Background

Native Science Field Programs are based on a three-part model of project development, monitoring and data collection, and action to address specific reservation community needs. Native Science Field Programs are designed to engage entire communities in learning about ecology and environmental sciences and to encourage monitoring sites and gathering scientific and cultural data about their watershed, flora, and fauna. Science protocols, inquiry-based education, and skill development with an engaging set of field experiences are integrated to form the program's foundation. The result is usable, reliable data for informed action, management, and conservation decision-making. More significantly, this knowledge guides students as well as adults to greater understanding, care, and cooperation supporting the health of their land's lifeways. Integrating cultural ways of understanding with Western science ecological studies promotes appreciation of and respect for Native American homelands. Together, tradition and science can achieve healthy and diverse communities for present and future generations.

The core of the Native Science Field Program is the Biological Survey. Using transects (sample areas of vegetation) and timed searches, youth and adults search for and record the presence and quality of plants and animals. Checklists of the plant and animal species found in selected sites offer structured learning in the outdoor classroom. A biodiversity index for the site is then calculated. Next, biological survey data are then employed in one or all of the following options: Species Inventories: Using the Biological Survey data, the most frequently seen taxa (plural of taxon, meaning group types of scientific classification) at the site are identified, such as birds, trees, and butterflies. In-depth inventories of selected taxon are conducted using quadrant studies, transects, insect "traps," and/or point counts. Inquiry-Based Education: Once a site is selected and the Biological Survey conducted, the fieldwork and data generate a host of open-ended questions, e.g., Why is this species present here and not there? Why is the biological quality index so low or high? These questions generate scientific inquiries and the formulation of hypotheses, followed by experimentation and analysis of results.

Monitoring and data collection strategies are based on UrbanWatch, but customized to reflect both Native and Western knowledge to document biodiversity and habitat change. Traditional ecological data collection draws from appropriate oral histories of local community members, select knowledge inherent in stories, and biological connections evident in indigenous languages. Scientific ecological knowledge is based on general initial assessments followed by more specialized surveys for target organisms. Action Planning, Site Restoration: An action plan for site improvement is implemented with ongoing monitoring conducted through the use of the Biological Survey comparing data over time. Field-study participants can contribute to scientific knowledge about biodiversity and conservation values on tribal lands while working on projects that have immediate significance to communities in and around tribal lands.