Miro Hampson-Medina

Ramiro (Miro) is a descendant of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and the White Earth Band of Chippewa on his dad’s side, and Mexican from Jalisco on his mom’s side. He graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and has spent the last year and a half working as a Project Specialist for the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center. Miro specializes in executing grants focused on Parks Equity, Education and Food Sovereignty.

About Miro’s Project

Through his research, Miro discovered that there is limited accessible land for gathering in Sonoma County and a history of cancer clusters in places with excessive pesticide use, particularly among the California Indian Basketweaving Association and other local gatherers. To help address the situation, he partnered with the Sonoma County Parks Department to launch an ArcGIS Story Map that informs gatherers where pesticides have been sprayed. The Parks Dept. has also committed to continued learning, information sharing and collaboration.

To ensure the continued success of this project, Miro is working to establish the ArcGIS Map as a living document that Sonoma County Native Community Gatherers can easily access. His hope is that it will be updated anytime harmful chemicals are sprayed in regional parks.