CSP student Hallie Brown, graduating this June in the class of 2024, started a position with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) as Tribal Coastal Stories Project Associate. In this role, she is assisting with the coordination of the Tribal Coastal Stories Project for the Tribal Marine Stewards Network (TMSN). TMSN is an alliance of Tribal Nations (Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Resighini Rancheria, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash) working collaboratively to steward, protect, and restore the ocean and coastal resources within their ancestral territories. The Tribal Coastal Stories Project will create educational and outreach content for TMSN and the partner Tribes that retells Tribal histories and roles in more inclusive ways, sharing Tribal experiences and ecological histories along the coast. The project will support signage, videos, print materials and website content targeting the public, coastal residents, and visitors to Tribal ancestral lands.
“I am very excited to join the team at CMSF! I look forward to building collaborations with Tribes and supporting increased visibility of Tribal stewardship along California’s coastline,” says Hallie.
This position is a natural extension of Hallie’s capstone project which focuses on assessing the barriers and opportunities for Tribally-led native shellfish aquaculture in California. Her methods include (1) exploring California Native American Tribal interest in shellfish aquaculture using unstructured interviews, (2) identifying gaps and opportunities in the State of California aquaculture and coastal policies through a policy review, and (3) determining transferable lessons learned from Tribally-led shellfish aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii through unstructured interviews and a literature review. She is also conducting a funding analysis for TMSN to assess potential sustained funding pathways for this alliance.
Hallie will be wrapping up her capstone project, Policy Pathways for Advancing Tribally-led Native Shellfish Aquaculture for Climate Resilient Ecosystems and Native Foodways in California, and presenting results in June. Warm congratulations, Hallie!