Incorporating Indigenous Knowledges into Federal Research and Management: Understanding the New White House Guidance on Indigenous Knowledges

In November 2022, the White House Office of Science and Policy released guidance on how Federal agencies can ethically acknowledge and incorporate Indigenous Knowledges (IK) into science, management, and decision making. This first-of-its-kind document recognizes IK as an important body of knowledge contributing to a more complete understanding of the natural world. It also acknowledges the U.S. government's past history of marginalization of and resource extraction from Indigenous peoples and the impact this left on building trusting relationships.

In this webinar series, speakers will explore what it means to ethically engage with Indigenous Knowledges in resource management and conservation spaces. We will learn from Tribal and Indigenous communities about the frameworks they use to protect and share their knowledges, and from Federal agencies about how they navigate their responsibility to foster respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with knowledge holders.

We hope these sessions are of particular value to Federal employees seeking to build partnerships with Indigenous peoples and to Tribal citizens and Indigenous peoples seeking to understand resources and opportunities for collaborating with Federal partners.

Visit our webinar page for up-to-date information and to access webinar recordings and transcripts.

This webinar series is hosted by the National CASC in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center, the USGS Office of Tribal Relations, and the CASC’s Tribal Climate Resilience Liaisons. Special thanks to Coral Avery (Bureau of Indian Affairs; Northwest CASC) for designing the graphics used in promotional materials for this series.

Session 2: Understanding the New White House Guidance on Indigenous Knowledges

Haley Case-Scott is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and a descendant of the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, and Sakagaon Band of Chippewa Indians. She currently serves as a Policy Assistant for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) Climate and Environment Team. Prior to her work at OSTP, Ms. Case-Scott served as a Climate Justice Grassroots Organizer for Beyond Toxics, an Oregon based environmental justice organization, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Eugene/Springfield. She also served as a Resource Assistant Program intern with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the Pacific Northwest Tribal Climate Change Project, where she supported efforts to engage Tribes and Tribal communities to better inform climate policy. Ms. Case-Scott received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon, with a major in political science and a minor in Native American studies. She grew up in Southern, OR, in the homelands of her Klamath ancestors, and enjoys spending time with her brothers and sister whenever possible.

Paige Schmidt works for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters in Science Applications and the National Native American Programs where she serves as the Indigenous Knowledge and Co-stewardship Coordinator. During the first two decades of her career, Paige focused on the science of wildlife ecology and management. Throughout this time, she maintained her passion for elevating the role of Indigenous Peoples in the wildlife profession. She has served in numerous leadership positions with The Wildlife Society’s Native Peoples’ Wildlife Management Working Group focused on increasing the number of qualified Indigenous students in the larger conservation community. In her current role, she has worked to evaluate how the Service provides financial assistance to Tribes and represents the Service in the development of Federal guidance and Departmental policy for the consideration and inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in federal activities. She has also worked to step down recent policy on co-stewardship with Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, Alaska Native Organizations, and the Native Hawaiian Community. Paige is honored to support Service efforts to engage with these groups in the co-stewardship of public lands and waters. Paige is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma and resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her son.