Mae Wright is a member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. She grew up in the northern parts of Michigan and now lives in Harbor Springs where she works for her sovereign nation’s government as their Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and NAGPRA Representative. This role holds many responsibilities including caring for ancestral burials and preserving cultural resources for future generations through collaborative work and education.

TSN Conference 2026

January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 11:20 am – 12:20 pm // Red Cedar Room // Setting the Straits on Fire – Part II // Through a cooperative agreement with the USFWS, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB), MNFI, & MSU Department of Forestry are reconstructing fire histories in culturally significant sites in MI’s Straits Region. Last year our team provided a broad overview of our research. This year we will prove that sequels can be as compelling as the original. After a full field season of dendrochronological sampling, we will dig into the results for forests with unique fire histories in Waganakising, LTBB’s homeland. Mae Wright, LTBB’s Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, will join us & provide an overview of the cultural context of the study area & interpretation of the results based on oral histories & archival research. Through collaborative sampling we are increasing literacy about cultural burning, fire ecology, & dendrochronology with the goal of returning Good Fire to the Straits to increase landscape resilience, ecological integrity, co-management, & cultural heritage.