
CMC’s Sustainability Studies and Ecosystem Science & Stewardship present
REMATRIATING THE ROCKIES
Virtual Conference, Friday, April 18, 2025, 9am-12pm
Keynote Presentation: Rematriating the Rockies
How do we shift environmental conservation toward a more equitable and balanced future? Gemara Gifford will share her research on the pathways and barriers to rematriation in the Southern Rocky Mountain Region. “Rematriation” is a movement supporting the direct return of lands to Indigenous Peoples, the return of buffalo to their homelands, and the reclamation and resurgence of Indigenous Knowledge, cultural practices, languages, and lifeways.
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9-9:25am
Welcome - Dr. Matt Gianneschi, CMC President
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9:30-10:55am
Research Presentations – Graduating students from Sustainability Studies and Ecosystem Science & Stewardship programs
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11:00am-12pm
Keynote Address - Gemara Gifford, M.S.
Keynote Speaker
Gemara Gifford, M.S.
Gemara Gifford, M.S., Owner of Mending Mountains Collective LLC, and Ph.D. Candidate at Colorado State University. A former wildlife scientist, with a background in community-based conservation, nonprofit leadership, and rematriation movements in Latin America, Gem advocates for environmental justice and Indigenous rights. With roots in the Southern Rocky Mountain Region, Gem’s family — Chicano labor rights organizers from the San Luis Valley and coal mining camps of Southern Colorado — instilled in her a deep love and responsibility for animals and the environment.