Author Archives: Michele Bigley

Michele Bigley's writing has appeared in Sierra, Condé Nast Traveler, Afar, WIRED, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and more.

Rosie Clayburn stands in front of a restored pond and looks into the distance

Yurok leader offers insight on landmark project at ‘O Rew  

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Rosie Clayburn is a dynamic leader with the Yurok Tribe of Northern California, the state’s largest Indigenous tribe. As the Yurok Tribal Heritage Preservation Officer and Cultural Resources Director, she advises on everything from land acquisition to the protection of …

scenic vista of redwood studded mountains on a sunny day

Uniting to protect sacred redwoods

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Tom Little Bear Nason, chairman of Big Sur’s Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, describes his tribe’s long-standing relationship with redwoods. He’s working with the area’s non-native communities to integrate cultural burn strategies into land management practices that will protect the forest from catastrophic wildfires. The deep-seated respect for ancient redwoods has inspired Little Bear and his apprentices to share their traditional ecological knowledge of fire mimicry with the Big Sur community.