Thursday, March 27th
A transformative movement is emerging at the intersection of Tribal Sovereignty and the Rights of Nature, as Indigenous Nations lead efforts to recognize the inherent rights of fish, aquatic mammals, and the ecosystems they inhabit. This panel explores how Tribal Nations are adopting Rights of Nature policies in a centuries-long effort to protect marine life and the ecosystems essential to all beings. This panel highlights the visionary leadership of Indigenous leaders who have spearheaded innovative laws and grassroots movements to integrate Indigenous values into Western legal systems. Their work serves as a global call to action, urging a reimagining of legal frameworks that honor Indigenous wisdom and foster a world where the rights of nature and human rights are interconnected and respected. Moderated by Britt Gondolfi. With: Raynell Morris (Lummi Nation) and Juliette Jackson, JD (Klamath).
Panel Change: Amy Bowers Cordalis (Yurok) will not be appearing.
March 27th | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm | Berkeley Ballroom, Residence Inn
Panelists
Britt Gondolfi
Rights of Nature Project Coordinator | Bioneers
Britt Gondolfi, JD (Houma Descendant), a community organizer and mother, has worked with the Bioneers Indigeneity Program since 2017 as a facilitator for the Intercultural Conversation Program. She joined the Bioneers Rights of Nature initiative as an intern while in law school and subsequently as a Special Projects Coordinator to bring together tribal organizers, youth, and allies to advocate for the “Rights of Nature” in Indian Country. Britt, who recently ran for State Senate in Louisiana on a women’s rights platform, is the author of the children’s book, “Look Up! Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution.”
Raynell Morris
Events and Gatherings Producer | Children of the Setting Sun Productions
Squi-le-he-le (aka Raynell Morris), a Lhaq’temish matriarch and enrolled Lummi tribal member, is the Events and Gatherings Producer at Children of the Setting Sun Productions and a board member of the Friends of Toki. A former Vice-President of the Sacred Lands Conservancy and Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs under President Clinton, Raynell was the first Native American staffer appointed to the White House. She also served as Chief of Staff for the Chairman of the Lummi Nation, and, as Director of Lummi Nation’s Sovereignty and Treaty Protection Office, she was a key strategist in the successful campaign to block a proposal to build North America’s largest coal port terminal on Lhaq’temish (Lummi) sacred ground. Her work for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Toki/Tokitae), the famed orca, and to save her home waters, the Salish Sea, is the subject of the film, Resident Orca, being shown at Bioneers this year.
Juliette Jackson
Law Clerk | Native Law Group
Juliette Jackson, J.D., LLM, an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes, Law Clerk at Patterson Real Bird & Wilson LLP, Native Law Group, a firm focused exclusively on federal Indian and tribal law, has, over the course of her career, worked on public health policy and tribal environmental justice at several non-profits and government agencies, including a clerkship with the U.S. EPA Honors Law Clerk Program, where she drafted the section on Traditional Ecological Knowledge in a proposed national policy on sustainability. Juliette has also guest lectured at George Washington University Law School, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, University of Cuenca in Ecuador, and the Bioneers online course, Indigenizing the Law: Tribal Sovereignty and the Rights of Nature.
Saturday, March 29th
In this session, California Indian leaders will share success stories of collaborations implementing traditional values and practices to restore land and water, including the revitalization of fire management, plant knowledge and regenerative harvesting. Panelists will also share practical guidance on forming innovative partnerships, setting mutually beneficial goals, and maintaining long-term, effective relationships. Moderated by Alexis Bunten. With: Aja Conrad (Karuk); Elizabeth Paige (Cahuilla); Ali Meders-Knight (Mechoopda); Jordan Reyes, Tribal EcoRestoration.
March 29th | 4:45 pm to 6:00 pm | Berkeley Ballroom, Residence Inn
Panelists
Elizabeth Paige
Education and Stewardship Program Manager | Native American Land Conservancy
Elizabeth Paige, a desert naturalist, cultural educator, and member of the Torres Martinez Band of Cahuilla Indians, has extensive experience in public conservation lands management, volunteer organization, and restoration of Indigenous ecosystems. Currently the Education and Stewardship Program Manager for the Native American Land Conservancy, her team manages four preserves in California and provides educational programs and community outreach focused on Indigenous Land Management, collaborative restoration with local and state agencies, and reconnecting Native people with their cultural landscapes.
Aja Conrad
Pikyav Field Institute Program Manager | Karuk Department of Natural Resources
Aja Conrad, a Karuk woman from her ancestral village of Katimiin in Northern California, currently works as the Pikyav Field Institute Program Manager at the Karuk Department of Natural Resources. A first-generation college student, Gates Millennium Scholar, and a proud mother of two young girls, Aja is also a traditionally trained fire practitioner and fire educator, as well as an experienced wildland firefighter.
Jordan Reyes
Field Coordinator | Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance
Jordan Reyes (tribal member of the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians, affiliated as Lake Miwok with descendancy from Round Valley tribes, affiliated as Yuki, Little Lake, and Wailak) is a land steward with a background in tribal Government, including working on historic preservation and serving on the Tribal Gaming Regulatory Commission and the Tribal Council. He currently serves as the Field Coordinator with the Tribal Eco-Restoration Alliance, where his main priority is bridging the gaps between tribes, agencies and the wider community to better understand each other and work together in stewarding the land.
Ali Meders-Knight
Executive Director | California Open Lands
Ali Meders-Knight, a Mechoopda tribal member, is the Executive Director of California Open Lands, where she works to form partnerships for federal forest stewardship contracting and tribal restoration programs on public lands. A Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) practitioner for 20+ years, she has collaborated on environmental education and land restoration projects with, among others, Chico State, the City of Chico, and Tehama County. She serves on the Tribal Relations Strategic Planning and Implementation committee for the U.S. Forest Service in Region 5 and has testified in Congress on the merits of TEK in wildfire management and forest regeneration. Ali was recently conferred an honorary doctorate by Syracuse University.
Alexis Bunten
Co-Director, Indigeneity Program | Bioneers
Alexis Bunten, Ph.D., (Aleut/Yup’ik), Co-Director of Bioneers’ Indigeneity Program, has been a researcher, media-maker, manager, consultant, and curriculum developer for organizations including the Sealaska Heritage Institute, Alaska Native Heritage Center, and the FrameWorks Institute. She has published widely about Indigenous and environmental issues, and is the author of So, how long have you been Native?: Life as an Alaska Native Tour Guide.
