Native American Heritage Month
Sharing stories about our work and the people who carry it out builds connections within our agency and the communities we serve.
When we launched our Women in Science blog, Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander blog, and Hispanic Heritage Month series, we heard from many people within the agency and outside the agency that they really enjoyed learning about the people who work at Ecology and their work. People asked us to continue these efforts, so we are.
We hope you enjoy our Native American Heritage Month blog series and the stories our staff share.
Seth Elsen
Tell us about your Native American heritage and how it shapes your life and work.
I’m an enrolled member of the Brothertown Indian Nation (Wisconsin), and descendent of the Mohegan Tribe. I often travel back to Wisconsin, serving on my Tribe’s council and leading our own environmental protection initiatives. My heritage shapes my life and work in many different ways. I try to do everything in a way that would make my ancestors proud. I try to look at things in a more holistic way, especially when it comes to natural resources.
It’s important to blend western science with traditional knowledge. Indigenous communities have been on the front lines of natural resource management since time immemorial, and that knowledge is crucial in understanding resource management. Professionally, I practice this in my role managing projects, and also carrying out our agency’s responsibility for protecting archaeological sites and sacred places.
What do you do at Ecology?
I work as an environmental planner in the Water Quality Program’s Financial Management Section. I am part of a team that carries out cultural resource protection work for our funded projects, and I am involved in managing on-site sewage system and non-point source projects throughout the state.
My work provides me the opportunity to work in partnership with more than 30 sovereign nations throughout Washington, Idaho, and Oregon while ensuring long-term water quality protection and increasing community resilience.
Share a recent project you worked on or a project that was especially meaningful to you.
I love any opportunity to get to work with stakeholders. Over the last year, I’ve been working with Tribes, land trusts, and local governments to develop a flexible and fast funding approach to support high-priority land acquisition. This work would help to address water quality impairments, protect drinking water, and restore habitat vital to salmon.
What gets you excited to go to work each day or what advice do you have for someone interested in working at a natural resource agency?
Getting to work closely with Tribes and communities on water quality protection and restoration in a way that promotes salmon recovery, treaty rights, and cultural identity makes every day at Ecology exciting.
