Sara Thompson MS, Policy/Social Science Major Professor: John Bliss

I started in the MS program here in Winter 2004, and am interested in tribal-federal collaboration and the different factors that influence the use of traditional ecological knowledge in natural resource management.

Although I grew up in Roseburg OR., I found my way to OSU as an undergraduate student in Fisheries and Wildlife Science. While working towards my bachelor’s degree I began working with my own tribe (the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) in the management of their natural resources. This was my first introduction to tribal policy, tribal land management, and tribes’ unique relationship with the federal government. After graduation I went to work on a joint venture agreement between the Grand Ronde Tribe and the US Forest Service PNW Research Station. Over the course of a year I inventoried and studied tribal-federal collaborative arrangements in natural resource management from across the United States. During this time I studied many different aspects of 10 agreements and worked to characterize the different types of arrangements that exist between tribes and federal agencies. This has provided the basis for my current research.

Today I am living in Salem with my husband, after all someone has to support me. During my free time I enjoy hiking, photography, birding and traveling. When not focusing on school, I enjoy volunteering my time with the Humane Society in Salem.