California Tribal College
Course Description
The Certified California Tribal Naturalist course is a 4 unit course with a co-designed curriculum that addresses priorities & cultural relevancy for California tribes. Their mission is to foster a diverse community of naturalists and promote stewardship of California's natural resources through education and service. The leadership team includes Sage La Pena (Co-Instructor), Dr. Adina Merenlender (Founder of the California Naturalist Program and Professor of Cooperative Extension in Conservation Science), Juliet Maestas (Executive Director, California Tribal College), Greg Ira (Executive Director, UC California Naturalist Program). Guest experts from Indigenous communities across California will be presenting throughout the course.
Dates: TBA
Organization Description: The California Tribal College is the first tribal college in the state. California has three-quarters of a million Native people, belonging to nearly 200 distinct Native tribes. Not only do the tribes need strong leaders and professionals with the needed skills to thrive, there is an urgent need to prevent Native peoples from sliding further into poverty. Unfortunately, Native Americans are among the least represented in higher education in the state. Sustaining and strengthening age-old Native cultures requires education--making the work of the college truly necessary.
