In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight a dedicated steward of WTMC, Lisa Sass, who recently discovered her connection to Native heritage. Lisa’s Native American heritage deeply shapes her approach to land preservation and environmental work.
When Lisa moved from California to Arizona in 2019, she quickly joined ‘Keep Nature Wild’ as a Wild Keeper Ambassador. This is a community of people from all around the world who have a love for the outdoors, to take action to preserve, and keep nature free of trash. Through this, she was introduced to a fellow steward Rhyan Geiger, who suggested she join the cleanup events at the White Tank Mountain Regional Park. Lisa then met 2 other stewards on our team, Valerie Madarasz and Steve Rugh, who inspired her to join WTMC in January 2023. Once her involvement grew, she then decided to step in as the Communications Chair. She has a professional background in public relations and social media, so it was a perfect fit!
Lisa has always had a love for the outdoors, being a Girl Scout in the 90s, with her mom as the troop leader, and was taught from a young age the importance of conservation efforts and how important it is to protect our lands for future generations. Lisa’s family, through her mother’s side, are descendents from the Chiricahua Apache Nation. It was always a mystery as to which tribe they belonged to, until 2022 right before her grandfather’s passing, and a distant relative buried alongside him in Geronimo in Oklahoma. Since then, Lisa has been on a mission to reconnect with her Native roots.
Her mom instilled in her a profound respect for the natural world, which is seen not as something separate from us, but as a living, interconnected entity. This worldview is rooted in the Apache belief that the Earth, animals, and plants are sacred and that we, as stewards of this land, have a responsibility to protect it for future generations. The teaching she received emphasized sustainability and the understanding that every plant, animal, and piece of land has its own purpose and value, and that our actions can affect this balance. The traditional Apache principle of “nenk’á” (respect) for the land calls for protecting it not just for our benefit, but for the well-being of future generations. This sense of responsibility compels Lisa to advocate for environmental practices that respect both the Earth and the wisdom of Indigenous knowledge. She also approaches environmental work with a holistic mindset, considering the interconnectedness of ecosystems, communities, and cultures.
By protecting our natural resources, we ensure that the traditions, stories, and the way of life passed down by our ancestors continues to thrive.
Thank you, Lisa, for all your hard work to help keep the White Tanks Wild!
