A Natural History of Mountain Huckleberry Habitat in the Central Cascade Mountains of Washington State

 This presentation summarizes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the long-term history of human interactions with mountain huckleberry and the landscapes where it grows in the southern reaches of Coast Salish territory. Mountain huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) are prized by Indigenous peoples throughout the plant’s range as a subsistence, ceremonial and cultural resource. In the pre- and early settlement period, Native peoples commonly set fire to huckleberry meadows in order to create or maintain the open conditions that favor huckleberry production. A common perception among Native people today is that due to land management practices – particularly fire suppression - many of these formerly productive areas are now degraded or have disappeared entirely. I will discuss my approach to developing a better understanding of the relationship between changing ecological conditions, structural conditions (climate, colonialism and capital), and Coast Salish uses and management of montane habitats over time, which I will argue is crucial to greater effectiveness in contemporary land management practice.