Irina Aiurzanaeva, a national park and environmental education professional at Lake Baikal will share her Siberian home culture and perspective of advancing the rights of indigenous communities about the state of indigenous peoples’ rights, services and support mechanisms available to indigenous groups, and their level of participation in cultural preservation and environmental stewardship activities. Irina, a Fulbright Scholar, is visiting Carbondale through the Independent Professional (INP) Fellowship with the Eurasia Foundation Social Expertise Exchange (SEE) program funded by the US State Department. Irina is collaborating with Wild Rose Education to gain an increased understanding of best practices of environmental education and interpretation on public lands in western Colorado, to then integrate new strategies and learnings with Lake Baikal region indigenous youth and women in civic activities aimed at preserving indigenous culture, cultivating environmental stewardship, and developing leadership and self-advocacy skills. Contact Wild Rose Education at 970-510-0697 for more information.