Restoring the Land, Restoring Ourselves: Utilizing Landscape Restoration as a Method to Reconnect Indigenous Young People to the Natural World, their Cultures, and Career Pathways
Chas Robles1
1Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, Albuquerque, NM, USA; chas@conservationlegacy.org
In this presentation, Chas Robles will detail the ways that conservation corps programs have expanded the diversity of participation by focusing on Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC), the program he runs. Chas will tell the history of ALCC, the ways they strive to cultivate the next generation of local land stewards, and how they work and partner with tribal communities and land managers. Highlighting innovative projects like the Ecological Restoration Certificate program, in which participants learn about and complete important restoration projects on public and Tribal lands and earn college credit and an industry-backed certificate, Chas will talk about how ALCC is working to complete conservation work, prepare its participants for success in industry professions, and center indigenous voices and knowledge in the fields of restoration and conservation.