Capstone Projects

Trails of Tradition: Guiding Conservation Education through Tübatulabal Land

Program: Biodiversity Conservation & Management Master's Degree
Host Company: California Department of Conservation: The Tübatulabals of Kern Valley at Kwolokam
Location: Bakersfield, California (hybrid)
Student: Daxton Castellanos

The project aimed to support the Tübatulabal Tribe’s efforts to bring conservation education to their ancestral land and increase public awareness of Indigenous knowledge through culturally grounded environmental education materials. A key objective was to create three interpretive trail signs that integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), tribal history, local ecology and the pahka’anil language. The project emphasized respectful collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and visibility for the Tribe’s environmental stewardship practices. Ultimately, it sought to bridge conservation education with Indigenous perspectives in an accessible and lasting way.