Quapaw Nation, Oklahoma

Partnering with community-led conservation and environmental education efforts.

Drake students, Abi Ferguson and Macy Gardner worked with the Quapaw Nation to contribute to ongoing conservation efforts and educational programming shaped by local priorities.

Days began on the food farms of the Quapaw Cattle Company, where students assisted with vermiculture, seed saving, beekeeping, and harvesting—key elements of the Nation’s food sovereignty work. In the afternoons, students supported environmental planning and outreach, including reviewing a long-term conservation plan and creating public-facing materials for a chronic wasting disease initiative.

In parallel, students worked with area teachers and students to develop conservation-focused lessons tailored to the local context. This experience emphasized collaboration, not intervention, and gave students insight into rural education systems and tribally led land stewardship practices.