Tiana Cachini’s service with the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC) stands as a powerful example of how Corps programs and national service can elevate Indigenous voices, strengthen cultural representation, and contribute to lasting, community-centered conservation outcomes. As the Indigenous Mapping and Research Individual Placement supporting Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) and Native Lands, National Trails (NLNT), Tiana combined technical skill-building with deep cultural responsibility to produce work that will shape how tribal histories are respectfully shared for years to come.

Deandra Jones wraps barbed wire around trees in the Chuska Mountains, places sardines and glazed doughnuts in the center of a square-shaped collection site, then sprays commercial liquid called Bear Lure that smells sweet and fishy. When black bears arrive to investigate the scents, they brush against the wire and leave behind hair samples containing their DNA.

Hunter, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, which is affiliated with Casa Grande, has brought invaluable traditional cultural knowledge to the preservation work at Casa Grande. He has engaged tribal members in preservation events that he organized within his community to give indigenous members the opportunity to develop hands-on skills and work to preserve their cultural heritage.

What is your background and how have your skills or experiences helped you in your volunteer role?

My background in environmental studies has been incredibly helpful in my internship roles. After graduation, I interned at Pecos with the preservation crew. Following that, I then interned with an NPS program “Vanishing Treasures” through Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC). I returned to Pecos for a second internship as a Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) with ALCC.

In the summer of 2024, working with the Rio Grande National Forest, the GMUG hired their first all-Native American field crew using money from the Greater Rocky Mountain Resource Advisory Committee. On the GMUG, the crew constructed handline to help contain the future Horsefly prescribed fire. They used chainsaws and hand tools to remove vegetation along one edge of the unit, which will allow for a safe and effective prescribed fire.

The project came about through a partnership with Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps to offer land management opportunities to young Native Americans. ALCC’s goal is to strengthen indigenous peoples’ connections to their native lands and to careers with the Forest Service.

This year, BLM Colorado has hired two new interns through Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps (ALCC), a Conservation Legacy corps program that aims to engage Indigenous youth and young adults with conservation service programs. Macy Robinson (Cherokee) and Pualani Tupper are this year’s hires. Pualani sat down with Macy to discuss what her experience has been like so far and to highlight BLM’s burgeoning relationship with ALCC, an organization dedicated to the betterment of Indigenous lands and people.

The 2024 Partners trip, led by trip leader Jen Lair, boat operator John Napier, and assistants Nichole Sanchez and Stephen Yazzie, served two ALCC crews and based out of Arizona and New Mexico and one all-Indigenous Southwest Conservation Corps Crew based out of Colorado. The youth and young adults on this trip belonged to a diversity of Tribes in the Southwest and beyond.

On June 15th, 2024 Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) hosted their second annual Four Corners Indigenous Art Market highlighting Native artisans and musicians from across the region. The event welcomed a diverse group of guests with close to 450 people stopping by throughout the day to shop, watch, and learn from the Native communities represented.

Invasive plants are wreaking havoc in parks in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and Utah—and have become a significant concern for the NPS. It’s essential to understand these invasives at an individual park level so that everyone can understand the true dangers these invaders create at a large scale.

This Week: Secretary Haaland highlights conservation and Indigenous youth public service as she begins her visit to New Mexico.