Guest Instructor:

Dennis Martinez is a scientist who has dedicated his career to building bridges between traditional indigenous and Western cultures. Born of O'odham/Chicano heritage, Dennis holds a degree from the University of California at Berkeley in History and Philosophy of Science (Darwinian evolution) and is the founder of the Indigenous Peoples Restoration Network.

As a restoration ecologist Dennis researches the concept and practice of bio-cultural restoration and the use of indigenous ecological knowledge in sustainable land management. He has worked in ecological restoration and forestry for 34 years as a contractor, nurseryman, consultant, teacher, international writer and speaker and university lecturer.

Dennis has worked in the field in most temperate ecosystems in Western North America, as well as in dry tropical forest ecosystems in Hawaii. He assists traditional communities with the restoration of tribal and ancestral lands.

Dennis is a certified permaculture instructor and is a member of the Alliance of Forest Workers and Harvesters, National Network of Forest Practitioners, and conducts restoration forestry workshops in the Pacific Northwest. He grows and harvests native herbs, and wildcrafts as part of his income; he also uses native foods and medicines on a regular basis.