RECONNECTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT

By Lindsay Jarvis, Staff Writer and Katie Shaw, Conservation Social Scientist

Thanks to a generous grant from the California Natural Resources Agency, The Living Desert began a new program in July 2022 to reconnect Indigenous youth to their land and explore relevant conservation initiatives and environmental issues. In collaboration with The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe, Native American Land Conservancy, Outward Bound Adventures, and Friends of the Desert Mountains, the Torres Martinez Youth Environmental Ambassador (TM-YEA) program aims to inspire a love of the surrounding wilderness to encourage more youth to become conservation leaders of the future.

The excursions, presentations, and workshops in this paid program help develop conservation and environmental professional interest among the participants. Throughout the Coachella Valley, these educational outings include not only exposure to the beauty of nature, but also a connection to culturally significant history, such as traditional uses for native plants.

Torres Martinez Youth group participants harvesting white sage during a hike at Oak Glen Preserve in November. This excursion was possible thanks to the Wildlands Conservancy.

“The Torres Martinez Youth Environmental Ambassador program is foundational to the protection of California deserts,” says Sienna Thomas, who has resided on the Torres Martinez Cahuilla Reservation for over 30 years and served as the Tribal Liaison for the TM-YEA program from its beginning. “Indigenous youth are reconnecting to their culture through land-based learning to create healthy communities and become new leaders in conservation.” Through this multi-faceted program, Indigenous youth are establishing personal goals, goals for their tribal community, learning federal and state environmental laws, and observing how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and western science can work together to support and protect their changing landscape.

During a camping trip in October at La Jolla Indian Campground in collaboration with Outward Bound Adventures, year two participants set up tents, went hiking, explored nature, and enjoyed a nighttime campfire with s’mores.

The TM-YEA program aspires to encourage Indigenous youth to consider an environmental science path in higher education and expose them to the many diverse fields of employment in conservation. Bringing the program full-circle, Maya Nunez, who completed the TM-YEA program last year, has recently joined The Living Desert team as an Assistant Conservation Scientist! It is our goal to continue to inspire program participants to connect with nature and pursue career paths in related fields, helping to improve both the representation of Indigenous people in conservation and the quality of conservation that is done. The second year of the program, with a new group of participants, began in the summer of 2023. Future trips include camping, planting pollinator gardens on Torres Martinez land, and planting in the Zoo’s Ethnobotanical Garden!

At Anza Borrego Desert State Park, participants hiked as they discussed local wildlife, plants, and geology along the way.