The Salazar Center is proud to announce that James Calabaza, Indigenous Lands Program Director, Trees, Water & People, will be joining us in Denver, Colorado for the fifth-annual International Symposium on Conservation Impact.
James is Director of the Indigenous Lands Program at Trees, Water & People (TWP). James engages and works with U.S. Tribal Nations in the American Southwest on efforts centered around community-based, Tribal-led stewardship projects that create economic and environmental development opportunities. In his role, James provides much needed insight and experience on working with Tribal governments that uphold traditional ethics of governance and leadership, while also respecting Tribal sovereignty. His deep-rooted experiences and cultural values strengthens TWP’s approach in building honest, working relationships with Tribes and promoting cross-cultural values of large landscape conservation.
For twenty five years, Trees, Water & People has been a leader in the design and implementation of programs that produce tangible benefits for people and planet. Today, TWP’s work is more urgent than ever, as climate change threatens the livelihoods of millions of people in our region.
James is also an alumni of Colorado State University. In the summer of 2021, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 29 into law, which offers in-state college tuition for members of Native American Tribes with historical ties to Colorado. The law which adds to the foundation laid by the University community a decade ago through the Native American Legacy Award. The CSU tuition reduction offers in-state tuition at the University to qualified students who are citizens of state or federally recognized Tribes or descendants of Tribally enrolled citizens. Since its inception in 2011, more than 479 CSU students have benefitted from NALA. When CSU welcomed its first cohort of 12 students through the Native American Legacy Award in 2011, James was among the students. He is a member of the Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico and earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business and economics at CSU while being active in the Native American Cultural Center.
Resources:
‘Beyond State Lines’ CSU celebrates new law granting in-state tuition for Native American students