On November 12, 2024, three partners of CNNCTS—Fire Chief Wesley Ruise, Jr., Joelene Tamm, and Dr. Megan Jennings—joined the panel discussion "How Do We Regenerate a Forest? Thinking with the Harrisons" at the San Diego Central Library Gallery, as part of the PST Art “Art & Science Collide” exhibition series from the Getty Museum.

On November 12, 2024 over thirty community members convened at the San Diego Public Library located on Kumeyaay land for the panel discussion, "How do We Regenerate a Forest? Thinking with the Harrisons", which was held as part of the PST Art Art & Science Collide exhibition series from the Getty Museum. Three CNNCTS partners working towards collaborative co-stewardship of forested lands in southern California—Fire Chief Wesley Ruise, Jr., Joelene Tamm, and Dr. Megan Jennings—joined to share their knowledge and reflections on their varied experiences with restoration efforts and fire stewardship amidst a changing climate.
The panel discussion was recorded and can be watched here:
Chief Ruise and Tamm support the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians community and the southern California region through multiple efforts that address fire danger in historically excluded communities and advance resilient and adaptive pathways for conserving the land, convening a cadre of interagency fire and fuels partners and leading an Indigenous fire, forestry, and fuels crew. Dr. Jennings co-leads CNNCTS as a conservation ecologist and co-director of the Institute of Ecological Monitoring and Management at SDSU, working closely with partners like Chief Ruise, Tamm, and the Climate Science Alliance team and network to advance applied research to address management and conservation issues.
CNNCTS represents a paradigm shift in how climate action is visioned, led, and implemented. Chief Ruise, Tamm, and Jennings thank their fellow panelists for the opportunity to come together and discuss reflection of the current crisis in our forests, with art as a central focus to advance collaboration and solutions.
Learn more about the Collaborative for Native Nations for Climate Transformation and Stewardship (CNNCTS) at cnncts.org.