Caring for culturally significant plants in the midst of record setting droughts

Abstract

This article shares Karuk cultural practitioner and academic researcher observations of heat and water stress on culturally significant species in the middle Klamath River Basin, as well as co-developed botanical monitoring and education approaches to support adaption and resilience of forests, plants and people to climate change. In doing so, we bring attention to the dire circumstances posed by the “new normal” of environmental change, as a climate crisis as well as the adaptive capacity of Indigenous plant gathering and stewardship to the growing climate crisis. Over three years, the Karuk Tribe-UC Berkeley Collaborative (2022) team co-developed and carried out a collaborative research assessment and monitoring protocol in Karuk gathering areas.

Citation

Mucioki,  Megan; Morehead-Hillman, Lisa; McCovey, Kathy; Sarna-Wojcicki, Daniel; Lake, Frank K.; Preston, Vikki; Bourque, Shawn; Tripp, Bill; Hillman, Leaf G.; Sowerwine, Jennifer. 2024. Caring for culturally significant plants in the midst of record setting droughts. Artemisia. 50(1): 22-33.