You are invited to attend the master's thesis defense of Nicole Brooks, please see the following information:

Name: Nicole Brooks
Date: 12/01/2023
Time (EST/EDT): 10:00 am
Location: 1213B H.J. Patterson Hall
Remote Access: email mees@umd.edu

Committee Chair: L. Jen Shaffer
Committee Members: Kenny Rose Barnet Pavão-Zuckerman,

Title: INDIGENOUS INVOLVEMENT IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION: AN ANALYSIS OF VIRGINIA’S SOVEREIGN NATIONS INVOLVEMENT IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM

Abstract: Indigenous involvement in conservation and restoration practices funded by government entities (e.g., EPA, USGS, NOAA) is not well documented on the East Coast of the United States. Increased Indigenous involvement in conservation and restoration projects globally raises questions regarding this environmental practice gap in the Eastern United States (McAlvay, 2021; Poto, 2021; Turner, 2010). Currently, government-led restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay, led by the Chesapeake Bay Program, lack a strong Indigenous presence or contribution despite several federally-recognized Sovereign Nations in the surrounding area. To understand this gap, a literature review was first conducted to provide an initial context for viewing the contemporary Indigenous involvement in Chesapeake Bay restoration. The review was the basis for a detailed analysis of Virginia’s Sovereign Nation involvement in the Chesapeake Bay Program that used a series of interviews and participant observations, a review of the watershed report card data, and a social network analysis. Interview participants were classified into one of three representative categories: government organization, non-government organization, (but not Sovereign Nation), and Sovereign Nation. These were used to understand the political ecological dynamics driving the interactions in the Chesapeake Bay restoration social network, specifically among the representative categories. Results showed a lack of a consistent and intentional relationship between the Sovereign Nations of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay Program. According to the federal trust relationship, this infers that the lack of a strong Sovereign Nation involvement in the Chesapeake Bay Program contributes to a continued state of Environmental Injustice. To begin undoing this injustice, the Chesapeake Bay Program should devote significant effort to building intentional relationships with the Sovereign Nations, including a more formal and official representation within the Program.