Indigenous Knowledge & GIS Specialist
Desiree Shelley (she/hers)
Desiree is a citizen of the Monacan Indian Nation and a transdisciplinary researcher with professional experience in restoration ecology, forestry, agroecology, community education and applied geospatial analysis. She is pursuing a PhD in the School of Plant and Environmental Science at Virginia Tech. Her research explores the nexus between Indigenous cultural revitalization, food sovereignty and the application of historical Indigenous managed plant communities and land use practices in biocultural and ecological restoration, weaving Indigenous Knowledge alongside western data analysis.
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Desiree also dedicates her time to language revitalization, land protection and conservation in her community through her work with the Yesa:sahį Language Project and the Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons. She is passionate about seedkeeping and native plants. She lives on a small farm and forest in Monacan/Tutelo ancestral homelands along the headwaters of the James River in Roanoke County with her husband and three kids.