Meet Professor Melissa Nelson, Academy Trustee

Melissa K. Nelson, Ph.D., is an Indigenous ecologist, writer, media-maker and native scholar-activist. She is Anishinaabe/Métis/Norwegian and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Her work is dedicated to Indigenous rights and revitalization, Native science and biocultural diversity, ecological ethics and sustainability, and the renewal and celebration of community health and cultural arts.

We had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Nelson, who recently became an Academy trustee, to learn more about her journey and what inspires her most about the natural world. Read the Q&A below.

Q: How did you get into your field of research?

It really all goes back to growing up in the coastal redwoods on the south fork of the Eel River, which is the ancestral territory of the Kato, Sinkyone, and Yuki peoples. I think the combination of my ancestral heritage and then growing up in such a beautiful ecological area made me deeply fascinated and in love with the natural world and the untold history of Native America.

Q: Can you share your latest work and what you’re most excited about professionally?

I have been advocating for Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous sciences in higher education and land management for 30 years. In June, I had the opportunity to visit the Department of the Interior, consulting with our federal government on exactly that—how to incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems and Indigenous resource management into federal land management policies, including trainings and a handbook for all DOI employees.

This has been a professional goal of mine, and it's honestly very emotional. I never thought I'd see this in my lifetime, and with a dozen other Native American scholars consulting in a very significant way. I'm very excited about this work, and it’s moving me more into policy, although I've been locally based in land stewardship; indigenizing our educational systems, environmental organizations, and now indigenizing government.

Additionally, I, along with several colleagues, received a National Science Foundation grant for racial equity in STEM, and just last month, I had the opportunity to host a group of Indigenous Ph.D. students from Arizona State University. It’s been thrilling to bring together academically trained Indigenous graduate students with community leaders on the land to immerse ourselves in land-based learning, meaning really getting our hands dirty to solve real-world problems to increase resiliency and food justice for urban, marginalized communities.

For example, how do we restore a watershed? How do we bring back the salmon? How do we preserve heirloom native seeds? How do we bring together the best of Indigenous sciences and “tending the wild” with our Western sciences of horticulture and organic farming?

It’s crucial to get out of the classroom and out on the land and waters, using observations and simple instruments like binoculars and the naked eye. With our senses, we’re getting back to embodied knowing.

This fully immersive experience provided a space for the Native students to bring their full identities. They didn’t have to hide their unique Native heritage. We celebrated and sometimes grieved the realities of our shared histories that are often marginalized and erased in science.

Q: What is something your students have taught you during your tenure as a professor?

There's been so many key learnings. One of the great things about being a professor is continuing to learn from the students—and especially learn from and mentor Indigenous students—their boldness, courage, persistence, and tenacity.

We’ve carved out a safe space in higher education for Native studies and Indigenous sciences. It's still very small and marginalized, but we've got a crack in the door and to see the young generation of indigenous scientists boldly going forward and manifesting these incredible partnerships between tribes and agencies, academics, and governments is incredibly exciting.

I’m inspired by their openness to learning different ways. Western science is one way and it’s an important and critical one, but we really need to broaden our spectrum of how we understand the environment and people's relationship to the natural world.

Q: What opportunities do you see for the Academy in terms of partnering with indigenous communities?

I see tremendous partnerships in terms of curation and interpretation of collections, and the meaning and value of them in relation to both temporary and permanent public exhibitions. I’m interested in the way we interpret and educate more people about theimportance of Indigenoussciences, citizen science, and feminist science.

I see those collective sciences as important tools for understanding and healing our world. And reconciling that harm is key, as well.

Q: What inspires you most about the Academy’s work and mission to regenerate the natural world?

I think it’s just that: regenerating the natural world. The Academy is ahead of the curve. California has always been ahead of the curve, and to focus on regeneration as a strategy is key. Regeneration includes death and decay, which is part of all natural systems; some things have to die for new things to emerge. I'm very excited about this intellectual and conceptual framing and the theory of change.

I'm thrilled to get to know more about all of the incredible trustees, leadership, and staff. I’m excited to brainstorm, collaborate, and make new films, sharing the stories that have not yet been told, encouraging people to learn about new ways of relating to the land and the environment. I am deeply inspired by the Academy’s work and mission.

Favorite Academy animal: Butterflies in the Rainforest

Favorite place to visit in California: Big Sur coast

Sarah Fahey is associate director donor experience, communications.