Rebecca Hunt (Colville)

The Colville Tribes value cultural resources such as the plants which were historically gathered because they represent a physical link to the history of the Tribes and because of their role in traditional beliefs and activities that continue into the present day. Gathering plants for subsistence, medicine and ceremonial activities represents an important aspect of tribal members’ cultural identity.  Today, the different land management programs of the Colville Tribes Natural Resource Division work together to identify, preserve and enhance the plant populations that make up this cultural resource.

Speaker Biography

Rebecca is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes (Arrow Lakes, Palouse, Entiat, Moses-Columbia, and other bands), and was raised in Nespelem, Washington.   She was one of the original Gates Millennium Scholars during her undergraduate studies at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, and she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resource-Ecosystems Management in 2002. Early in her career, Rebecca worked as a district forester for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.  In 2017, she took on the role of Administrative Forester/Greenhouse Program Manager, where she oversaw all greenhouse operations, and provided technical assistance in the development and maintenance of the forest stand based inventory for the Colville Tribes.  She also regularly consulted with the Forest Service of the Okanogan National Forest and Colville National Forest on Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) qualifying projects.  Today, Rebecca is the Natural Resources Division Director where she is responsible for the oversight of 14 natural resource based programs of the Colville Tribes, including but not limited to Forestry, Fish and Wildlife, Range operations, History and Archaeology, Natural Resource Enforcement, and Parks and Recreation.

Rebecca is currently working on an MBA in Organizational Leadership through Eastern Washington University.  She is married to the Northwest Region BIA Inventory and Planning Forester, Jeremy Hunt and they have three sons.  During her limited spare time loves to rock climb in the Coulees, enjoys watching her sons play sports, and explores the Colville Reservation.