This project was supported by the Internal Idaho NSF EPSCoR Seed Funding Opportunity which is designed to allow project leadership and the Idaho research community to respond quickly and effectively to new opportunities as well as pursue high impact, potentially transformative research. This project was part of the Workforce Development Seed Funding component and aligns with the component’s purpose which is to “strengthen education, workforce development, internship and/or training opportunities related to Idaho EPSCoR research, including with agency, underrepresented community, or tribal collaborators.” Within Idaho’s borders are five federally recognized Tribes: the Shoshone-Bannock, Shoshone-Paiute, Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai, and Nez Perce. The ecological landscape of Idaho is currently located on sovereign Tribal lands, maintaining strong research relationships across these jurisdictions is essential to the success of the project.
Over 100 Tribal and university researchers were trained through the workshop series. Developing effective Tribal-university partnerships is essential to upholding Tribal sovereignty and to developing research practices that lead to meaningful outcomes. Creating a space to engage in dialogue, our workshop supports trust-building and stronger relationships between Idaho Tribal and university entities, increasing the likelihood of meaningful and actionable research conducted at the Tribal-university interface. Further, incorporating Indigenous epistemologies and research methods in future projects supports a broadening of participation and moves us towards more inclusive research practices that can benefit Tribal communities and universities alike.
Idaho EPSCoR participants, in collaboration with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, hosted the (Re)Cultivating & (Re)Newing Reciprocal Research: Working toward collaborative Tribal-University research relationships workshop series in spring 2022. The event attracted a total of 124 registrants from Idaho, Montana, Washington, Colorado, and British Columbia, Canada, including 39 Native-identifying participants representing 18 different Tribal Nations. Participants also represented 27 different institutions, including all three Idaho colleges and research institutions. The project helps in moving EPSCoR towards improving Idaho Tribes’ and universities’ research relationships.