How We Work

We accomplish this by establishing a personal connection and responsibility with nature through: recreation, exposure to the outdoors, and exploring the history and cultural ideals of the Indigenous people who have lived in harmony with local ecosystems for thousands of years. There is an extraordinary need for communities and environmental institutions to understand the interconnectedness of culture, history, and science and the vital role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and First Nations Peoples in addressing the extreme environmental challenges of the modern era.

Wishtoyo instills a sustainable environmental ethic by informing audiences of environmental issues and changing the way natural systems are viewed.

A group of children from the Intertribal Youth Group program learn about local marine invertebrates at the beach with Wishtoyo staff.

Youth volunteers help plant native plants at Wishtoyo Village.

Luhui Isha tends to the plants at Wishtoyo's EcoFarm.

Alicia Cordero demonstrates traditional Chumash crafts to youth at Wishtoyo Village.

A group of Chumash community members seated on benches weaving baskets.

A person's hand holds an abalone as they prepare to shuck it.

Two Watershed Monitoring interns explore a forested area with binoculars.

Two Watershed Monitoring interns observe aquatic species in the Utom Watershed.

Three interns in white lab coats and blue gloves perform tests as part of Wishtoyo's Watershed Monitoring program.

A row of planter beds ready for seeding at Wishtoyo's EcoFarm.

Two interns hold a tray of seedlings at Wishtoyo's EcoFarm.

An outdoor pen containing white horses and brown horses with mountains in the background.

A traditional Chumash 'ap, brown hut made from plant fibers and wooden poles, decorated with large white whale bones at the entrance.

Inter-Tribal Youth Group kayaking through kelp beds around Limuw (Santa Cruz Island).