Saxon Thomas

Saxon Thomas is a Tribal Council Member of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe, where he has
helped guide Tribal policy and represent Tribal community interests since 2007. He serves as the Land
and Tribal Culture Resource Director of HUṠWEJ (formerly California Heritage: Indigenous Research
Project), and leads the Tribally-Guided Stewardship Crew, overseeing habitat restoration, Cultural
resource protection, mapping, and land care projects throughout Nisenan Ancestral Homelands.
As a certified Native American Tribal Monitor and Cultural Burn practitioner, Saxon works to ensure that
Indigenous knowledge, Cultural values, and stewardship practices remain central to the care of Tribal
lands and resources. Drawing from both Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) and
contemporary Western land management practices, Saxon helps bridge Indigenous stewardship
approaches with modern environmental conservation efforts. Under his leadership, the Stewardship Crew
implements Culturally-informed land management practices, including habitat restoration, invasive
species management, fuel reduction, and Cultural burning to promote ecosystem health and restoration.