USET is hosting a webinar featuring Catawba Indian Nation’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to will share progress and lessons learned from initiatives focused on restoring culturally and ecologically significant plants, including Giant Rivercane (Arundinaria gigantea), Schweinitz’s Sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii), Georgia Aster (Symphyotrichum georgianum) and Sacred Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica). Together, these efforts aim to strengthen the Nation’s stewardship of natural and cultural resources, ensuring that traditional practices can be sustained for generations to come. The webinar will provide participants with an overview of how rivercane restoration improves riparian buffers, enhances water quality, and preserves a resource long used by the Catawba people for cultural and craft traditions. It will also showcase the Nation’s work monitoring culturally significant plants, including those tied to the recovery of Schweinitz’s Sunflower, a federally endangered species in the Carolina Piedmont.

Courtney Skeldon, Wildlife & Habitat Stewardship Program Manager for the Catawba Nation, will present restoration strategies, highlight key insights from the Nation’s work, and engage with the audience in a Q&A. By integrating ecological science with cultural stewardship, the webinar will showcase how the Nation’s efforts serve as a model for community-driven conservation. Topics will include: Rivercane restoration methods, cultural importance of rivercane, restoration and monitoring of Schweinitz’s sunflower, ecological benefits of habitat restoration, and opportunities for community involvement.

When: January 20 at 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Central/3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Eastern

Who should attend: Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environmental, Cultural Staff from USET Tribal Nations and other federal Tribal Nations.

Learning objectives:

• Rivercane restoration methods
• Cultural importance of rivercane
• Restoration and monitoring of Schweinitz’s sunflower
• Ecological benefits of habitat restoration
• Opportunities for community involvement

Registration is open!

Questions? Please contact David Anderson, Senior Agriculture Technical Assistance Specialist, at 828-557-5352.