Impact Spotlight
Training a coordinator and nine young adults in traditional and contemporary land stewardship
Solarizing a Digital Lab and powering a Community Resilience Center
Facilitated 50 gatherings and workshops for over 325 people supporting Indigenous cultural activities
About
Native Roots Network (NRN) is a community-based Indigenous-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Wintu Territory in far northern California. NRN is a confluence of traditional wisdom, cultural innovation, and cross-cultural education, where culture bearers, community leaders, and partners come together to inspire and learn from one another to create a better world.
Today, much of that work is organized through Acornomics, NRN’s framework connecting land restoration, economic development, climate resilience, and community self-determination. At Wenem To•s, its land and production hub, NRN is developing native plant and food gardens, a digital fabrication lab, and facilities for its land-management team and community programs. Nearby, Əl Kulus is being planned as a year-round Community Resilience Center that can provide resources such as clean water, air, connectivity, and emergency support during wildfires, extreme heat, power outages, and other disruptions that increasingly affect northern California communities.
“Indigenous lifeways are a critical source for community and environmental well-being and a pathway for sustainable solutions. Solar energy aligns with our values and will provide reliable, regenerative, community-controlled power so we can focus restoring the abundance of our landscapes, and build the capacity and resilience of our community.”
HF Partnership
Through this partnership, Native Roots Network will bring solar power to Wenem To•s, its land restoration and community production hub in Wintu Territory. Reliable renewable energy will support NRN’s Digital Lab and other community programming while strengthening the infrastructure behind land stewardship, workforce development, and cultural activities. The partnership will also connect NRN with solar and climate partners to build knowledge and capacity for future renewable-energy projects.
The project will pair infrastructure with hands-on learning and workforce development, including training for a coordinator and nine young adults in land stewardship and opportunities to build solar installation and maintenance skills. Together, the work will help NRN develop local capacity to maintain renewable-energy systems and eventually expand clean-energy access to other remote Indigenous and rural communities in northern California.
In the News
