Within the department Youth, Interns, Seasonal, and Part Time employees are the first hands on data or project deliverables. Technicians or the Swiss-Army-Knives of the department take that data and work with Coordinators to organize and analyze it. The Coordinators then report to the Biologists, Specialists, and Ecologist. The -ists of the department are the technical experts in their field, they further analyze data to make informed recommendations and create reports for their Section Lead. The Lead is responsible for final reporting to the granting agencies, partners, and the Natural Resources Department Director.

Each section services it’s own unique programs. While relevant to specific groups some projects require collaboration whether for expertise or extra hands.

The department is committed to working in partnership with others. The KBIC greatly values our sponsors, and governance and research partnerships with numerous entities across our region and beyond. Such partnerships are crucial to strengthening our collaborative relationships, and we acknowledge that our work together contributes to the resiliency of our shared communities, landscapes, and future.

Visit our sections pages with the following links Great Lakes, Wildlife and Habitat, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Food Sovereignty, and Environmental Health

The KBIC is committed to the continuation of sharing and generating knowledge together, and ongoing engagement in natural resources and environmental restoration and protection. Partnership engagement is critical to Department priorities as we continuously seek ways to honor all of our relationships, and to bridge Indigenous knowledge and science and share these understandings with others. Below are a number of partnerships that have and continue to support KBIC priorities, organized by (1) Sponsors, (2) Governance, and (3) Research.

(1) Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), Michigan Health Endowment Fund (MHEF), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Torch Lake Public Action Council (TLPAC)

(2) 1854 Treaty Authority, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA), Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (LVD), Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, InterTribal Council of Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Village of L’Anse, Village of Baraga, Friends of the Land of Keweenaw, Indigenous Peoples’ Day Campaign in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Western U.P. Food Systems Collaborative

3) Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC), Partners for Watershed Restoration (PWR), Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy (SWP), Michigan Technological University (MTU), Anishinaabe-Gikendaasowin Integrated Assessment Research in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for Stewardship and Governance Partnerships (Michigan Sea Grant), Western U.P. Planning & Development Region (WUPPDR), Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc. (GLITC), Administration for Native Americans (ANA), Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. (ITCMI)