Environmental Stewardship and Indigenous Peoples in the Salish Sea Region | Speakers & Moderators

Panel 1: Restoring the Environment through Tribal Alliances

PANELISTS

Hanford McCloud

Greetings, my name is Hweqwidi Hanford Mccloud and my parents are Joyce McCloud (Wells), Nisqually and Don McCloud Jr., Puyallup. I grew up in Nisqually and in Yelm. Growing up on the Nisqually reservation was a good learning experience, learning about our tribal sovereignty, our self-governance, and knowing our treaty rights as a hunter, diver and fisherman. As an artist, I love to weave baskets and hats of our people that we made for thousands of years. I come from a basket weaving family, and my Great Grandmother was a weaver, among many other things she did. My mom taught me at the age of 12 to gather bark from the trees and how to take care of the tree because that's why they are here. Making baskets and hats have changed my life for the better. I have worked for Nisqually all my life, holding different positions and working for some awesome departments within our tribe. I love our culture and traditions that what drives me to do better for my community.

Jeanette Dorner

Jeanette joined the Land Trust in November 2020 as Executive Director. She grew up in south Pierce County on the banks of Muck Creek, a tributary to the Nisqually River. She has a B.S. in Earth Sciences and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Pacific Lutheran University and an M.S. from the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources with a focus on Restoration Ecology. She worked for 11 years as the Salmon Recovery Program Manager with the Nisqually Tribe, coordinating the protection and restoration of salmon habitat in the Nisqually watershed. She then moved to work on Puget Sound wide and Central Puget Sound salmon recovery for the last decade. She is so pleased to have returned to her home watershed and the Nisqually family (Nisquamily) to help protect and steward these special places.

Justin Parker

Justin Parker, Makah, is executive director of the NWIFC. He joined the organization in 2000 and also has served as intergovernmental affairs policy advisor and director of administration. He previously worked as director of administrative services at the Makah Tribe and as a fisherman.  Parker serves on the board of the Washington Conservation Action, as president of the Salmon Homecoming Alliance and treasurer of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corp.

MODERATOR

Zoltán Grossman

Zoltán Grossman has since 2005 been a Member of the Faculty in Geography and Native American & Indigenous Studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He is a longtime community organizer, and was a co-founder of the Midwest Treaty Network in Wisconsin. He earned his Ph.D. in Geography and Graduate Minor in American Indian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002. He is a past co-chair of the Indigenous Peoples Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers. He was co-editor (with Alan Parker) of Asserting Native Resilience: Pacific Rim Indigenous Nations Face the Climate Crisis (Oregon State University Press, 2012). He is author of Unlikely Alliances: Native Nations and White Communities Join to Defend Rural Lands (University of Washington Press Indigenous Confluences series, 2017). His faculty website is https://sites.evergreen.edu/zoltan.

Panel 2: Native Education and Outdoor Education Opportunities

PANELISTS

Jerad Koepp

Jerad Koepp, Wukchumni, is the Native Student Program Specialist for North Thurston Public Schools, the 2022 Washington State teacher of the year, and the first Native American educator to earn the distinction in the state.  He is a leader in Native education, policy, and government to government relationships. As an educator, trainer, presenter, consultant, and advocate, Jerad also created and supports his district’s dual-credited high school Native Studies program.

Davy Clark

Davy Clark's journey in the Nisqually Watershed began over a decade ago at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, where he led environmental education programs. With a bachelor's degree in Environmental Education from The Evergreen State College, Davy's passion for connecting youth to nature has flourished. At the Nisqually River Education Project, he has implemented initiatives like water quality monitoring, salmon carcass tossing, and Student GREEN Congress. Davy is committed to continuing his work with the community to engage students with the wonders of the Nisqually Watershed for years to come.

Jerry Price

Jerry Price, K-12 Curriculum Developer at the Muckleshoot Tribal School in Washington State, previously served as Associate Director of Social Studies at the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). With over two decades of teaching experience in middle school US History and Washington State History and Government, Jerry has contributed significantly to K-12 Social Studies instruction. He played key roles in revising Washington State Social Studies Standards and authored lessons for OSPI's Office of Native Education's Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State program. Jerry, a devoted father of two daughters, resides in Yelm with his wife Erin, who is a Kindergarten teacher, and their two Labradors.

Vanessa Castle

Vanessa Castle is a member of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe where she currently is a Natural Resource Technician. She contributes to research in both aquatic and terrestrial systems through Elwha river restoration post dam removal, monitoring salmon recovery, predator prey dynamics and population monitoring of culturally important species within her usual and accustomed area. She continues to attempt to braid her traditional ecological knowledge passed on from her ancestors into this modern day scientific world. She was raised on the Elwha River which she feels an obligation to protect for the next seven generations.

MODERATOR

Bill Kallappa

In 2019, Gov. Inslee appointed Tumwater resident Bill S. Kallappa II to the State Board of Education. With 25 years of experience in public education, Parks and Recreation Youth Programs, and Tribal Youth Programs, Bill currently serves as the Education Liaison for the Nisqually Tribe. In this role, he conducts educational outreach to local K-12 school districts and higher education institutions, promoting and sharing local tribal history and knowledge. Bill also played a pivotal role in establishing the Nisqually Youth Council, a legitimate organization modeled after the Tribal Council, which engages tribal youth in addressing relevant issues. He is a co-founder of the Inter Tribal League (ITL), a tribal youth sports league established in 2009, providing access to various sports for boys and girls in grades 3-12. The ITL collaborates with the Seattle Storm to host an annual youth basketball camp for tribal youth. Bill serves as a Parks Commissioner for the city of Tumwater and is actively involved in organizations such as the Washington State Indian Education Association, the National Indian Education Association, and the Tribal Leaders Congress for Education. Additionally, he represents the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs on the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee. Bill is a graduate of The Evergreen State College and enjoys spending time with his wife, Maia Bellon, and teenage daughter, Talia.

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