Dune Lankard, Founder and President of Native Conservancy (@nativeconservancy ), is our Keynote speaker on Thursday, May 7th.
Dune has founded and co-founded numerous nonprofit organizations and his work has helped secure the preservation of more than one million acres along the Gulf of Alaska coastline.
Dune’s leadership in Alaska has directly supported Indigenous-led ocean farming, food sovereignty, and environmental sustainability. Dune will discuss the challenges and successes of the growing seaweed sector in Alaska and provide recommendations for us here in BC.
How we are building resilience and self-determination for our community all the while restoring ecosystems 💚🌎
#food #foodsovereignty #indigenousknowledge #oceanmonitoring #oceanaction #kelpfarming #kelp
Healed the ocean. Fed the people. Won the award. 🌊🥹
On Sunday, June 15, Dune Lankard (Eyak Athabascan) received the prestigious James Beard Foundation Impact Award at a ceremony in Chicago. The award honors individuals making significant strides toward building equitable, sustainable food systems. 🐟🎣
As founder of @nativeconservancy , Lankard (@dunelankard ) has protected over 1 million acres in Alaska, launched a regenerative ocean farming movement, advanced #Landback, #Oceanback, and Indigenous food sovereignty.
Lankard’s decades of land and sea advocacy are now internationally recognized. “If it’s not regenerative, just don’t do it,” he shared. ♻️🌱
#TurtleIsland: Let’s show some love to @dunelankard and @nativeconservancy in the comments! How powerful is it to see Indigenous knowledge leading the future of food sustainability?! 💭⤵️
(via @nativeconservancy@beardfoundation , @gettyimages )
#DuneLankard
#JamesBeard
Well friends, after lots of laughs, lots of happy tears, lots of hugs, hand shakes, speeches and of course after many many delicious bites, the @beardfoundation awards weekend has come to end and we are so grateful for this incredible honor and opportunity. We are leaving inspired and very excited about new friendships, new ideas, and hopefully new collaborations.
Thank you to all our friends and all the @beardfoundation committees who made this possible. As Dune would say, “we love you bunches! ❤️”
We leave you with a couple excerpts from Dune’s award acceptance speech:
“ A dear friend and ally wrote an article entitled, “How can you call yourself sovereign, if you can’t feed yourself?” Another dear friend and mentor told me, “If it’s not regenerative just don’t do it.” Doesn’t this just say it all?”
“This Award fills my heart and soul, to be recognized for sharing our traditional seafoods with others. Our Native Conservancy non-profit is helping build a regenerative ocean farming industry based on healing the ocean, feeding our people and building resilient communities for the future.”
#jamesbeardwinner #jamesbeardhonoreee #jamesbeardaward #food #foodsystems #kelp #oceanadvocacy
📣 It’s OFFICIAL!
🪶 Dune Lankard , the Founder and President of the Native Conservancy, becomes the First Native American to receive the Inaugural James Beard Impact Award.
🪶 The James Beard Foundation’s Impact Awards acknowledge the achievements of individuals and organizations who are actively pushing for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system – for producers, workers, and consumers alike.
🪶 Dune’s dedicated work with the Native Conservancy has helped win the preservation of more than 1 million acres in the Gulf of Alaska coastline. Today, Dune and NC are on an unstoppable mission to empower Alaska Native peoples to permanently protect and preserve endangered habitats on their ancestral homelands and revive ocean abundance, and build thriving communities — for the good of all who depend on healthy places to live, work, and grow.
We’ve just arrived in Chicago for the @beardfoundation awards and first event on our agenda are the 2025 James Beard Media Awards.
#ICYMI @nativeconservancy was featured in the documentary-series “Hope in The Water” , which is not only #emmynominated but also nominated for the James Beard Media Award.
We’ll be sharing updates from the Media Awards very soon (tonight!) but regardless a win or not , go find the series on @pbs and Prime!
#jamesbeardnominee #jamesbeard #pbs #publicmedia #hopeinthewater
NDN Collective and NDN Fund are honored to congratulate Dune Lankard, the President and Founder of Native Conservancy, for receiving the 2025 James Beard Impact Award. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that actively work to create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable food industry. ✊🏽⚡️🍽️🎉
Dune, an Eyak Athabaskan from the Eagle Clan in Cordova, Alaska, has successfully fought to preserve over a million acres in the Copper River Delta and has been recognized by Time Magazine as one of the "Heroes of the Planet." Throughout his career, Dune has received multiple awards for his advocacy and has inspired many in the movement through his commitment to environmental advocacy with Native Conservancy – an organization, founded by Dune, that focuses on habitat restoration, land protection, LANDBACK, OCEANBACK, and food sovereignty.
Dune exemplifies the positive impact of investing in Indigenous self-determination and solutions through NDN's braided capital –– the intentional merging of different types of funding from across the NDN Collective ecosystem, used to invest in the projects and businesses for greater resilience and impact.
In 2021, Dune received the NDN Collective's Community Self-Determination grant to support the efforts of Native Conservancy. Earlier this year, Native Conservancy through the Giyah Boat Company, received a second loan from NDN Fund’s recurring support of LANDBACK efforts in the Copper River Delta.
This latest LANDBACK loan from NDN Fund will ensure that future generations benefit from safe waterway transportation and healthy food systems in the Native Conservancy-led mariculture industry.
This prestigious award is a testament to Dune Lankard’s decades of tireless advocacy for the protection of the pristine lands of the Eyak people.
🔥📺🎤🧔🏽📹✨JOIN US ON SUNDAY for an Instagram and Facebook Story Takeover ft. Dune, as he accepts his 2025 James Beard Impact Award during the Luncheon Ceremony. 🏆
To learn more and take action:
• Visit the Native Conservancy website:
🌎 Restoring Balance . Strengthening Futures.
🪶The Native Conservancy was established in 2003 to empower Alaska Native peoples to permanently protect and preserve endangered habitats on their ancestral homelands.
🪶For more than two decades we have worked secure and maintain titles to Native lands in conservation trusts to strengthen our inherent rights of sovereignty, subsistence and spirituality.
🪶When Indigenous Peoples care for the lands and waters that sustain us, everyone wins.
🪶In this moment, we are doubling down in our mission to restore ancestral lands, revive ocean abundance, and foster thriving communities — for the good of all who depend on healthy places to live, work, and grow.
🪶In the coming days and weeks we will be reintroducing you all to our work and how we are accomplishing our vision. We will be showcasing how we are renewing traditional practices and local stewardship, how we are building stronger ecosystems, stronger food systems, and a stronger future— rooted in knowledge that has guided these lands and waters for generations.
💓 Thank you all for continuing to support and follow our journey!
