Learning About Land Trusts: A Conversation with Dr. Beth Rose Middleton Manning

Please join Redbud Resource Group for a conversation with Beth Rose Middleton Manning as we explore the significance of land trusts as tools for land conservation, restoration, and supporting Native communities.

Topics covered:

• Understanding land trusts: Definitions, types of land trusts
• Examining the historical and contemporary context of land dispossession
• How land trusts contribute to supporting the Land Back movement
• Success stories and challenges faced by Indigenous communities in reclaiming Ancestral lands
• Ways we can contribute to the Land Back movement

You will Learn:

1.  How tribes have used land trusts to protect the environment and cultural resources.

2. How tribes and agencies can utilize land trusts as a tool to preserve and manage land resources in the face of climate change.

3. How land trusts can play a crucial role in the implementation of the 30x30 initiative, which aims to conserve 30% of land and water by 2030.

Dr. Beth Rose Middleton Manning (Afro-Caribbean, Eastern European) is a Professor of Native American Studies at UC Davis. Beth Rose’s research centers on Native environmental policy and Native activism for site protection using conservation tools. Her broader research interests include intergenerational trauma and healing, Native land stewardship, rural environmental justice, Indigenous analysis of climate change, Afro-indigeneity, and qualitative GIS. Beth Rose received her BA in Nature and Culture from UC Davis, and her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley. Her first book, Trust in the Land: New Directions in Tribal Conservation (University of Arizona Press 2011), focuses on Native applications of conservation easements, with an emphasis on conservation partnerships led by California Native Nations.

This event is open to all individuals, agencies, and organizations passionate about Indigenous rights, healthy environments, and the intersection of land conservation and social equity. Whether you are a policymaker, tribal representative or passionate community member, this is an opportunity to learn, engage, and strengthen Native sovereignty while contributing to climate-mitigating solutions.