Tribal Stewardship

In service of Indigenous stewardship across ancestral homelands through data, science, and sustained partnership

We focus on work with Tribal Nations because they are sovereign governments with enduring responsibilities to their homelands, waters, and communities. Our role is to support Nation-led stewardship priorities through data, science, and sustained partnership.

In the news:  Recognition of Nation-led innovation

★ Grand Prize · January 2026

CXL Fire Grand Challenge

VPDC & the Kalispel Tribe win the Fire Grand Challenge

In January 2026, VPDC and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians were awarded the Grand Prize in Conservation X Labs’ Fire Grand Challenge, recognizing the Vibrant Planet Data Commons (VPDC) and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians Natural Resource Department (KNRD) partnership as a breakthrough model for Tribal stewardship, data sovereignty, and AI-supported fire resilience planning.

Selected from 92 applications across 20 countries, this work demonstrates what becomes possible when Indigenous leadership and advanced decision support tools are developed together, on the Nation’s terms.

92Applications
20Countries
12Finalists
9moField testing
Read the press release → About the CXL Fire Challenge → Our story with the Kalispel Tribe — coming soon →

our commitment

Grounding Our Work in Sovereignty

We acknowledge Tribal Nations as sovereign governments with inherent rights, authorities, and responsibilities tied to the health and well-being of their peoples, lands, waters, and ecosystems. These interests extend throughout each Nation’s ancestral territory and are not extinguished or diminished by the patchwork of land ownership that has evolved across these lands.  

A young person carefully lights dry grass with a pitch stick under the guidance of an experienced fire practitioner, while other firefighters observe nearby in a forest clearing.
Yurok leaders guide California officials through tribally led restoration work on Yurok homelands. Photo by Kristaps Ungurs, via the Office of the Governor of California.

We recognize that Tribal Nations steward their homelands through intergenerational knowledge, governance, cultural practice, and place-based relationships that have been undermined and suppressed by colonial institutions for centuries. We clearly see the effects of this history, with relationships between people and the places we rely upon pushed out of balance. Nation-led stewardship can offer powerful, place-based responses to fire, forest, and ecosystem challenges when supported on the Nation’s terms.

This understanding carries forward into how we work—with humility, listening, and respect for Tribal priorities.

our work

What this looks like in practice

In every partnership, the work is defined by the Nation — not by our default workflows. Each Tribal partner sets the priorities and governs the decisions about their data and lands. We bring technical capacity, data infrastructure, and scientific tools to support those decisions.

What that looks like varies with every Nation. It can mean forest condition assessments and wildfire risk modeling, co-developed Response Functions, or data storytelling that centers Tribal leadership in ecosystem management. It can mean maps, restoration plans, and Community Wildfire Protection Plans — each shaped by what the partnership requires.

Our Ways of Working with Tribal Nations

A young person carefully lights dry grass with a pitch stick under the guidance of an experienced fire practitioner, while other firefighters observe nearby in a forest clearing.
Members of Yosemite Fire crew look on as the Southern Sierra Miwuk engage in a ceremony and traditional methods to ignite the prescribed fire. Photo by Brent Johnson, NPS.

Listening

We ground our work by first seeking to understand the needs, interests, and contexts unique to each tribe.

Two-Eyed Seeing

Drawing carefully from a concept developed by Mi’kmaw Elders, we support work that respects the distinct strengths of Indigenous Knowledge systems and Western science. We do so only in ways that align with Tribal priorities, governance, and consent.

Supporting Decisions

We recognize and adapt to capacity constraints around evaluating new data and technologies, focusing our work where it most effectively enables informed decision-making rather than prioritizing technical analysis alone.

Data Sovereignty

We honor each Nation’s right to govern the collection, ownership, and use of data about their lands, people, and resources. Our role is to support—not supersede—Tribal authority by ensuring data are handled, stored, and shared in ways that align with each Nation’s values, permissions, and governance frameworks.

Expecting Complexity

We understand the challenges of coordinating landscape-level management across allotments, alienated parcels, and regulatory overlays involving Tribal, state, and federal governments, as well as the need to navigate multiple funding sources to get work done on the ground.

A young person carefully lights dry grass with a pitch stick under the guidance of an experienced fire practitioner, while other firefighters observe nearby in a forest clearing.

When that approach holds — when tribal governance and sustained technical commitment align over real time — the results are worth documenting.

View of wildflowers in a meadow in Kalispel Tribe of Indians
★ Grand Prize Winner · CXL Fire Grand Challenge

Vibrant Planet Platform & Kalispel Tribe of Indians Project

A 90,000-acre co-management effort with the Colville National Forest. Nine months of co-developed data governance protocols, landscape-scale wildfire resilience planning, and field-tested tools — recognized from 92 applications across 20 countries as a breakthrough model for Indigenous-led forest management.

VPDC + Kalispel Tribe of Indians · Colville National Forest · January 2026
Read the press release → About the CXL Fire Challenge →

Our Ways of Working are informed by a broader synthesis of Tribal voices and the Indigenous Data Sovereignty literature. We've made that synthesis public as a reference for the field:
‍Principles and Practices for Working with Tribal Data →

resources

Tools, research, & protocols for responsible partnership

A growing set of resources developed through our Cisco Foundation–funded research — open to practitioners, partners, and communities working toward equitable land stewardship.
Synthesis

Principles and Practices for Working with Tribal Data

Seven foundational principles and a set of operational practices — synthesized from ten interviews with Tribal members and a review of 39 sources on Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Includes a practical starting checklist for organizations entering this work.

2026 · Cisco Foundation-supported
Read the synthesis → Download bibliography ↓
Perspective · Data Story

Valuing Indigenous Knowledge

A tribal member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and 28-year natural resources professional guides you through the relationships, history, and respect that must come before any data conversation with Tribal Nations begins.

Michael Wilson · Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde · Indigenous Data Sharing Program Manager, VPDC
Read the data story →
Case study · Coming soon

The ground truth: Vibrant Planet Platform & Kalispel Tribe of Indians

Nine months with the Kalispel Tribe. What co-development actually looked like, and what winning a global competition validated about the model.

VPDC + Kalispel Tribe · CXL Fire Grand Challenge · 2026
We're documenting this work now → Read the press release →
Three complementary resources, each approaching this work from a different place: a research framework, a perspective grounded in lived responsibility and relationship, and a case study shaped through partnership in practice. Read them in any order — they reinforce each other.
A young person carefully lights dry grass with a pitch stick under the guidance of an experienced fire practitioner, while other firefighters observe nearby in a forest clearing.

faq

Common questions

What does data sovereignty mean in practice at VPDC?

Each Tribal Nation retains authority over what data is collected, how it is stored, who can access it, and how it may be used. We establish written data-sharing agreements before any project begins, and each Tribal Nation may set — and revise — the terms at any point.

What data is publicly available, and what is restricted?

Open datasets are listed on our Open Science & Data page. Data derived from Tribal partnerships is governed by Tribal data-sharing agreements. Which datasets are public, restricted, or available by request is determined by each Tribal Nation, not by us.

How can a Tribal Nation begin working with VPDC?

We start with listening — no pitch, no proposal. The first conversation is about understanding your priorities and whether our capacity aligns with your needs. Use the contact form below and select “General Inquiry,” then note that your message is a Tribal partnership inquiry. We typically respond within a week. There is no formal application — the first conversation is simply an opportunity to listen, learn, and understand your Nation’s priorities.

Who owns data produced through a VPDC partnership?

Each Tribal Nation retains authority over data concerning its lands, people, resources, and priorities, as defined in project-specific agreements established in writing before any work begins.

How does VPDC handle sensitive cultural or location data?

Sensitive categories — including ceremonial knowledge, cultural site locations, and ecologically sensitive information — are identified at the outset. We minimize collection, establish tiered access controls, and separate sensitive fields. We do not publish or share this data without explicit Tribal authorization.

What does it cost a Tribal Nation to work with VPDC?

A: VPDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We offer our tools and technical support at cost — we do not profit from Tribal partnerships. Depending on the project, costs may be covered by grant funding, waived where deployment is already in place, or structured as a reduced-cost agreement. We discuss this openly at the start of every partnership conversation.

Get in Touch

Contact us to learn more and support our work, or stay informed of important updates.

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