Jason Steiding
Natural Resources Director, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Jason is a native Cape Codder and eagle clan member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. In his role as Natural Resources Director of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe he strives to protect the natural resources that have ensured the survival and well-being of his People since time immemorial and to sustain these resources for the next seven generations. Jason oversees all natural resource related activities for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe including fish and wildlife management, habitat protection and restoration, water resource management, food sovereignty, diadromous fish recovery, and Tribal development and environmental policy analysis and implementation.Jason serves as the liaison between the Tribe and other tribal, local, state, university and federal agencies as well as the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Natural Resources Commission. He has forged partnerships that have helped to increased internal capacity for his Department, and is an avid promoter for the inclusion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Tribal community engagement in the climate resiliency planning process. Jason is focused on establishing co-stewardship relationships that respect Tribal sovereignty and the historical connections of the Mashpee Wampanoag to the land and waters of Massachusetts, while also advocating for the inclusion of the state recognized Tribes to have a seat at the table. Jason is an active Environmental Leader throughout New England and works closely with the Tribal Environmental leaders of the EPA Region 1 Tribes from Rhode Island to Maine. He has been a keynote speaker at the Climate Community Collaborative Symposium at MIT and the Environmental Business Council of New England Climate Adaptation Forum. Jason’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, as he was nominated by MassLive in November of 2023 as an Indigenous Leader of Massachusetts.
The Salata Institute
The Salata Institute supports interdisciplinary research that leads to real-world action, including high-risk/high-reward projects by researchers already working in the climate area and new endeavors that make it easier for Harvard scholars, who have not worked on climate problems, to do so. Faculty interested in the Climate Research Clusters program should note an upcoming deadline for concepts on April 1, 2024.