Creating a Land Acknowledgement Statement and Exploring Ocean Policy as an OST Intern

About the role

This internship at the California Ocean Science Trust (OST), a small non-profit that delivers scientific guidance to policymakers and legislatures, offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of environmental sustainability, social sciences, and Indigenous community matters. The role encourages leadership, independence, creativity, and collaboration with a team of scientists dedicated to equitable science and policy.

Responsibilities

• Facilitated conversations and authored OST’s Land Acknowledgement statement, encapsulating team values and advancing equity in science and policy.
• Collaborated with staff to explore opportunities for incorporating Indigenous expertise into OST’s work, including engagement with the OPC Science Advisory Team.
• Created member profiles, updated staff on legislative bill changes, and monitored Legislative staff changes as part of Legislative Science Services.
• Assisted in Science Advisory Team recruitment by developing outreach strategies and brainstorming ways to expand expertise on science panels.
• Participated in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) meetings to learn and contribute to equity and inclusivity in science.
• Served as a notetaker at SeaGrant’s National DDT workshop, a two-day conference involving scientists, experts, and stakeholders discussing offshore DDT dumpsites in Southern California.

Indigenous Peoples and Territories Acknowledgement

California is home to the largest Native American population in the country, with 109 federally recognized tribes and many more seeking recognition. OST acknowledges the historical and ongoing injustices, inequities, and erasure of Indigenous peoples due to colonization, genocide, cultural assimilation, and slavery. The organization operates on the unceded tribal lands of California’s Indigenous peoples, with its headquarters located on the ancestral homelands of the Nisenan, Patwin, Miwok, and Maidu tribes in Sacramento.

OST is committed to exploring meaningful collaborations with tribal communities and integrating tribal perspectives, expertise, and knowledge into ocean and coastal science and policy. The Land Acknowledgement is not a one-time statement but an ongoing educational effort within the organization.

Educational Resources

• Sacramento’s Tribal History (Sacramento Native American Health Center)
• Nisenan Tribe: The Road to Federal Recognition
• History of the Maidu Valley
• Miwok Official Website
• California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project
• Native Land Digital Map
• NAHC Digital Atlas
• Native Land Map
• The Knowledge of Native Peoples in Coastal Science