Celene Hawkins is the Colorado River Tribal Water Partnerships Program Director for the Nature Conservancy, and Izabella Ruffino is the Tribal and Indigenous Engagement Program Manager for the Colorado Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Both Celene and Izabella use their skills to advance and support tribal-led land and water conservation work throughout the American West.
Most of Celene’s work is centered around the Colorado River Basin, and she has played an integral role in many cutting-edge water conservation projects that have sought out Tribal voices and Indigenous perspectives to create some of the West’s most effective and equitable solutions to complex water challenges. Perhaps most notably, she worked with the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, and her colleagues at TNC to create a first-of-its-kind water agreement that was a true win-win for nature and people.
Izabella’s work builds on TNC’s strong foundation of partnerships with Tribal Nations for land and water issues, and she is also focused on expanding Tribal and Indigenous engagement into all aspects of TNC’s wide-ranging conservation work. Additionally, she is responsible for internal efforts to fortify organizational cultural awareness and humility within TNC’s Colorado Chapter. As you’ll hear, Izabella is doing everything from leading internal educational initiatives to working with wide-ranging stakeholder groups on projects such as determining the best uses for TNC-owned land and preserves.
In this episode, we dig into the details of many of their specific projects and initiatives, but we also talk more broadly about the importance of seeking out Indigenous perspectives to help guide TNC’s critical conservation work worldwide. They both offer plentiful resources– online courses, books, podcasts, essays, and more– that will help me (and you, the listener!) better understand the importance of bringing together diverse perspectives to guide the next chapter of conversation work in the West and beyond.
Celene and Izabella mention so many excellent books, people, and resources, so don’t forget to check out the episode notes for links to everything. A big thanks to them both for such a fun, inspiring, and educational conversation. I hope you enjoy!
Photos courtesy of The Nature Conservancy: Header © Roberto Rosales; headshots from Celene and Izabella.
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EPISODE PARTNER:
This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.
On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.
To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org
RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 3:30 – Introductions
- 8:30 – The win-win partnership between the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, and TNC
- 14:00- Challenges and opportunities related to putting together the partnership deal
- 19:00 – Benefits to all parties as a result of the deal
- 21:30 – Positive ripple effects resulting from the partnership
- 24:15 – TNC’s strategies for managing its preserves, including the Medano Zapata Ranch
- 29:15- The process of gathering Indigenous and local perspectives
- 32:00 – Strategies, tactics, and frameworks for building cross-cultural relationships
- 36:30 – Balancing the time it takes to build solid relationships with the reality that “time is of the essence”
- 40:30 – Upcoming exciting projects
- 44:30 – Resources for further learning
- 50:30 – Why they each chose to apply their talents, skills, and careers to the cause of conservation
- 55:30 – Heroes and mentors
- 1:05:00 – Favorite books
- 1:11:00 – Parting words of wisdom
Information Referenced:
- Celene Hawkins
- Izabella Ruffino
- Taylor Hawes episode
- A Win-Win-Win Solution for the Colorado River
- Jicarilla Apache Nation
- Strategic Water Reserve tool
- Medano Zapata Ranch
- Keystone Policy Center
- Voice, Choice, and Action Framework
- Water and Tribes Initiative
- Indian Country 101 training
- Whitener Group
- All My Relations podcast
- Inhabitants film
- Turtle Talk
- This Land podcast
- The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Quincy Library Group
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Charles Wilkinson
- Sara Krakoff
- Ten Tribes Partnership
- Regina Lopez Whiteskunk
- Lorelei Cloud
- Colorado Water Conservation Board
- Return the National Parks to the Tribes by David Treuer
- Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen
- This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollen
- The Secret Network of Nature by Peter Wohlleben
- The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
- An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- As Long as the Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
- Fresh Banana Leaves by Jessica Hernandez
- The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey
- Doug Peacock
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- Rebecca Clarren – “The Cost of Free Land”
- Lorelei Cloud – Solving Modern-Day Challenges with Ancient Tribal Wisdom
- Doug Peacock – 50 Years of Fighting for the Grizzlies
- Equitable Access to the Outdoors in Texas
- Douglas Brinkley – Exploring the Past to Find Inspiration for the Future
- Shane Doyle – Reverence for the Past, Hope for the Future
- Dr. Sara Dant Returns – “Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West”
Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.
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