This presentation explores the Karuk Tribe’s efforts to restore forest habitats degraded by logging and the absence of traditional fire, through the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and modern wildlife monitoring techniques. Using Acoustic Recording Units (ARUs), game cameras, GPS collar data for ungulates, and GPS loggers for turtles, our team is building a biodiversity monitoring system to guide restoration. These efforts aim to address the loss of biodiversity and the overgrown, homogenized forests left by past disturbances. The Karuk people have lived in harmony with this landscape since time immemorial, guided by a deep physical, emotional, and spiritual connection to their homelands. This enduring relationship, passed through generations, enables the Tribe to restore the land to its natural balance. By combining TEK with modern tools, we are filling knowledge gaps and creating sustainable restoration strategies that reflect Indigenous wisdom. Yootva (thank you) for considering this work. We are eager to share how the integration of Karuk TEK with modern wildlife science supports biodiversity conservation and the healing of Karuk Ancestral Lands.

Daniel Sarna-Wojcicki works with the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Program on research, policy and planning.  His research uses interdisciplinary and community-engaged participatory approaches to support policy advocacy for ecosystem rehabilitation and social and environmental justice. He's been working with the Karuk Tribe since 2009 on supporting ecocultural revitalization efforts through research and advocacy related to climate resilience, food sovereignty, watershed restoration and wildlife ecology.  He is currently working with the Karuk Wildlife team on projects related to large mammal ecology, wildlife health and zoonotic diseases and forest restoration policy and planning.