capturing animals and is a certified primary bird surveyor in Hawaiian forests.

Climate change has been noted through Native Hawaiian generational knowledge, and ancient Hawaiian chants talk
about how the people recognized and adapted to it. With only two definite seasons in Hawaii—kau (dry) and ho`oilo
(wet)—the Hawaiians needed to observe the natural resources to adapt and survive. Climate effects on these
resources were observed and then acted upon. Inventory of all available resources is also critical when confined to
an island. One chant, the Kumulipo, provides information as a reference. This knowledge has been passed through
generations and is the basis for Native Hawaiians’ ability to adapt. Adaptability allows nature to take course and
allows Hawaiians to identify the positives and the negatives of natural processes. A changing climate, introduction
of invasive species, and modern development must be viewed together to understand the true effects of climate
change. The natural resources are the only reliable tool in recognizing climate change. If natural elements continue
to be damaged and ignored, then Native Hawaiians lose their ability to recognize, adapt and be identified as Native
Hawaiians.

Pualele Penehuro “Pene” Lefale, Manager, International Affairs Office,
Meteorological Service of New Zealand. Mr. Lefale is the manager of the International
Affairs Office with the Meteorological Service of New Zealand Ltd. (MetService). He is
also the alternate permanent representative of New Zealand with the World
Meteorological Organization. Prior to taking up this new role, he was a climate
researcher with the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Ltd. Pene was the first and only Samoan to be awared the Nobel Peace Prize for his work
on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007. He
was one of the lead authors of the IPCC’s Working Group II Chapter 16: Small Islands.
One of his research papers, “Ua afa le aso—Stormy weather today: Traditional ecological knowledge of weather and
climate. The Samoa experience,” was the first to explore indigenous knowledge of weather and climate forecasting
in a Pacific Island (available online at www.springerlink.com/content/w4170n44610n2431/?MUD=MP).

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The Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA), a US government initiative led by NOAA, is a
collaborative effort to assess the climate change scientific knowledge, impacts and adaptive capacity in Hawaii, the
US territories and the US-affiliated Pacific Islands. The main features influencing the climate in this region are the
West Pacific monsoon, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), the South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ) and
subtropical high pressure systems and associated trade winds and cold fronts. Physical and biological indicators of
local and regional climate change include CO2 concentrations, ocean chemistry, temperature, rainfall, stream base
flow, sea level, winds, waves, extreme weather and climate, habitat and species distribution. Exposure, sensitivity
and adaptive capacity to climate change are different for high volcanic islands versus low atoll islands and for built
versus natural environments. In the Pacific Islands, there is a fundamental link between culture, the environment and
the economy. Building partnerships is fundamental for sustaining regional climate assessment process and
addressing the impacts of climate change across isolated and diverse islands. Enhancing Western science with
traditional knowledge is a partnership that is being explored in areas such as Samoa, Cook Islands and
Aotearoa/New Zealand.

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Great Lakes, East Coast, Gulf of Mexico Region Panel
Co-Management as an Adaptation to Climate
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Indigenous peoples are spiritually and culturally invested in specific areas and their values, meanings, and identities
are interlinked with the natural landscape and physical interactions. Ecosystem responses to climate change alter
our livelihoods and traditions and require unique adaptation and mitigation strategies to ensure the viability of
cultural practices. Important to the assessment of environmental change and related impacts to indigenous people is
the interlinked social and biophysical relationship people form that is often referred to as traditional ecological
knowledge. The connecting thread includes collaborating knowledge and joining together; which ultimately leads to
more effective and sustainable action in consultation, planning and responding to climate change.

Moderator and Speaker:
Ciro Lo Pinto, District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, US
Department of Agriculture

Speakers:
John Daigle, Penobscot Nation, Associate Professor, The University of Maine
Natalie Michelle, Penobscot Nation, Graduate Student, The University of Maine
Jeff Mears, Environmental Area Manager, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
Seth Moore, Director of Biology and Environment, Grand Portage Band of Chippewa


Ciro Lo Pinto, District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation
Service, US Department of Agriculture
Presentation: Tribal consultation and adoption of Indigenous Stewardship
Methods and NRCS Conservation Practices

Ciro Lo Pinto is presently serving in his 28th year as a Soil Conservationist with
the USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Mission of the NRCS
is “Helping People Help the Land”. Ciro has served NRCS in three States,
including New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Ciro is presently serving in
Tioga County, Pennsylvania as the District Conservationist. While in New
York; Ciro served as the NRCS Tribal Liaison, which included serving the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee. Ciro
is of Hopi descent on his mom’s side of his family.

Mr. Lo Pinto served as the 2011 President of the American Indian/Alaska Native Employees Association for NRCS.
The purpose of the American Indian/Alaska Native Association for the NRCS is to strengthen the NRCS mission by
providing educational opportunities that foster the recruitment, retention, professional development, and career
advancement of American Indians and Alaska Natives within NRCS and other federal agencies. Furthermore, the
Association provides various training opportunities to improve NRCS services and outreach to American Indians
and Alaska Natives and to advocate for service to reservations and Indian Lands, and for the meeting of trust
responsibilities. It is through Ciro’s cooperation and especially due to the diligent work of others in the AIANEA
that the “Indigenous Stewardship Methods and NRCS Conservation Practices Guidebook” became accepted by his
agency. The guidebook is probably a first of its kind in any Federal agency.

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John Daigle, Penobscot Nation, Associate Professor, University of Maine
Presentation: Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples of Maine

Dr. John J. Daigle is a tribal member of the Penobscot Indian Nation and lives in Old
Town, Maine. Dr. Daigle is an Associate Professor in the School of Forest
Resources at the University of Maine, Orono. He received his Ph.D. in Forestry from
the University of Massachusetts with an emphasis on application of social science
concepts and methods to outdoor recreation and natural resource planning and
management. In 2008, he became part of an interdisciplinary team of faculty at the University of Maine to identify
the potential climate scenarios, and their probabilities, for Maine for the remainder of the 21st century. He led a
team that specifically explored the meaning of a changed environment as it relates to the Indigenous peoples of
Maine. A report culminating this work was submitted to the Governor and State Legislature and was adopted in
2009 acknowledging that “Indigenous human culture in Maine must be considered to be one of our most precious
natural resources. It should be protected, fostered, and supported in a manner commensurate with its high value.”
Dr. Daigle is continuing his research in collaboration with indigenous communities with a focus on natural resources
management.

Natalie Michelle, Penobscot Nation, Graduate Student, University of Maine
Presentation: The Passamaquoddy Native Fisheries

Presentation Summary: This session will review of the historical aspects of the fisheries, accessibility issues,
including Federal, State and Local impacts.

Natalie Michelle is a member of the Penobscot Nation. Her ancestors have traveled the bioregions of Maine and the
coastal regions of New England for centuries. Her grandfather, Theodore Bear Mitchell was the last canoeist to use
the stars to navigate the coastal regions of Maine. Natalie is a graduate student in Public Administration with a
concentration in Environmental Policy and Management at the University of Maine in Orono. She received an
EPSCOR – SSI Fellowship in 2010 and has worked with the Wabanaki Center under the Native Scholar Educational
Outreach Project to implement educational opportunities for the native students, environmental sustainability
practices in native communities and bringing Native Women’s voice to the forefront of environmental issues. Her
research “Uses of Plant Food-Medicines in the Wabanaki Bioregions of the Northeast: A Cultural Assessment of
Berry Harvesting Practices and Customs,” will be completed this August, 2012. She has received recognition for
outstanding academic achievement and inducted into “Pi Alpha Alpha” National Honor Society for Public Affairs
and Administration. Her interests are co-management of Native American territories and government-to-
government relations in Environmental Policy and Climate Change issues.

Jeff Mears, Environmental Area Manager, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
Presentation: A Climate Change Focused Organization.

Presentation Summary: A proposed model for adapting to climate change using existing staff based on projected
impacts to different service areas. Key to the message is a snapshot of the Oneida Tribe today and the unique
challenges faced by a Tribal government compared to local, state, or federal governments.

Jeff Mears is a member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians and has worked in the Environmental Health & Safety
Division for 18 years. He is the Environmental Area Manager and is currently the co-chair of the EPA Tribal
Science Council. Jeff oversees a diverse area or programs that include water resources, brownfields, environmental
health, injury prevention, and indoor air quality, solid waste and recycling, and occupational safety. He has a
master’s degree in public administration from UW – Oshkosh, a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from
Northern Illinois University and is the co-chair of the EPA – Tribal Science Council.

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Seth Moore, Director of Biology and Environment, Grand Portage Band of
Chippewa
Presentation: Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Climate Change
Adaptation Plan, Impacts leading to Adaptation

Presentation Summary: This talk will provide a brief synopsis of climate impacts
to the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the process by which
Grand Portage has begun to develop a climate change adaptation plan. The talk
will discuss the planning process, some hurdles and impediments, and some breakthroughs in adaptation planning.
Dr. Seth Moore has worked for the Grand Portage Band since 2005, he presently manages the Grand Portage
Department of Biology and Environment. He has a PhD in Water Resources Science from the University of
Minnesota, a master’s degree in Environmental Biology also from University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s degree
in Biology and Environmental Studies from Northland College in Ashland, WI. Seth focuses his research efforts on
subsistence species of the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa. His current projects include coaster brook trout
restoration and identifying habitats used by moose under a warming climate.

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Looking Forward Panel
The Hawk and the Whale: Lessons from the Past; a Vision for the Future
9:30 am - 11:30am
The Looking Forward Panel is a roundtable discussion about Native American, Alaska Native and Pacific Island
indigenous knowledge, practices, and perspectives and how we can work together to help coastal and other
communities–and our country–better understand and adapt to the effects of climate change now and in the future.
The Panel will help identify potential themes for future First Stewards symposia. The Panel participants also will
share their own knowledge, perspectives, and wisdom to inform and guide First Stewards’ efforts to provide a voice
for indigenous cultures and values in U.S. climate science, education, policymaking and governance.

Introductions: Daniel J. Basta, Director, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Moderator: Daniel Wildcat, Professor, Haskell Indian Nations University

Speakers:
Terry Williams, Executive Director of Natural Resources, The Tulalip Tribes
Mike Williams, Akiak Native Community, Member, National Tribal Environmental Council Executive Committee
Pualele Lepou Penehuro “Pene” Lefale, Manager of International Cooperation and Development, Meteorological
Service of New Zealand
Ann-Marie Chischilly, Diné, Executive Director, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Northern Arizona
University
Gina Cosentino, Global Strategy Director, Indigenous and Communal Conservation Program, The Nature
Conservancy
Douglas Herman, Senior Geographer, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian


Ann Marie Chischilly, Esq., Executive Director, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Northern
Arizona University

Ms. Chischilly is responsible for coordinating the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professional’s (ITEP) work
with Northern Arizona University (NAU), state and federal agencies, tribes and Alaska Native villages. Before
coming to ITEP, she served for over ten years as Senior Assistant General Counsel to the Gila River Indian
Community, where she assisted the tribe in implementing the historic Arizona Water Settlement Act and founded
the Gila River Indian Community Renewable Energy Team. At ITEP, Ms. Chischilly oversees four environmental
programs (climate change, air, waste and educational outreach) and has established the "Tribal Clean Energy
Resource Center" to assist tribes in transitioning from fossil fuel based energy to sustainable energy solutions. ITEP
will be celebrating 20 years in the fall and has served over 504 tribes. Ms. Chischilly currently serves on the Arizona
Attorney magazine Editorial Board, Indian Law Section Executive Board of the Arizona State Bar, Arizona Energy
Consortium Co-Chair of Outreach, Native American Connections Vice-Chair and Native American Community
Service Center Capital Campaign Board. She served on the National Tribal Water Council and is a graduate of the
Arizona Bar Leadership Institute. Ms. Chischilly is a member of the Navajo Nation (Diné). She earned her Juris
Doctorate (J.D.) degree from Saint Mary's University School of Law, and a Masters in Environmental Law (LL.M)
from Vermont Law School. She is licensed in Arizona and has practiced in state, district, and federal courts.

Gina Cosentino, Global Priority Director, Indigenous and Communal Conservation, The Nature
Conservancy

Gina Cosentino is responsible for integrating a human rights-based approach to conservation to achieve sustainable
livelihoods and benefits to Indigenous and tribal peoples and other communal populations. She has twenty years of
experience working on Indigenous politics and policy issues and working directly with Indigenous peoples at the

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local, regional, national and international levels. Originally from Canada, Gina was the former senior advisor of
government relations and international affairs to the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, which is the
national representative organization for First Nations in Canada. She was also the Director of Intergovernmental
Affairs for the Metis National Council, the national organization representing the Metis in Canada. In addition to
working closely with numerous First Nation communities in Canada, she also has extensive experience with
international human rights, Indigenous and environmental decision-making processes as well as related areas in
global health, humanitarian aid and international development. She was the President of Strategix Public Affairs
Network, a public affairs and lobbying consulting company specializing in non-profit and Indigenous
advocacy. She received her Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and her Honors Bachelor's degree
from York University and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto in the department of political science.

Presentation: Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples of Maine

Dr. John J. Daigle is a tribal member of the Penobscot Indian Nation and lives in Old
Town, Maine. Dr. Daigle is an Associate Professor in the School of Forest
Resources at the University of Maine, Orono. He received his Ph.D. in Forestry from
the University of Massachusetts with an emphasis on application of social science
concepts and methods to outdoor recreation and natural resource planning and
management. In 2008, he became part of an interdisciplinary team of faculty at the University of Maine to identify
the potential climate scenarios, and their probabilities, for Maine for the remainder of the 21st century. He led a
team that specifically explored the meaning of a changed environment as it relates to the Indigenous peoples of
Maine. A report culminating this work was submitted to the Governor and State Legislature and was adopted in
2009 acknowledging that “Indigenous human culture in Maine must be considered to be one of our most precious
natural resources. It should be protected, fostered, and supported in a manner commensurate with its high value.”
Dr. Daigle is continuing his research in collaboration with indigenous communities with a focus on natural resources
management.

Doug Herman, Senior Geographer Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

Douglas Herman is senior geographer for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and adjunct
associate professor at Towson University, Maryland. An early architect of NMAI’s Indigenous geography project,
he went on to create Pacific Worlds, a web-based indigenous-geography education project for Hawai'i and the
American Pacific. Both projects focus on indigenous cultural knowledge and environmental understandings. He has
published several articles and given numerous scholarly presentations regarding the representation of Indigenous
cultures and the importance of Indigenous knowledge. He earned his doctorate in geography from the University of
Hawai'i in 1995.

Pualele Penehuro “Pene” Lefale, Manager, International Affairs Office,
Meteorological Service of New Zealand

Mr. Lefale is the manager of the International Affairs Office with the Meteorological
Service of New Zealand Ltd. (MetService). He is also the alternate permanent
representative of New Zealand with the World Meteorological Organization. Prior to
taking up this new role, he was a climate researcher with the New Zealand National
Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. Pene was the first and only Samoan to
be awared the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the United Nations Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007. He was one of the lead authors of the IPCC’s Working Group II Chapter
16: Small Islands. One of his research papers, “Ua afa le aso—Stormy weather today: Traditional ecological
knowledge of weather and climate. The Samoa experience,” was the first to explore indigenous knowledge of
weather and climate forecasting in a Pacific Island (available online at
www.springerlink.com/content/w4170n44610n2431/?MUD=MP).

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Daniel Wildcat (Yuchi and Muscogee), Professor Haskell Indian Nations University

Daniel Wildcat is a professor at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, and an accomplished
Native American scholar who writes on indigenous knowledge, technology, environment, and education. He is of
the Yuchi and Muscogee tribes. He is also co-director of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center, which
he founded with colleagues from the Center for Hazardous Substance Research at Kansas State University. A Yuchi
member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, Dr. Wildcat is the coauthor, with Vine Deloria, Jr., of Power and
Place: Indian Education in America (Fulcrum, 2001), and coeditor, with Steve Pavlik, of Destroying Dogma: Vine
Deloria, Jr., and His Influence on American Society (Fulcrum, 2006). Known for his commitment to environmental
defense and cultural diversity, Dr. Wildcat has been honored by the Kansas City organization The Future Is Now
with the Heart Peace Award. His newest book, Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge, will be
released later this year.

Mike Williams, Akiak Community, Member, National Tribal Environmental
Council Executive Committee
Michael Williams is a Yupiaq from the small village of Akiak on the lower Kuskokwim
River in Western Alaska. He grew up in a traditional subsistence household and was
taught by his father, mother, grandmother, and grandfather. Mike graduated from the
Chemawa Indian School in Salem, Oregon and served in South Korea as a member of the
U.S. Army. He then studied at the University of Alaska, Kuskokwim Campus while
working full time as a Mental Health Counselor. He and his wife, Maggie, later moved to
Akiak and raised five children. Mike is currently the Chief of the Yupiit Nation;
Secretary/Treasurer of the Akiak Native Community; a Board Member of the Institute for
Tribal Governments at Portland State University; a Board Member of National Tribal
Environmental Council; Vice Chairman of the Yupiit School District; and a Board Member of the Rural Community
Action Program. In addition, he is a former Board Member of the Native American Rights Fund, a former NCAI
Regional Vice President, former Chairman of the Association of Village Council Presidents, and the former Vice
President of Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation. In addition to his commitment to community and tribal
sovereignty, Mike has testified in front of Congress on climate change. He currently works as a Wellness Counselor
for his village and he is also an avid Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race competitor.

Terry Williams (Tulalip), Fisheries and Natural Resources Commissioner, Tulalip Tribe

Terry Williams is a Tulalip tribal member who has served his Tribe and many other Tribes in a variety of
capacities for many years. He currently serves as Commissioner of Tulalip’s Treaty Rights Office and, as he has
done for nearly three decades, as the Point Elliott Commissioner to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Mr.
Williams was the initial Director of the National EPA’s Office on Indian Affairs and has served on numerous
international, national, tribal and regional boards---from chairing the tribal committee of the Northwest Straits
Commission to serving as the U.S. Delegate to the Council on Biodiversity. He holds extensive credentials in the
study of climate change and has been honored by Tribes throughout the country and beyond for his work in natural
resource management and environmental protection and restoration.

Page | 16

Witnesses to the First Stewards
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Introduction: Micah McCarty

Speakers:
Nelson Kanuk, Student, Kipnuk, Alaska
Clarita Lefthand-Begay, Graduate Student, University of Washington
Ted Herrerra, Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, Texas
Kalei Nuùhiwa, Maui, Hawaii


Nelson Kanuk is 17 years old and from Kipnuk, a small village in
Southwestern Alaska. Nelson comes from a family that practices a
traditional subsistence lifestyle and he believes that it has always
been important to live in harmony and balance with the precious land
that has been passed down to us. Nelson considers climate change to
be the most important issue of our time: “Our winters are coming
early, our ice sheets are melting at an alarming rate, permafrost melt
is causing our land to erode and severe storms are forcing us to take
shelter in schools.” Nelson has been a plaintiff in climate change-
related litigation and has been featured in an award-winning WITNESS video.

Clarita Lefthand-Begay, MS, Ph.D. Candidate, Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk
Communication (IRARC), Department of Environmental and Occupational Health
Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105. I’m a citizen of the Diné
Nation. I’m also a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Environmental and
Occupational Health Sciences in the University of Washington’s (UW) School of
Public Health. My graduate student research has ranged from environmental health
(EH) microbiology to tribal water issues. As a Master of Science (MS) student in
environmental health, I worked on a Microbial Source Tracking project in
Washington. After earning a MS in EH, I entered the doctoral program in
Environmental and Occupational Hygiene. At the end of 2009, I joined UW’s
Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication. My doctoral work examines
disconnects between goals and values of the Clean Water Act, and Tribal cultural
values. Furthermore, we consider the opportunities and barriers experienced by
natural resource departments when developing water quality standards that are grounded in Indigenous values. In
this work we utilized a values-based approach to understand important aspects of water among tribal communities in
the Pacific Northwest and in the Southwest. This research will allow us to understand how tribal perceptions and
knowledge can inform issue of water quality, quantity and accessible.

Kalei Nuùhiwa was born and raised on Maui and received the first master’s degree from
the University of Hawaii at Mānoa’s Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language. She
has been active in the restoration of the island of Kahoolawe, which was used for decades
as a military bombing target. Her primary discipline is papahulilani, the study of all aspects
of the atmosphere—its phenology, energies, cycles and isochronisms—from a Hawaiian
perspective. These atmospheric elements embody the pantheon of kino akua Hawaiì and
provide a fundamental function in ancestral memory, still essential in the modern Hawaiian
consciousness. Her passion is to elevate the Hawaiian consciousness to its highest
potential. She is a researcher and curriculum developer for the Papakū Makawalu Project
under the direction of Dr. Pualani Kanahele and the Edith Kanakaole Foundation. She coauthored the Papahulilani
section of the cultural use plan for Kanaloa-Kahoolawe: Kūkulu Ke Ea a Kanaloa, the Kūmokuhaliì—Forest

Page | 17

Resource Cultural Use Plan and the Keauhou Kahalu`u Educational Cultural Use Plan for Kamehameha Schools.
Kalei continues to research and build understanding of the significance of site placement and use within the
historical corridor of Kahalu`u, Kona. She maintains ongoing studies of celestial alignments with sites situated in the
Northwestern and main Hawaiian islands, to understand traditional tracking of time and spatial measurements. She
publishes a monthly newsletter using traditional data to assist others with their own recordation and data collection
of their own environmental happenings.

Ted Herrera was born in the Coahuiltecan Sacred Land along the Rio Grande where the
Peyote grows (Mirando City, Texas) to Maria Lara, a Tlaxcala, Huichol Indian and
Eduardo Herrera a Tlaxcala, Carrizo Coahuiltecan Indian. Ted is one of five Tribal
Leaders of the Texas recognized Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation headquartered in San
Antonio, Texas.Ted retired in 1998, as the Kelly Air Force Base Program Manager, for
the Production Quality Control Program, where he had oversight responsibilities for
writing policy and procedures that governed over 5,000 Air Craft Journeymen in 54 job
skills. In March 2000, Ted started a partnership with Hugh Fitzsimons raising Buffalo for
ceremonial and economic development.

Ted presently serves on the following committees:
 USDA/NRCS Texas State Technical Committee, as an advocate for stakeholders
of tribally owned land and land owned by Tribal members.
 Mexico–North Research Network, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute, addressing the life flow
constrains of indigenous people on both sides of the Rio Grande.
 As a consultant to the Texas Historical Commission on investigations of artifacts for proper disposition
when uncovered by construction work on Texas highways.
 As the Coahuiltecan Nation’s NAGPRA consultant with the Army Corp of Engineers for Ft Sam Houston,
San Antonio TX.
 As the NAGPRA liaison with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 As the Coahuiltecan Nation’s Liaison with UTSA on a language development Program
 Liaison between the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
 Board member of Mantel Rock Native Education and Cultural Center
 Board Member of Friends of the Indigenous Elders

Ted is also a member of the following organizations:
 Member of North American Iroquois Veterans Association
 Member of Nationally Active and Retired Federal Employees Association
 Member of Spiritual Elders of Mother Earth
 Founder and Spiritual leader of Rio Grande Native American Church

Page | 18

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