November 28, 2023 • 12 mins
UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May talks with Beth Rose Middleton in this episode of "Face to Face." Beth Rose is a professor of Native American studies, and her research focuses on Native and Indigenous environmental policy and planning. The two discuss Beth Rose's books and the removal of the dams on the Klamath River, which have impacted the fisheries and local tribes' traditions for decades.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hello, my name is Beth Rose
Middleton, and I’m a professor
of Native American studies at
(00:23):
University of California, Davis.
I was born and raised about an hour
and a half from here in the Sierra
foothills, and I’m a proud
Aggie alumna.
I completed my Bachelor of Arts in
nature and culture back in 2001.
My work centers on Native and
Indigenous environmental policy
and the use of conservation tools
for site protection and land
(00:45):
stewardship.
I’m passionate about increasing
diverse, underrepresented
perspectives in environmental
policy and planning and climate
adaptation.
Beth Rose, welcome to
“Face to Face.”
Thank you forhaving me.
I’m glad to haveyou here.
We’re so interestedin what you’re
doing, and I hope to have a real
good conversation about that.
(01:05):
I want to talk about your work in
publicly engaged scholarship here at
UC Davis.
And I guess the first question would
be, how did you find yourself
becoming a Native American scholar?
Thank you. Well, I really see it as
being guided by community members.
When I went to work after I
graduated from UC Davis, I moved
up to Plumas County and went
(01:27):
to work for a nonprofit called
Sierra Institute for Community and
Environment, which is focused on
rural, sustainable development.
And they shared office space with
the Maidu Cultural and Development
Group. So I spent more time,
more and more time with MCDG
learning about some of the issues
they were facing, in particular
the flooding of their lands by
(01:47):
hydroelectric facilities.
And I realized how
little was told about
that outside of their community.
And I, as someone who grew up
in the Sierras, I was surprised by
how much I didn’t know about
Native and Indigenous displacement.
And it really drove me to do
something about it.
OK.
And one of the things that drove you
(02:08):
to do was write two books, right?
Your two books are “Trust in
the Land (02:11):
New Directions in Tribal
Conservation” and “Upstream:
Trust Lands and Power on the
Feather River.” Can you tell us a
little bit about the two books?
Yes.
“Trust in the Land” was my first
book. That also grew out of
community conversation.
There’s a culturally important
piece of land — beautiful ranch
up in the mountains in Plumas
County, in Mountain Maidu country —
(02:33):
and it was under threat of
development.
It had been purchased by a
non-Native owner who was planning
to subdivide it into parcels and
make ranchettes.
And so I knew the family
for whom that was their cultural
place, their village, their
historical, ancestral
place.
And I also knew the land trust, the
(02:53):
local land trust.
And I started talking with them
about, you know, what are pathways
to address this (02:57):
so that the land
is not sold and subdivided,
so that it can remain in a
natural state for
Native land stewardship, so that it
can be accessible always
to the family.
And so that led to the investigation
of Native land trusts and tribal
use of conservation easements, just
that specific example.
(03:18):
And I found so many interesting
partnerships.
And also, you know, what’s grown
from that project is the development
of a Native land trust council —
of Native land trusts.
And it’s just exciting to see
all of the leadership in Native
conservation.
The second book is called “Upstream:
Trust Lands and Power on the Feather
River,” and it’s directly about
(03:39):
the flooding of Mountain
Maidu lands due to hydro development
by the predecessor companies to
PG&E, which conveyed power to
San Francisco, and also by
the State Water Project, which moved
water from the Feather River all the
way down to San Diego.
So it’s kind of the stories
based on the archives, kind of
holding the archive accountable to
(04:00):
what happened to Indigenous
homelands and how people
are working to address that today.
So clearly, you’re a scholar
in this area of Native
American studies, but you also
have found yourself an advocate
for Native peoples in the region.
Can you tell us how you navigate
those two different roles?
Yes, I would say it’s always
(04:22):
interesting not being a tribal
member myself,
but I think it’s been really
important for me to learn more
about homeland history.
I want to credit Pam Gonzales, who
I have the privilege of working
with, and who really helped me think
about, you know, why are
we not teaching and learning more
about Patwin Wintun history here?
(04:42):
And similarly, where I grew up,
about Miwok history, Maidu history
where I’ve lived — and not only
history, but linked to contemporary
communities, contemporary
leadership, contemporary governance.
So I try often to
not be at the forefront but to
make sure other people’s voices are
being heard directly from
communities.
But I do have the opportunity in the
classroom to really diversify
(05:04):
what students are reading, who
they’re hearing from — the
filmmakers they’re hearing from, the
artists, the musicians.
So I take that opportunity to
showcase maybe some of
the Indigenous, Native voices
that have not been heard as much
and to create more opportunities for
those voices to be heard.
Indeed, so the advocacy
and the scholarship really are
(05:25):
synergistic
in your world, and that really shows
through.
I want to talk about one issue
that’s upcoming. In 2024, the
four Klamath hydroelectric
dams will be coming down.
Can you talk about what this will
mean for the Native peoples in
the area that have inhabited
those lands for centuries?
Yes. The significance of the
(05:47):
Klamath dam removal and
other dam removals really can’t be
overstated.
So in almost all of these cases of
these large infrastructure
projects, they were put in
without consent of Native peoples —
although Native peoples were the
most affected.
So whenever these projects went in,
they disrupted the fishery, changed
the whole ecosystem, changed
(06:08):
people’s ability to carry
out their traditional
responsibilities, their traditional
lifeways there.
So the Klamath is one example of
that. Those four dams have
caused a lot of damage for the
fishery, for the whole ecosystem
and for cultural relationships with
that place.
Seeing them come down — and also
not only seeing them come down, but
seeing the advocacy
(06:29):
by Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa and other
peoples who have been fighting
for those dam removals for
generations —
to see that come to fruition is
really exciting.
It’s kind of a fulfilling moment to
actually see it happen.
And I’m sure that
you have some sense of satisfaction
in seeing that happen.
Yes, I'm just being a supporter and
(06:51):
also working on these issues on
other rivers. I just finished a
piece on the Eklutna River
in southern Alaska and
— similar story of appropriation
of the water without tribal
consent, ongoing impacts and really
kind of erasure of that in public
discourse.
So trying to draw attention to the
history and the voices of community
(07:11):
members who’ve been articulating for
the need for the dams to come out,
salmon to return, for
the last 50 years or more.
And now is like a moment
in which there’s more attention to
social justice.
There’s more attention to
environmental issues.
There’s more attention to Indigenous
sovereignty and leadership.
And so it’s I feel like a critical
(07:31):
moment where we’re seeing these big
changes.
You know, it’s interesting.
I was in Australia recently, and
there’s a movement
to recognize the
contributions and the scholarship of
the Native people of Australia.
And in fact, I think there’s some
act or some law that’s being
debated and may be voted on soon.
(07:52):
And I had never thought about that
issue beyond the United States.
But this is a story that, you know,
repeats itself in places
that have been colonized all
over the world, I guess.
And I think Davis is a special
place with the Native American
studies department being one of the
first in the nation.
And for me, it’s a space of
continual learning.
(08:12):
I’m always learning new ways
of thinking, different
epistemologies, different ways of
approaching problems, different
Indigenous perspectives on
the way people should relate to each
other, to place.
And so it’s an exciting space and
also a space in which
those ways of knowing are really
foregrounded and taken seriously and
(08:32):
respected.
So I’m glad to hear of that
happening in other parts of the world.
Yeah, I’ve become so impressed by
people trying to reacquire the
Native knowledge
that was either lost or forgotten
or stolen in some cases.
So, I
want to transition, though, to some
other — another part of the
interview. And it’s fun thing I call
“Hot Seat.” Your seat's
(08:54):
not actually hot, but
we have a little fun asking some
rapid-fire questions, where
we’re seeking one-word or
one-sentence answer to these
questions. So are you ready?
I’m ready.
OK.
Your favorite comfort food?
Oh, ramen.
Ramen.
First thing that came to mind.
OK.
Favorite place you’ve traveled?
(09:14):
Oh, we just went to Spain —
Granada. It was wonderful.
Wow, that sounds nice.
I’ve been to Spain and enjoyed it
very much.
Favorite annual event on UC Davis
campus?
Oh, that’s a tough one.
Gosh.
Whole Earth Festival ...
Whole Earth ... is pretty special.
That’s a popular answer.
I usually get Whole Earth or Picnic
(09:35):
Day on that one. So,
best film or TV show you’ve seen
lately?
Oh, gosh.
You know, I have to admit that
I watch “Survivor,” which
is kind of silly, but it’s
something to do with
the physical
aspect of the challenges that’s
really interesting to me and the
social dynamics.
(09:55):
There’s also some cultural
appropriation in that show, which I
don’t appreciate.
But I do watch that show from time
to time.
Well, you’re allowed a guilty
pleasure.
OK. I ask every guest this question:
What’s at the top of your playlist
right now?
I’ve been listening to Native
Hawaiian reggae, actually,
because I’ve been doing a little
solidarity work with the folks with
(10:16):
Protect Mauna Kea.
We have an exhibit in Hart Hall.
So, Ku’ulei music
is what I’ve been listening to,
Ryan Hiraoka music.
Yeah.
You’re the second guest in a row
that’s referred to reggae, but
you’re the only one that talked
about Native Hawaiian reggae.
Now, I guess it’s your turn.
You can ask me any question you
would like.
(10:37):
I was thinking of, you know, all
of the different things that have
happened on campus since you’ve been
here. How do you deal with
challenging times?
You know, that’s a great question.
I guess it really depends on the
challenge. There have been so many
different things that weren’t in my
training manual that I’ve had
to address and deal with, even now.
But I guess what keeps me going is
focusing on the mission of the
(10:57):
university, which is really
important to me and really something
that gives me satisfaction (11:00):
to see
our students learn, and our scholars
make discoveries, and our service to
the community and the region as a
whole. And whenever I feel
like something is
getting me down or challenging me, I
try to focus on why I’m here,
and what we can accomplish.
So I guess that’s my answer.
(11:20):
You have any other questions
you want to ask?
Yes, especially because it’s fall,
and some of the leaves are really
pretty outside.
What’s your favorite season here in
Davis?
You know, I like spring.
Spring is when the days are getting
longer, and it’s getting warmer.
And we’re anticipating the summer
and commencement and things that
happen around campus.
So spring has always been my
(11:41):
favorite time of year anywhere,
including here at Davis.
So, that’s a good question, too,
though. You know, there are
different aspects of all the seasons
that I like, but I think spring is
my favorite.
Well, thanks for sitting down with
me today. It’s really been a great
conversation.
And I’m glad you’re here at Davis,
and you’re such a leader and a
well-respected scholar on
our campus. And we appreciate you
being here.
(12:06):
Thanks to everyone for listening.
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”
Go, Ags!
Hi, everyone.
Welcome to “Face to Face,” a UC Davis podcast
featuring students, staff and faculty innovators.
I’m your host, Chancellor Gary May.
Stay tuned for my next guest.
Hello, my name is Beth Rose
Middleton, and I’m a professor
of Native American studies at
(00:23):
University of California, Davis.
I was born and raised about an hour
and a half from here in the Sierra
foothills, and I’m a proud
Aggie alumna.
I completed my Bachelor of Arts in
nature and culture back in 2001.
My work centers on Native and
Indigenous environmental policy
and the use of conservation tools
for site protection and land
(00:45):
stewardship.
I’m passionate about increasing
diverse, underrepresented
perspectives in environmental
policy and planning and climate
adaptation.
Beth Rose, welcome to
“Face to Face.”
Thank you forhaving me.
I’m glad to haveyou here.
We’re so interestedin what you’re
doing, and I hope to have a real
good conversation about that.
(01:05):
I want to talk about your work in
publicly engaged scholarship here at
UC Davis.
And I guess the first question would
be, how did you find yourself
becoming a Native American scholar?
Thank you. Well, I really see it as
being guided by community members.
When I went to work after I
graduated from UC Davis, I moved
up to Plumas County and went
(01:27):
to work for a nonprofit called
Sierra Institute for Community and
Environment, which is focused on
rural, sustainable development.
And they shared office space with
the Maidu Cultural and Development
Group. So I spent more time,
more and more time with MCDG
learning about some of the issues
they were facing, in particular
the flooding of their lands by
(01:47):
hydroelectric facilities.
And I realized how
little was told about
that outside of their community.
And I, as someone who grew up
in the Sierras, I was surprised by
how much I didn’t know about
Native and Indigenous displacement.
And it really drove me to do
something about it.
OK.
And one of the things that drove you
(02:08):
to do was write two books, right?
Your two books are “Trust in
the Land (02:11):
New Directions in Tribal
Conservation” and “Upstream:
Trust Lands and Power on the
Feather River.” Can you tell us a
little bit about the two books?
Yes.
“Trust in the Land” was my first
book. That also grew out of
community conversation.
There’s a culturally important
piece of land — beautiful ranch
up in the mountains in Plumas
County, in Mountain Maidu country —
(02:33):
and it was under threat of
development.
It had been purchased by a
non-Native owner who was planning
to subdivide it into parcels and
make ranchettes.
And so I knew the family
for whom that was their cultural
place, their village, their
historical, ancestral
place.
And I also knew the land trust, the
(02:53):
local land trust.
And I started talking with them
about, you know, what are pathways
to address this (02:57):
so that the land
is not sold and subdivided,
so that it can remain in a
natural state for
Native land stewardship, so that it
can be accessible always
to the family.
And so that led to the investigation
of Native land trusts and tribal
use of conservation easements, just
that specific example.
(03:18):
And I found so many interesting
partnerships.
And also, you know, what’s grown
from that project is the development
of a Native land trust council —
of Native land trusts.
And it’s just exciting to see
all of the leadership in Native
conservation.
The second book is called “Upstream:
Trust Lands and Power on the Feather
River,” and it’s directly about
(03:39):
the flooding of Mountain
Maidu lands due to hydro development
by the predecessor companies to
PG&E, which conveyed power to
San Francisco, and also by
the State Water Project, which moved
water from the Feather River all the
way down to San Diego.
So it’s kind of the stories
based on the archives, kind of
holding the archive accountable to
(04:00):
what happened to Indigenous
homelands and how people
are working to address that today.
So clearly, you’re a scholar
in this area of Native
American studies, but you also
have found yourself an advocate
for Native peoples in the region.
Can you tell us how you navigate
those two different roles?
Yes, I would say it’s always
(04:22):
interesting not being a tribal
member myself,
but I think it’s been really
important for me to learn more
about homeland history.
I want to credit Pam Gonzales, who
I have the privilege of working
with, and who really helped me think
about, you know, why are
we not teaching and learning more
about Patwin Wintun history here?
(04:42):
And similarly, where I grew up,
about Miwok history, Maidu history
where I’ve lived — and not only
history, but linked to contemporary
communities, contemporary
leadership, contemporary governance.
So I try often to
not be at the forefront but to
make sure other people’s voices are
being heard directly from
communities.
But I do have the opportunity in the
classroom to really diversify
(05:04):
what students are reading, who
they’re hearing from — the
filmmakers they’re hearing from, the
artists, the musicians.
So I take that opportunity to
showcase maybe some of
the Indigenous, Native voices
that have not been heard as much
and to create more opportunities for
those voices to be heard.
Indeed, so the advocacy
and the scholarship really are
(05:25):
synergistic
in your world, and that really shows
through.
I want to talk about one issue
that’s upcoming. In 2024, the
four Klamath hydroelectric
dams will be coming down.
Can you talk about what this will
mean for the Native peoples in
the area that have inhabited
those lands for centuries?
Yes. The significance of the
(05:47):
Klamath dam removal and
other dam removals really can’t be
overstated.
So in almost all of these cases of
these large infrastructure
projects, they were put in
without consent of Native peoples —
although Native peoples were the
most affected.
So whenever these projects went in,
they disrupted the fishery, changed
the whole ecosystem, changed
(06:08):
people’s ability to carry
out their traditional
responsibilities, their traditional
lifeways there.
So the Klamath is one example of
that. Those four dams have
caused a lot of damage for the
fishery, for the whole ecosystem
and for cultural relationships with
that place.
Seeing them come down — and also
not only seeing them come down, but
seeing the advocacy
(06:29):
by Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa and other
peoples who have been fighting
for those dam removals for
generations —
to see that come to fruition is
really exciting.
It’s kind of a fulfilling moment to
actually see it happen.
And I’m sure that
you have some sense of satisfaction
in seeing that happen.
Yes, I'm just being a supporter and
(06:51):
also working on these issues on
other rivers. I just finished a
piece on the Eklutna River
in southern Alaska and
— similar story of appropriation
of the water without tribal
consent, ongoing impacts and really
kind of erasure of that in public
discourse.
So trying to draw attention to the
history and the voices of community
(07:11):
members who’ve been articulating for
the need for the dams to come out,
salmon to return, for
the last 50 years or more.
And now is like a moment
in which there’s more attention to
social justice.
There’s more attention to
environmental issues.
There’s more attention to Indigenous
sovereignty and leadership.
And so it’s I feel like a critical
(07:31):
moment where we’re seeing these big
changes.
You know, it’s interesting.
I was in Australia recently, and
there’s a movement
to recognize the
contributions and the scholarship of
the Native people of Australia.
And in fact, I think there’s some
act or some law that’s being
debated and may be voted on soon.
(07:52):
And I had never thought about that
issue beyond the United States.
But this is a story that, you know,
repeats itself in places
that have been colonized all
over the world, I guess.
And I think Davis is a special
place with the Native American
studies department being one of the
first in the nation.
And for me, it’s a space of
continual learning.
(08:12):
I’m always learning new ways
of thinking, different
epistemologies, different ways of
approaching problems, different
Indigenous perspectives on
the way people should relate to each
other, to place.
And so it’s an exciting space and
also a space in which
those ways of knowing are really
foregrounded and taken seriously and
(08:32):
respected.
So I’m glad to hear of that
happening in other parts of the world.
Yeah, I’ve become so impressed by
people trying to reacquire the
Native knowledge
that was either lost or forgotten
or stolen in some cases.
So, I
want to transition, though, to some
other — another part of the
interview. And it’s fun thing I call
“Hot Seat.” Your seat's
(08:54):
not actually hot, but
we have a little fun asking some
rapid-fire questions, where
we’re seeking one-word or
one-sentence answer to these
questions. So are you ready?
I’m ready.
OK.
Your favorite comfort food?
Oh, ramen.
Ramen.
First thing that came to mind.
OK.
Favorite place you’ve traveled?
(09:14):
Oh, we just went to Spain —
Granada. It was wonderful.
Wow, that sounds nice.
I’ve been to Spain and enjoyed it
very much.
Favorite annual event on UC Davis
campus?
Oh, that’s a tough one.
Gosh.
Whole Earth Festival ...
Whole Earth ... is pretty special.
That’s a popular answer.
I usually get Whole Earth or Picnic
(09:35):
Day on that one. So,
best film or TV show you’ve seen
lately?
Oh, gosh.
You know, I have to admit that
I watch “Survivor,” which
is kind of silly, but it’s
something to do with
the physical
aspect of the challenges that’s
really interesting to me and the
social dynamics.
(09:55):
There’s also some cultural
appropriation in that show, which I
don’t appreciate.
But I do watch that show from time
to time.
Well, you’re allowed a guilty
pleasure.
OK. I ask every guest this question:
What’s at the top of your playlist
right now?
I’ve been listening to Native
Hawaiian reggae, actually,
because I’ve been doing a little
solidarity work with the folks with
(10:16):
Protect Mauna Kea.
We have an exhibit in Hart Hall.
So, Ku’ulei music
is what I’ve been listening to,
Ryan Hiraoka music.
Yeah.
You’re the second guest in a row
that’s referred to reggae, but
you’re the only one that talked
about Native Hawaiian reggae.
Now, I guess it’s your turn.
You can ask me any question you
would like.
(10:37):
I was thinking of, you know, all
of the different things that have
happened on campus since you’ve been
here. How do you deal with
challenging times?
You know, that’s a great question.
I guess it really depends on the
challenge. There have been so many
different things that weren’t in my
training manual that I’ve had
to address and deal with, even now.
But I guess what keeps me going is
focusing on the mission of the
(10:57):
university, which is really
important to me and really something
that gives me satisfaction (11:00):
to see
our students learn, and our scholars
make discoveries, and our service to
the community and the region as a
whole. And whenever I feel
like something is
getting me down or challenging me, I
try to focus on why I’m here,
and what we can accomplish.
So I guess that’s my answer.
(11:20):
You have any other questions
you want to ask?
Yes, especially because it’s fall,
and some of the leaves are really
pretty outside.
What’s your favorite season here in
Davis?
You know, I like spring.
Spring is when the days are getting
longer, and it’s getting warmer.
And we’re anticipating the summer
and commencement and things that
happen around campus.
So spring has always been my
(11:41):
favorite time of year anywhere,
including here at Davis.
So, that’s a good question, too,
though. You know, there are
different aspects of all the seasons
that I like, but I think spring is
my favorite.
Well, thanks for sitting down with
me today. It’s really been a great
conversation.
And I’m glad you’re here at Davis,
and you’re such a leader and a
well-respected scholar on
our campus. And we appreciate you
being here.
(12:06):
Thanks to everyone for listening.
Tune in next time on “Face to Face.”
Go, Ags!
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