Thomas M. Alcoze, Ph.D. - Professor Emeritus
Ecological restoration, wildlife ecology, indigenous conservation knowledge, fire
Restoration, Ecology, and Land Use Practices of Native American Nations in the Southwest
Our research initiative involves the reconstruction of historic environmental or
reference conditions prior to European Settlement in the southwest and the role
of Native American management and land use practices in wildland ecosystems of the
Grand Canyon. these studies focus on a reexamination and synthesis of existing knowledge
from published literature and the acquisition of new knowledge based on the oral
traditions of contemporary Native American nations. the combination of information
from diverse sources will be used as intersection liens of evidence to illustrate
Native American influences on the sustainability of resources of the Grand canyon
Determining reference conditions is a central theme in restoration ecology. Reference
conditions are being established using vegetation and wildlife assemblages occurring
in association with human occupation and environmental conditions prior to European
settlement in the southwest. Archeological and ethnographic sources provide precise
and reliable information to reconstruct the environmental condition representative
of specific sites within the Grand Canyon region. The species composition presented
in archeological middens reflects the animal and plant communities used by indigenous
people for food, medicine and construction materials. Pollen analysis results are
used to indicate additional plant species not directly associated with human activities.
Composite reconstructions of historic environmental conditions can be e successful
when information from archeology, ethnology, ecology and restoration are combined
in an interdisciplinary context.
Native American harvest strategies function as management and conservation technologies
capable of maintaining the abundance and diversity of natural resources over long
periods. Sustainable approaches to resource use include landscape scale habitat
manipulation, extensive burning and horticultural practices, long-term harvest of
surplus, rotation harvest, redistribution of abundant resources, and selective use
based on temporal and spatial variables. Indigenous cultures during pre-European
contact and early historic times were a significant factor associated with the maintenance
of sustainable environments in North America. This knowledge can provide a framework
for the development of viable models that have relevance for the maintenance of
B.A., University of North Texas, 1969
M.S. University of North Texas, 1972
Ph.D., Michigan State University. 1981
Office: Building 82 - Room 126
Alcoze, T. 1996. Restoring Synergistic Human-Wildlife Systems: Managing Ecosystem
Complexity for the Twenty-First Century. Adaptive Ecosystem Restoration and Management:
Restoration of Cordilleran Conifer Landscapes of North America. USDA Forest Service
General Technical Report RM-GTR-278.
Alcoze, T. 1996 Case Studies in Science Education: Native Science in the Classroom.
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA. Video format 54 min.
Alcoze, T. 1994. Learning form the Land: Native Education as an Extension of the
Environment. Tradition, Change and Survival. World conference: Indigenous Peoples
Education. Wallengang, Australia.
Alcoze, T. 1991. Earth Alive, Circle Whole. National Park Service. Earth Work. Vol.
1, No. 7:29-33.
Alcoze, T. 1988. Native Science and Modern Medical Practice. First Nations House
of Learning. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Video format 44 min.