Partnerships with Nez Perce, MHA Nation, Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, INDIGENOUS LED, among others

Colossal, the de-extinction company, announces the first projects in partnership with its indigenous collaborators including the Nez Perce Tribe, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (known as the MHA Nation), INDIGENOUS LED, and the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative. The company unveils the formation of the Colossal Indigenous Council, to ensure that indigenous-led conservation and de-extinction priorities are embedded within the organization’s plans, and driving in its North America conservation strategy.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240711551955/en/

Pictured L-R Eric Kash Kash (Director, Wildlife Division of the Nez Perce Tribe), Leah Brickson (Senior Computational Scientist) , Aaron Miles (Manager, Natural Resources of the Nez Perce Tribe), Dr. Beth Shapiro (Chief Science Officer), Absolem Yatzirah (Councilmember, Karankawa Kadla Five Rivers Council), Cristina Mormorunni (Executive Director and Co-Founder, INDIGENOUS LED), Irvin Carlson (President, InterTribal Buffalo Council, Co-Founder, INDIGENOUS LED), Matt James (Chief Animal Officer), Jason Baldes (Executive Director, Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, Vice President, InterTribal Buffalo Council) (Photo: Business Wire)

“We value indigenous spiritual, ecological and cultural knowledge. Working with indigenous partners to ensure their conservation goals, priority species, and extinct species goals are met is an important part of our conservation strategy, in America and globally,” said co-founder and CEO of Colossal, Ben Lamm. “Developing a Colossal Indigenous Council, as we look to address North American conservation issues, was necessary, and we believe fundamental to doing this work well and inclusively.”

According to research from NatureServe released in 2023, in North America, 34% of plants and 40% of animals are at risk of extinction, and 41% of ecosystems are at risk of range-wide collapse. While this impacts all communities, indigenous communities are disproportionately impacted by the degradation of natural systems. Given this disproportionate impact on indigenous communities, Colossal’s Indigenous Council, led by respected indigenous conservation leader Jason Baldes, will advise and support the organization's conservation projects to ensure that indigenous-focused de-extinction, rewilding and rematriation efforts in North America are a top priority. The advisory body includes various leaders from Native American tribes and organizations, including Director of Wildlife Division for the Nez Perce Tribe Eric Kash Kash, President of the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council Ervin Carlson, and Chairman Fox of the MHA Nation, who each bring a wealth of conservation experience, knowledge, and cultural wisdom to Colossal’s work.

Announcing the Creation of the Colossal Indigenous Council

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner and collaborate with Colossal Biosciences, to represent Indigenous voices and empower tribally led conservation efforts, while promoting objectives that support sovereignty and self-determination to protect our natural resources and ancestral lands,” said Council lead Jason Baldes and founder of Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, a Native-led nonprofit dedicated to rematriating buffalo to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Jason Baldes, Executive Director of the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, Vice-President on the board of directors for the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council and Tribal Buffalo Program Senior Manager for the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Partnerships Program, will co-lead Colossal’s Indigenous Council in efforts to merge the innovative potential of de-extinction technologies with the traditional ecological knowledge, values, and priorities of tribal partners to create a future where North American biodiversity thrives. The Council has plans in place to amplify Indigenous voices in conservation, harness de-extinction technologies to revitalize North American species and ecosystems, and build a network of partnerships with tribes, indigenous conservation organizations, and artists to champion the conservation, de-extinction, and rematriation of culturally and ecologically significant species. This includes species like the American buffalo, gray and red wolves, beavers, and salmon.

“We are living through a planetary crisis, which is at its root a crisis of relationship. Renewing our connection to our more-than-human relatives is the most important step we can all take to turn things around, and it will take all of us. Our collaboration with Colossal is vital to meeting this challenge, a sacred partnership grounded in respect, reciprocity, and a shared dedication to the power innovation, creativity, and fierce love hold in meeting the challenges humanity and our home planet collectively face,” stated INDIGENOUS LED, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Director of the Blackfeet Buffalo Program Ervin Carlson and Council Co-Lead Cristina Mormorunni, committed to advancing Indigenous-led conservation efforts throughout North America.

The group will meet quarterly to discuss current ecological, culture, and spiritual impacts and pressures on existing North American wildlife, and how to deepen awareness of the cultural impacts of extinct ancestral species on the indigenous people's past and future ways of life with broader audiences. In concert, Colossal will provide tools, and support to Indigenous communities identified by the Council on a partner by partner basis tailored to the unique needs and priorities of the partners involved.

In addition to leading Colossal’s Indigenous Council, Baldes joins Colossal’s Conservation Advisory Board with Mormorunni.

Concurrently, Chairman Mark N. Fox of the MHA Nations has been added to Colossal’s Executive Advisory Board to guide the strategic direction of the company while ensuring indigenous voices remain a key stakeholder. Chairman Mark N. Fox is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, was first elected Chairman in 2014 and is now serving his third term. He currently serves on three federal advisory boards for the Department of Energy, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

"Tribal cultures have always placed tremendous value on how the past has shaped the present. The natural world, both plants and animals have held cultural significance and heritage to tribes across the globe since the beginning of time. Civilization views conservation as something that occurs in the present. With Colossal, we now have the opportunity to bring conservation to the future by reaching into the past and marrying the worlds of conservation and cultural significance together through the de-extinction of species,” said Executive Advisory Board member Chairman Fox. “Not only do we contribute to biodiversity and conservation, we have the opportunity to reach back into the heritage of our ancestors and bring animals of great cultural and historical significance into our present lives. As great as the scientific advancement of this technology may be to the world, the cultural significance may dwarf the scientific achievement as our future ancestors look back on this inflection point in history."

Announcing 2024/2025 Colossal Supported Indigenous Projects

Colossal is also pleased to announce the first cohort of planned projects chosen by the Indigenous Council for the 2024/2025 calendar, which include:

  • Supporting the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative for bison rematriation on native lands.
  • Supporting the revitalization of the Nez Perce Tribe’s Wolf Conservation Program and enhancing wolf conservation and coexistence throughout Nez Perce Indian Claims Commission territory.
  • Working with local and tribal partners to advance research into the unique population of gulf coast canids on the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. In conjunction with the Gulf Coast Canine Project, Colossal will support the creation of an insurance population of these "ghost" wolves, and in doing so provide insights on the relationship between "ghost" wolves and red wolves in their native range of the American Gulf Coast.
  • Supporting of the efforts by the MHA nation to return and rewild culturally significant species to native lands.
  • Collaborating with INDIGENOUS LED to amplify native-led storytelling and education, as well as the conservation and rematriation efforts of indigenous communities.

More information on all of these programs will be forthcoming as developments are made.

“The Nez Perce Tribe (Niimiipuu) values the mutual interest in protecting our wolf (Himiin) relatives within their ancestral homelands of North Central Idaho, Southeast Washington, and Northeast Oregon. We are eager to collaborate with Colossal Biosciences to develop a coordinated effort that ensures the sustainability of a healthy wolf population,” said Eric Kash Kash, Director of the Wildlife Division for the Nez Perce Tribe. “The Nez Perce People have a deep cultural connection to wolves, which reflects our social and family dynamics. We are proud to contribute to the recovery and management of wolves and welcome Colossal to our inner circle to help conserve healthy populations of our esteemed relative, Himiin.”

Announcing Colossal’s BioTEK Agenda

Beyond partnering on species-specific projects, Colossal’s vision includes aiding indigenous partners in the development of disruptive “BioTEK.” This new approach fuses the interests and practices of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) held by Indigenous peoples with the scientific techniques and tools of de-extinction. By elevating the concept and adopting it in joint collaborations, the company and its Native partners are working to normalize the role of indigenous partners as key stakeholders in the decision-making processes in the rapidly evolving field of de-extinction. This is especially important in efforts related to species of interest and to ensure indigenous partners have access to the conservation technologies generated through de-extinction sciences. Doing so can advance conservation objectives while supporting indigenous autonomy and sovereignty over natural resources and ancestral lands.

"Colossal's commitment to building lasting relationships with Indigenous partners marks a pivotal moment for our company, as we stride towards the restoration of our shared natural heritage," says Stefano Daza Arango, Manager of Conservation Partnerships at Colossal. "By braiding the wisdom and stewardship of Indigenous peoples with innovative de-extinction technologies, we are working together to heal our native landscapes and restore the great bestiary that not long ago thrived on this beautiful continent."

For more information on Colossal’s indigenous efforts, please refer to https://colossal.com/advisors/.

ABOUT COLOSSAL

Colossal was founded by emerging technology and software entrepreneur Ben Lamm and world-renowned geneticist and serial biotech entrepreneur George Church, Ph.D., and is the first to apply CRISPR technology for the purposes of species de-extinction. Colossal creates innovative technologies for species restoration, critically endangered species protection and the repopulation of critical ecosystems that support the continuation of life on Earth. Colossal is accepting humanity's duty to restore Earth to a healthier state, while also solving for the future economies and biological necessities of the human condition through cutting-edge science and technologies. To follow along, please visit: www.colossal.com

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