To describe the Fort Hall Bottoms is to describe the feeling of a safe family home, a life support system and deep, rooted knowledge wrapped up in what English words would describe as a “vital ecosystem”. The Bottoms makes up 33,000 acres in the northwestern part of the Fort Hall Reservation in Southeast Idaho and is an essential water resource for the Newe/Shoshone-Bannock people. It includes part of the Snake River, which is Columbia River basin’s largest tributary and the Bottom’s northern boundary.

In this project, Helina aims to explore the impacts of colonial settlement and climate change on water quality and quantity in the Fort Hall Bottoms. By weaving together Indigenous knowledge with Western scientific knowledge, she aims to provide a needed understanding of these impacts and how the natural resource managers of the Newe/Shoshone-Bannock people are responding. Helina will conduct this project through a decolonized approach that respects and values Indigenous knowledge and expertise.

Study findings will be relevant for the Newe/Shoshone-Bannock people and their livelihoods, as well as for other Indigenous communities facing similar challenges. This project will contribute to existing Indigenous climate change adaptation strategies that braid together Indigenous knowledge systems with Western knowledge systems and foster ethical research practices that prioritize respectful, reciprocal and responsible relationship building with Indigenous communities. Additionally, the project’s approach aligns with the larger movement towards decolonizing research and uplifting Indigenous knowledge in academia and society. The final products from this project will be a published open access article accompanied by a product that will be determined by Newe/Shoshone-Bannock Fish and Wildlife Department to fit their current needs.