Webinar: Rights of Nature - Resilience in the Face of Climate Change
Presented by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Climate Change Program

Date/Time:
Tuesday, November 12th 1:00 pm (Mountain)

This webinar is an installment of the Topics in Climate Change Adaptation Planning webinar series hosted by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Climate Change Program http://nau.edu/tribalclimatechange.

On September 24th, High Country News reported that “The Klamath River now has the legal rights of a person.” This summer, the Yurok Tribe declared rights of personhood for the Klamath River. With this declaration, the Yurok Tribe joins other Indigenous communities in a growing Rights of Nature movement aimed at protecting the environment. In 2018, the White Earth Band of Ojibwe adopted the Rights of Manoomin to protect wild rice and in 2017, the New Zealand government adopted the Rights of the Whanganui River.

What does “Rights of Personhood” mean?
Also referred to as the “rights of personhood”, Rights of Nature is the recognition and honoring that Nature has rights. It is the recognition that our ecosystems – including tree, oceans, animals, mountains – have rights just as human beings have rights.

Why is this important?
Given the state of our changing climate and tribes working hard on vulnerability assessments and climate adaptation plans, this is an important discussion as many tribes are interested in moving in this direction.

Presenters:
ITEP is honored to have the following Indigenous and Tribal members speak about their involvement in their respective Rights of Nature declarations:
Gerrard Albert, Nga Paerangi and Ngati Tuera, hapu of the Whanganui River, Chair of Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui, Legal Personhood of the Whanganui River
Frank Bibeau, White Earth Nation, 1855 Treaty Authority Executive Director, Rights of Manoomin (wild rice)
Geneva Thompson, Cherokee Nation, Yurok Tribe Office of the Tribal Attorney and Keith Parker, Yurok Tribe, Yurok Tribe Fisheries Biologist, Rights of the Klamath River
To register: There is no cost to attend the webinar, however advance registration is required. Please use this link to register for the webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3262857233066500097

Special thank you: We greatly appreciate the assistance of Maia Wikaira with setting up this webinar.

Please direct any questions to:
Nikki Cooley, Co-manager of ITEP’s Climate Change Program:
Karen Cozzetto, Co-manager of ITEP’s Climate Change Program: