ShiNaasha Pete

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Forestry Development

My passion working with Whitebark pine started the summer of 2014 on an internship through Salish Kootenai College. Today I can say I have been working with the species here on the Flathead Indian Reservation for 10 years.

I have been working for CSKT Tribal Forestry for five of those years now. My first year as a student intern, I took over the Whitebark pine restoration work, expanding the tribes inventory tracking 20miles into the roadless areas of the reservation. After working the whole summer through covid, the tribe granted me a contract as a forester for the Timber Sales Program. Constantly working and advocating for whitebark pine and the tribe, I was moved in the Forest Development Program, where I was to create a reforestation and whitebark pine restoration program.

Through the years, my passion for our culture and our plants and trees is what keeps me moving forward with the work and struggles I overcome. I have been successful in two plantations of whitebark pine here on the reservation, initiated a greenhouse facility that will grow up to 120k whitebark pine seedlings, I am currently sitting on the National Fish and Wildlife Whitebark pine recovery team, collaborate with great private and federal organizations, as well as share my work and help encourage other tribes and people to help restore our lands. I am helping pioneer Biocultural restoration I call it. Restore the environment to restore our native culture. I am doing my best to help remind and teach the people I work with about our culture and indigenous ways we cannot lose. Which leads into a project where I have been trying to develop a career building reforestation program for youth through the summer. I am creating new cohorts for the future of forestry.