Dine College

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. This Proposal Is a New Application by Diné College (1994 Land Grant Institution) and Collaborator Northern Arizona University (nau School of Forestry Funded Under the Mcintire-stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program) Under the Project Type Category Area of Expertise. the Project Builds Upon the Expertise We Have Developed While Working Together on the Previously Funded Tcrgp Grant Ecological Restoration of Native Plant Communities in Forests and Woodlands on the Navajo Nation (federal Award Number 2018-38424-28520). the Previous Grant, Currently in the Third and Final Year of the Project (2018-2021), Has Led to Key Advances in the Level of Expertise of Diné College and Nau Faculty, Staff, and Students. We Propose to Build Upon This Foundation to Expand Into Research on the Basis of Agricultural Production, Soil and Fungal (mycobial) Communities, Along With the Food (pinyon Nuts) and Agricultural Production (forage, Wood Fiber) Related to Forest Ecosystems on the Navajo Nation. the Project Will Benefit Over 200 Diné College Students Through Classes and Field Trips to On-campus Research Sites as Well as a Group of Dedicated Student Interns Who Carry Out the Research Projects Under Faculty and Staff Mentorship. Several Undergraduate and One MS Forestry Student From Northern Arizona University Will Also Be Engaged. Students Will Visit the Two Institutions and Present and Publish Findings. Diné College Faculty and Staff Will Gain Research Capacity in Multiple Fields--mycoecology, Forestry, Dendrochronology, Climate--that Will Benefit Future Students and Position the Institution for Growth in Its Land Grant Mission.