Working for the future of Indian country MOST OF ALL, BODIE SHAW HOPES THAT HIS WORK WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. By Kim Cooper Findling

As the technical and expert adviser for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on issues from fire management to the protection and development of natural resources on Indian reservations, Shaw (B.S. ’93, M.S. ’96) spends his days in Washington, D.C., working closely with legislators to shape high-level policies for tribal forests. He is well aware that, although the pace of a political day is swift, the legislative process is not generally as expedient. But the fact that his efforts today may not help tribes until years from now doesn’t bother him.

“I have the end goal in mind,” he says. “My objective is to have a positive effect on future generations.”

It’s no surprise that for Shaw, born on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon in 1965, seeking forest and fire solutions for American Indian land is a worthy objective, despite the challenges of the governmental machine. Shaw and his family lived both at Warm Springs and on the Umatilla Reservation when he was young. As the oldest of four, brother to three sisters, and descendent of the Warm Springs people, Shaw knew all about life as a Native American on a reservation. Still, he never imagined he’d wind up helping to shape the policies that affect his family and his people.