Program on the Environment

After decades of neglect, the land at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center is receiving more attention from eco-restoration groups who plan to bring back ecological function and a greater population of native trees and understory. The motivation for my focus, while interning at Discovery Park Advisory Council (DPAC), stems from an increased awareness of the historic separation of Urban Native peoples in the Puget Sound region from spaces to celebrate identity and culture. My aim was to highlight the importance of consultation and collaboration between restoration organizations and Urban Native community as restoration planning moves forward. In addition, I sought to identify barriers to restoration that could stem from a lack of agreed upon outcomes. Through semi-structured interviews of members from both active restoration organizations in and around Daybreak and representatives of Daybreak’s Urban Native community, I sought to identify outcomes in common and in conflict. The responses were entered into tables distinguishing them by their respective interview questions and connected them based on common themes. The results of the thematic analysis showed that most responses indicated similar desires for restoration outcomes including; building community, educating youth and restoring native plants. A common theme of limited financial resources was also commonly stated as a barrier to restoration at Daybreak. Though the practice of herbicide use by restoration groups conflicted with the Urban Native group’s desire for a medicinal/edible forest, the results showed that an adaptive restoration protocol, without herbicide use, could aid in bringing the Urban Native community’s desires to fruition.