Indigenous Leadership Bridging Climate Innovation
- Reef Life Foundation
- Apr 12
- 8 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Jessica Rose Joins Makah Tribe Cultural Statesman &
Environmental Policy Specialist: Micah McCarty
In a time when climate solutions are rapidly evolving, the most enduring breakthroughs are emerging from the deep roots of Indigenous knowledge and governance. Indigenous Nations are leading bold efforts to heal lands and waters through culturally grounded stewardship. In British Columbia, the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation created Gitdisdzu Lugyeks, the world’s first Indigenous-led “blue park,” where marine protection is guided by deep ancestral knowledge and modern science. In Northern California, the Yurok Tribe used forest carbon credits to reclaim thousands of acres, restoring traditional land practices like controlled burning and selective harvesting—methods that increased biodiversity, strengthened carbon storage, and revitalized community health. These achievements make clear that returning land to Tribal stewardship isn’t just justice—it’s smart policy. Indigenous-led management has proven to deliver stronger, more resilient conservation outcomes for ecosystems and for humanity as a whole.
Against this backdrop, a dynamic partnership is emerging in the Pacific Northwest between climate strategist and researcher Jessica Rose & Makah cultural statesman and environmental policy specialist: Micah McCarty. Together, they are working with IntelliReefs to guide the implementation of Oceanite—a cutting-edge nanomaterial engineered to support marine biodiversity, coastal restoration, and carbon mitigation—in ways that uphold Tribal sovereignty and ecological values. Their shared vision ensures that innovation in marine conservation is led by, and benefits, Indigenous communities, reinforcing the essential connection between stewardship, science, and collective well-being.
MEET MICAH MCCARTY
“I was raised with a spiritual fidelity to spirit and reason, rooted in the symbiotic relationship between biological and cultural diversity, to preserve continuity of a living culture and living memory through the immortal breath of the ancestors. We are still here. And we are here to heal, not to harm.”
Micah (Hawt'wilth'iayatuk) McCarty is a hereditary leader and former Chairman of the Makah Tribe, located on the rugged northwest coast of Washington State. A nationally recognized cultural and Tribal statesman, Micah is known for his deep commitment to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and inclusive stewardship. With decades of experience as an environmental policy strategist, he bridges Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with Western science to create place-based models of resource management that honor ancestral lifeways while addressing modern ecological challenges.
Micah has played a pivotal role in shaping intergovernmental environmental policy across the Pacific Northwest and nationally. He co-founded the Intergovernmental Policy Council to strengthen co-management between Tribes and state and federal agencies under the Boldt Decision, and served as Senior Vice President of the National Ocean Council’s Governance Coordination Committee during the Obama Administration. He was also appointed by the Secretary of Commerce to the National Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC), and is the principal visionary behind First Stewards—an Indigenous-led national response to climate change based in Washington, D.C.
Micah’s leadership continues to influence legislation and collaborative frameworks, including improvements to national marine safety and oil spill response through the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act. His contributions have earned recognition from EcoTrust and the Puget Sound Partnership, and his insights have been widely cited by scholars and researchers in natural resource management and environmental policy.
Micah’s additional accomplishments include co-founding the Northwest Navy Tribal Council, leading the Changing Currents Water Summit through the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), and conducting nationwide outreach to coastal Indigenous communities to support marine spatial planning. Throughout all his work, Micah remains committed to forging strong partnerships between Tribal Nations, federal and state governments, academic institutions, and grassroots organizations—building a future where Indigenous leadership is central to environmental solutions.
Before stepping into formal governance, Micah’s path began as a lifelong interdisciplinary artist. Working with wood, metal, paint, and mixed media, he has expressed the spiritual and cultural lifeways of the Makah people through mask making, drum carving, and storytelling. His art serves as a vessel for sustaining the living breath of his ancestors, grounded in the cultural ecology that defines place-based identity. This creative journey naturally evolved into cultural ambassadorship, which ultimately led to his role as a Tribal statesman. Micah’s artwork here.
Today, Micah plays a key leadership role in shaping the tribal strategy around Oceanite. As co-lead on Tribal engagement for Oceanite deployment in the Pacific Northwest, he is working to ensure that manufacturing and project ownership opportunities are rooted in Tribal governance. His vision is to align this IntelliReefs technology with Indigenous priorities such as kelp and shellfish restoration, marine construction, fish and marine biodiversity, and local economic empowerment.
MEET JESSICA ROSE
Jessica Rose is a strategist, storyteller, and ocean advocate whose journey bridges ecological restoration, Indigenous sovereignty, and the transformative power of community-driven change. Her work blends research, multimedia production, and culturally grounded communications to support just and resilient futures—especially in the face of climate disruption. Guided by a deep commitment to justice, a passion for visual storytelling, and an enduring love for the ocean, Jessica’s journey has taken her from the rainforests of Southeast Asia to the coral reefs of Mesoamerica.
Over ten years living abroad as an expat, Jessica built a career rooted in cross-cultural storytelling and environmental action. Her work spanned continents—from photographing grassroots health efforts in remote Indigenous villages in Mexico to documenting musical resilience in Myanmar and the cultural shifts faced by Thailand’s hill tribe communities. Later moving to Cozumel, Mexico, she spent several years as a divemaster, ocean educator, and coral restoration practitioner, partnering with local scientists to regenerate damaged reefs and training community members in marine ecology.
These experiences led her to the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, where she specialized in Indigenous-led environmental restoration and justice. Her graduate work emphasized the central role of Tribal knowledge systems in building resilient futures. As a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow in the Nuu-chah-nulth language, she deepened her understanding of the linguistic and cultural foundations of coastal First Nations’ stewardship. While in graduate school, Jessica contributed to community-based projects such as Finding Common Ground, where she collaborated with Puyallup Tribal high school students to produce narrative short films, and Justice for the Salish Sea: Resistance to the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline in Defense of Indigenous Rights, Ecosystem Health, and Climate Stability, a digital story and research project documenting opposition to and inherent threat of the Trans Mountain Expansion Pipeline. These projects focused on the interconnected struggles for Indigenous sovereignty, environmental health, and climate justice.
Jessica first met Makah leader Micah McCarty while co-authoring “Centering Indigenous Peoples in Incorporating Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Federal Decision Making” (AlterNative, 2023) — a policy paper calling for federal environmental frameworks to be reshaped around Indigenous leadership and knowledge systems. Since then, she has worked closely with Micah as part of her role with Partnerships for Tribal Carbon Solutions (PTCS), a project of Global Ocean Health dedicated to helping Tribes and Indigenous communities navigate the emerging field of carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Based in the Pacific Northwest, Jessica serves as Managing Editor for PTCS, where she leads strategy, project design, and culturally grounded communications. PTCS focuses on three core goals: supporting Tribes in assessing the opportunities and risks of carbon removal, fostering Indigenous leadership in CDR governance, and helping Tribal Nations leverage CDR to meet climate targets while advancing environmental health, stewardship, and community priorities.
One of her first projects with Global Ocean Health was designing Carbon Removal is Restoration 2.0—a digital story for Tribal audiences that reframes CDR as an opportunity for ecological and economic revitalization, grounded in Indigenous leadership. A central focus of her current work is co-leading the development of the Opportunity Assessment Tool (OAT), which helps Tribes evaluate how local resources—such as freshwater, saline water, mineral reserves, and energy infrastructure—can inform climate solutions tailored to their values and ecosystems. Jessica and Micah are now guiding the tool’s next phase: building a Tribal taskforce to ensure its direction remains deeply rooted in Indigenous priorities. Together, they are working with Tribal leaders, analysts, and knowledge holders to shape culturally informed governance pathways that empower Tribes to define their own clean energy and carbon removal strategies.
The work unfolding between Micah and Jessica represents a new paradigm for climate action—one rooted not in extraction and imposition, but in reciprocity, restoration, and community ownership. Oceanite offers an unprecedented opportunity to align advanced marine technologies with time-honored Indigenous stewardship. With Jessica’s visionary project development and Micah’s seasoned leadership in Tribal governance and cultural ecology, this partnership is helping ensure that the climate economy in the Pacific Northwest is not just cleaner, but wiser. Together, Micah and Jessica are working to establish tribally-owned production pathways and local deployment strategies that honor ancestral stewardship while building future-focused regenerative economies. With Oceanite’s potential applications for kelp and coral reef restoration, carbon capture, and regenerative marine construction, their shared goal is to establish tribally-led manufacturing and deployment pathways that reflect the priorities of Pacific Northwest Tribes.
"Our Children Are the Future, They Deserve a Clean, Healthy Planet"
Grandson of Micah McCarty, Armando
This collaboration is grounded in a shared belief: that climate restoration must uphold ancestral knowledge, empower Tribal economies, and foster regenerative futures. Their work with Oceanite is not just about deploying a new material—it’s about co-creating systems of environmental care that reflect millennia of Indigenous science and stewardship. By embedding Tribal leadership into every phase—from sourcing local materials and building modular production sites to restoring coastal habitats—they are designing a pathway where Tribes are not just beneficiaries of climate technology but innovators, owners, and stewards.
IntelliReefs: Building a Legacy of Ocean Restoration and Justice
The vast expanse of the ocean holds more than just water; it cradles the very essence of life on Earth. For millennia, Indigenous Nations have understood this profound connection, holding their lifestyle in balance with the ocean's rhythm and respecting its fragile bounty. Their wisdom, woven into traditions passed down through generations, emphasizes responsible stewardship – decisions made not for fleeting quarterly reports, but for the well-being of the next seven generations. The stark reality is that a dying ocean, on a planet where water covers three-quarters of the surface, presents a future too bleak to contemplate for generations to come.
At IntelliReefs, we are driven by a deep sense of responsibility to leave future generations with a future they can grow from, rather than one that needs to be rebuilt. We believe a different path is possible. We are a company driven by innovation and a deep respect for the ocean. Our solution, Oceanite®, is a revolutionary artificial reef technology inspired by nature's resilience using locally-sourced materials, and local labour and enhancing small business efforts. These carefully designed units create a vital habitat for marine life, promoting the return of coral and kelp, fostering the restoration of critical ecosystems, protecting shorelines, and providing ocean-healthy construction materials.
Oceanite® goes beyond environmental impact. Our mission is more than an environmental endeavor – it is a blueprint for a future that harmonizes profit with purpose, inclusivity, and empowerment. It focuses on generating sustainable employment and growth opportunities within coastal communities, particularly uplifting voices that have historically been sidelined and even victimized (see The Fish Wars of the 1960-70s) in marine conservation efforts. Our strategy not only respects but actively incorporates Indigenous wisdom and customs, championing a comprehensive approach to ocean stewardship where every voice is valued and impactful.
Beyond profit margins and demonstrated dividends. While financial success is essential for any sustainable business, at IntelliReefs, we believe a true measure of accomplishment goes beyond short-term gains. We reject the narrow definition of success measured solely in quarterly reports, annual targets, or five-year profit growth projections. This mindset, deeply entrenched in the prevailing financial cycle, overlooks the enduring repercussions of our decisions on community resilience, cultural vitality, and ecological well-being. By fixating solely on profit, we perpetuate a culture of short-sightedness, ultimately leaving behind a legacy of depleted resources and marginalized communities in an intricately interconnected and inherently delicate world.
Our focus is on long-term restoration, ensuring that the stories passed down to future generations are not tales of struggle and rebuilding, but stories of comradery, ingenuity, and integrity. True success hinges on building a legacy that future generations can inherit – a thriving ocean teeming with life, not a depleted wasteland demanding endless repair.
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