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Policy, Law, and Indigenous Sacred Sites Innovation Summit 2025

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Wide banner of the study system Raw photo location: hero.jpg

One sentence on impact: In three days we pair legal expertise with Indigenous-led stewardship priorities to surface actionable guidance for safeguarding sacred sites.

Project brief (PDF) · View shared code · Explore data

About this site: This is a public, in-progress record of the Policy, Law, and Indigenous Sacred Sites Innovation Summit 2025 sprint (Group 7). Edit everything here in your browser: open a file → pencil icon → Commit changes.

How to use this page (for the team)

  • Edit this file: docs/index.md → ✎ → change text → Commit changes.
  • Add images: upload to docs/assets/ and reference like assets/your_file.png.
  • Keep text short and visuals first. Think “slide captions,” not essays.

Day 1 — Define & Explore

Focus: clarify goals, co-create guiding questions, document shared context.

Our product 📣

  • Develop a policy roadmap highlighting immediate actions agencies and Tribes can take to protect sacred sites.
  • Prototype a story-driven data visualization that situates sacred landscapes within existing legal frameworks.

Our question(s) 📣

  • Which policy levers and legal tools most effectively uphold Indigenous sovereignty for sacred lands?
  • Where do gaps in law or data leave culturally important places vulnerable?
  • How do we package recommendations so decision-makers can act quickly and responsibly?

Hypotheses / intentions 📣

  • We think aligning federal, state, and Tribal protections will reveal practical pathways to safeguard sacred landscapes.
  • We intend to test whether publicly available geospatial layers and case studies can anchor co-produced policy recommendations.
  • We will know we’re onto something if partners see a clear sequence of shared actions and information needs.

Why this matters (the “upshot”) 📣

Protecting Indigenous sacred sites requires centering community-led priorities, honoring sovereignty, and coordinating legal mechanisms across jurisdictions. A concise set of co-created recommendations gives policy makers and practitioners a clear mandate for collaboration.

Inspirations (papers, datasets, tools)

  • Publication: Add key legal or governance analyses that frame sacred site protection.
  • Dataset portal: Link to spatial layers (Tribal lands, heritage registries, conservation designations) that inform your synthesis.
  • Tool/tech: Track any methods for collaborative mapping, policy comparison, or decision support you adopt.

Field notes / visuals

Whiteboard brainstorm Raw photo location: day1_whiteboard.jpg Caption: Snapshot of shared priorities, legal frameworks, or storytelling ideas surfaced on Day 1.

Different perspectives: Capture complementary or contrasting viewpoints—they sharpen your final recommendations.

Day 2 — Data & Methods

Focus: gather evidence, test tools, and capture the visuals that communicate your story.

Data sources we’re exploring 📣

  • Sacred sites or cultural resource registries — Document access instructions, licensing constraints, and relevant attributes. Pattern revealed during exploration Raw photo location: explore_data_plot.png Snapshot showing patterns that influence policy recommendations (e.g., overlap with management jurisdictions).
  • Policy or treaty archives — Note repositories that track case law, federal notices, or Tribal agreements that shape protections.

Methods / technologies we’re testing 📣

  • Comparative policy review and legal mapping of protections across jurisdictions.
  • Geospatial overlays that pair sacred site extents with land status, threat indicators, or stewardship capacity.
  • Story map, dashboard, or PDF layout tools for communicating co-produced recommendations.

Challenges identified

  • Incomplete or sensitive datasets that require additional permissions.
  • Conflicting definitions of “sacred site” across agencies and statutes.
  • Time needed to validate interpretations with Indigenous knowledge holders.

Visuals

Static figure

Policy landscape overview Raw photo location: figure1.png Figure 1. Illustrate a key relationship (e.g., sites lacking formal protection within a region of interest).

Animated change (GIF)

Change in protection status over time Raw photo location: change.gif Figure 2. Highlight evolving policy milestones, stewardship activities, or threats through time.

Interactive map (iframe)

Open full map

If an embed doesn’t load, put the normal link directly under it.

Final Share Out — Insights & Sharing

Focus: synthesize findings, share co-produced recommendations, and celebrate partnerships.

Team photo at start of Day 3 Raw photo location: team_photo.jpg

Findings at a glance 📣

  • Headline 1 — What legal or policy opportunity emerged?
  • Headline 2 — Which gaps or risks require urgent attention?
  • Headline 3 — What collaborative pathway or agreement should stakeholders pursue next?

Visuals that tell the story 📣

Lead conclusion visual Raw photo location: fire_hull.png Visual 1. Swap in the primary graphic that synthesizes policy, law, and Indigenous stewardship insights.

Supporting panels for key insights Raw photo location: hull_panels.png Visual 2. Provide supporting evidence, such as jurisdiction overlays or stakeholder feedback.

Complementary result figure Raw photo location: main_result.png Visual 3. Add an additional figure that captures remaining questions or next steps.

What’s next? 📣

  • Immediate follow-ups the team or partners will pursue.
  • What you would expand with one more week or month of collaboration.
  • Who needs to see this work next (agencies, Tribal councils, community leaders).
Project brief PDF
Read the brief 		View shared code
View code 		Explore data
Explore data

Team

Name Role Contact GitHub
Add team member Lead (policy coordination) name@example.org @github-handle
Add team member Legal research name@example.org @github-handle
Add team member Data & visualization name@example.org @github-handle
Add team member Indigenous partnerships name@example.org @github-handle

Storage

Code Keep shared scripts, notebooks, and utilities in the code/ directory. Document how to run them in a README or within the files so teammates and visitors can reproduce your workflow.

Documentation Use the docs/ folder to publish project updates on this site. Longer internal notes can live in documentation/; summarize key takeaways here so the public story stays current.

Cite & reuse

If you use these materials, please cite:

Policy, Law, and Indigenous Sacred Sites Innovation Summit 2025 Team. (2025). Policy, Law, and Indigenous Sacred Sites Innovation Summit 2025 — Group 7 outputs. https://github.com/CU-ESIIL/policy-law-indigenous-sacred-sites-innovation-summit-2025__7

License: CC-BY-4.0 unless noted. See dataset licenses on the Data page.