Community Environmental Impact Awards
March 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Community Environmental Impact Awards
Indigenous Resilience Center
The University of Arizona
The Indigenous Resilience Center (IRes) is excited to announce the recipients of the 2024-2025 Community Environmental Impact Awards. These awards were made possible with funding from the Waverley Street Foundation (Waverley). Waverley aims to support climate solutions that are grounded in and emerge from the day-to-day needs of people and local communities. Its grant partners work closely with farmers, students, investors, Indigenous peoples, advocates, and many others.
The 2024-2025 Community Environmental Impact Award is designed to further the work of IRes towards capacity-building, co-design, and co-solving environmental challenges with Indigenous communities taking the lead. With the support of Waverley and IRes, the Community Environmental Impact Awardees will further the mission of IRes to “center Indigenous ways of knowing into co-designed environmental solutions and train the next generation of community leaders.”
This will be a global model of how collaborations among research, outreach, and other community partners that respect Tribal governance and knowledge, can be formed to advance Tribal resilience goals where centering Indigenous ways of knowing into co-designed environmental solutions and training the next generation of community leaders is the focus.
The 2024-2025 Community Environmental Impact Awardees:
Pascua Yaqui Tribe - Black Wash Trail Restoration Project: The Pascua Yaqui Tribe's Black Wash Trail Restoration Project aims to restore native vegetation, remove invasive species, and create a shaded nature trail that fosters ecological resilience and community well-being. By integrating Indigenous knowledge with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) education, the initiative connects students to their environment through hands-on learning in ecology, Yoeme language, and cultural traditions. The project also promotes physical activity and health while strengthening community engagement through volunteer efforts and environmental stewardship.
Colorado River Indian Tribe (CRIT) - Growing Healthy Food Initiative: The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) are expanding their efforts to build climate resilience through sustainable food systems by enhancing two key programs: the Le Pera Elementary Gardening Program and the CRIT Food Distribution Program Community Garden. Partnering with the U of A La Paz County/CRIT Cooperative Extension, the initiative will establish greenhouses and expand garden spaces to withstand extreme weather conditions while promoting water conservation and sustainable agriculture. The project will provide access to fresh, culturally relevant foods, offer hands-on education in gardening and healthy eating, and empower students to explore agricultural careers. By engaging families and the broader community in food cultivation, conservation practices, and traditional knowledge, the initiative fosters self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship, and improved health outcomes.
San Xavier Co-Op Farm - Oidagkam Himdag Project: The San Xavier Cooperative Farm (SXCF) honors the O’odham people’s 4,000-year agricultural history along the banks of the Ali Akimel (Santa Cruz River). Historically, the O’odham have relied on sustainable farming practices and innovative water management to thrive in the desert climate. This knowledge continues to be vital in addressing contemporary challenges like climate change and seed preservation.
SXCF’s mission is to preserve and promote O’odham agriculture, provide educational opportunities, and create a sustainable, efficient, and profitable community investment. The farm has earned a reputation for producing pesticide- and herbicide-free food and is certified by the Intertribal Agriculture Council and as a Tucson City of Gastronomy Certified Caterer and Retailer.
SXCF’s work is part of a larger movement toward food sovereignty and climate resilience. As the world faces increasing challenges from climate change and desertification, SXCF is reclaiming, strengthening, and sharing its farming knowledge to ensure a sustainable future. SXCF is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of O’odham farmers, supported by collaborations with local organizations such as Tohono O’odham Community College and the Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
The 2023-2024 Community Environmental Impact Awardees:
HUBitual Learning and Outreach Project: On the Navajo Nation, limited waste management services force residents to travel long distances for disposal, leading to illegal dumping. The HUBitual Learning and Outreach Project is partnering with scientists to employ GIS tools to identify dumpsites, develop clean-up strategies, and raise awareness about environmental impact. Through community collaboration and youth empowerment, this Indigenous-led initiative aims to improve living standards and ecosystem health, seeking support for its vital mission.
Hopi Tutskwa Land Steward Fellowship: The Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute (HTPI), an Indigenous-led non-profit based in Kykotsmovi Village on the Hopi Reservation, offers holistic education rooted in Hopi culture and permaculture practices. Their initiatives address various issues affecting Hopi communities, such as food sovereignty, seed stewardship, watershed restoration, sustainable housing, and renewable energy, with a focus on community empowerment. Through hands-on training, youth engagement, and leadership development, HTPI aims to strengthen local food systems, preserve traditional knowledge, and build resilience to climate change, aligning with Indigenous priorities for partnership building and research.
Nalwoodi Denzhone Community - San Carlos Apache Regenerative Silvopasture Planning and Design Project: Since 2015, Nalwoodi Denzhone Community (NDC), a nonprofit, has revitalized a 90-acre tree farm into an agricultural community space on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Through regenerative agriculture and community partnerships, they address food insecurity, producing over 9500 lbs of fresh produce and 30,000 eggs since 2020. Expansion plans for 2024 include adding sheep and chickens, offering paid internships for local youth, and collaborating with healthcare to install a community garden, aiming to maximize sustainable land use and foster food sovereignty while supporting community health.
The proposed work aims to enhance off-grid, solar-powered water purification efforts in the Navajo Nation through collaboration between Sixth-World Solutions (SWS), Diné College (DC), and the University of Arizona (UA). The four-phase plan includes assessing water quality, testing treatment alternatives, implementing demonstration systems, and establishing best practices in partnership with local residents, contributing to community resilience and technical capacity building in off-grid civil services.
SWS's prior experience in installing rainfall catchment systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, with additional support from UA and DC to gather relevant water quality data and advance practical water/energy research.
MCHE Community-Based Natural Leaders Learning Circle: The Community-Based Natural Leaders Learning Circle, a nine-month project, aims to collaborate with the community using an Indigenous Health Impact Assessment (HIA) tool to identify and prioritize environmental justice/resilience and climate adaptation issues. Led by facilitators from the McKinley Community Health Alliance, the project will utilize the Thrive Rural Framework and Justice40 initiative to develop an action plan, incorporating land-based curriculum and Indigenous Radical Public Health perspectives. Data from the HIA will inform top policy recommendations and implementation plans, with the potential for replication in grassroots and Navajo Chapter communities.
Black Mesa United - A Just Transition Post-Coal Mining Plan for Black Mesa United: Navajos living within the Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC) Leasehold Area: In 1964, the Peabody Western Coal Company (PWCC) negotiated a coal mining lease with the Navajo Nation for 65,000 acres on Black Mesa, forcibly relocating Navajo citizens and disrupting their social, cultural, and economic well-being. Decades of mining left residents without basic infrastructure and fragmented their ability to voice concerns collectively. Black Mesa United-Dziłíjiin Bee Ahóta’, Inc., (BMU-DzBA, Inc.) was established to address these issues and advocate for justice, securing funding for community projects like the Manymules Waterline Project. Now, BMU-DzBA aims to initiate a just transition plan for post-coal mining closure, enhance communication among residents, and position the community for grants supporting resilience and sustainability in a culturally sensitive manner.
Planted Relatives - Indigiplanted LLC : The Planted Relatives Project aims to: 1) develop culturally relevant curricula for Indigenous communities and tribal schools, exposing students to STEAM fields and careers; and 2) provide a guidebook for Indigenous growers and communities to implement traditional and high-tech food production solutions, considering climate and natural resource challenges. Additionally, it will incorporate Indigenous culture, art, and perspectives to demonstrate connections between climate change, food systems, and food sovereignty. This project aligns with the Indigenous Resilience Center's vision of supporting Indigenous communities through community-centered solutions based on the 4Rs (Relations, Respect, Reciprocity, and Responsibility), ultimately benefiting communities by providing resources for addressing social and environmental issues while increasing access to technical knowledge for Indigenous students and communities.
The Indigenous Resilience Center is excited to work collaboratively with our 2024-2025 cohort of grantees in working towards building community resilience initiatives. We extend a large congratulations to the awardees! For further inquiries, please contact Daniel Sestiaga Jr., Assistant Director at rii-irc@arizona.edu.