Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation
TOLOWA DIVERS MONITOR OUR KELP FORESTS
As part of the Nation's Marine Division’s Ghvtlh-k'vsh shu'-srnelh-'i~ (Kelp Guardians) grant project, with project partner Reef Check, several staff members are quickly achieving the SCUBA certifications needed to monitor and restore kelp forests in Tolowa ancestral territory.
"We recently completed four dives: two in the river and two in the ocean, towards our Advanced Open Water certification," said Rosa Laucci, Marine Division manger and marine biologist. "It’s a lot of hard work, but we loved it and saw some incredible things. Once through all the certifications, we’ll be able to monitor our own kelp beds and other offshore resources."
The program was spurred by the recent decline of California’s kelp forests, which affects the cultural lifeways and health of the Nation. Other partners include Cal Poly Humboldt Sea Grant California, Sunken Seaweed Humboldt and NAS Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute.
The work often engages Indigenous youth in kelp restoration projects and workshops. This year, the Rou Dalagarr Food Sovereignty Lab enlisted the help of Cal Poly Humboldt students to join the Kelp Guardians internship program. Students complete community-informed research projects with Tribal communities that support kelp restoration and resilience.
According to Laucci, these practices can serve as a template for other Indigenous communities that want to develop culturally relevant kelp forest monitoring and restoration within ancestral territories.