Indigenous communities have increasingly engaged in studies that combine oral histories and other traditional knowledge with conventional scientific data in recent decades, often described as co-production. Interdisciplinary studies that included such knowledge were conducted on the Navajo Nation from 2002-2016. Geoscientist Dr. Margaret Redsteer highlights Indigenous oral histories, which provide better understanding of environmental and socioeconomic vulnerability and the temporal aspects of landscape sensitivity, culture, and social conditions. Dr. Redsteer demonstrates how these histories are paramount in addressing ecological and environmental problems.

Dr. Margaret H Redsteer is a geoscientist and associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell. Her work explores how current and historic climate variability affects landscape conditions and ecosystems, and how these are related to livelihoods, living conditions, and land use policies. Dr. Redsteer was the 2023 recipient of the Tanner Lectureship award from Harvard University and received the 2013 Society of American Indian Government Employees Leadership Award. Before coming to UW Bothell, Margaret directed the United States Geological Survey Navajo Land Use Planning Project, which provides information for climate adaptation in reservation communities.

Enjoy 15% off your hotel stay on History Pub nights! Show your ticket at check-in.

These events are open to everyone interested in Pacific Northwest history, and beyond! Often co-sponsored by local or state historical and civic organizations, we bring you experts, scholars, first-person experiencers, historians and documentaries expounding on topics from indigenous history to the birth of Portland, early explorers to hop growing, and on and on! It's like being back in the classroom - except this time you get to settle into comfortable seats and enjoy a drink or two with dinner while you listen and learn.

This event is eligible for a History Pub Stamp