Evan La Cour

My name is Evan La Cour. I am Potawatomi, Kiowa, and an enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas. I am currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Geography at the University of Kansas where my research focuses on water quality and fish health in partnership with my Kickapoo Tribe.

My connection to the Kickapoo community is at the heart of my graduate research. I am studying two ponds located on the reservation in Kansas and am looking at the overall health of the water, fish, and aquatic ecosystems. Part of my research is focused on understanding what may be affecting the health of these ponds and why members of the community may no longer feel comfortable eating fish from them. My research connects environmental health to conversations involving food sovereignty and our relationships with our lands and waters.

For me, this work is much more than collecting data. It is an opportunity to use science to give back to my tribe and provide information that can be useful to the community. Research involving tribal lands and waters should be done with the community, not about the community. I am working to make sure this research can contribute to caring for these waters and fish for future generations.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Haskell Indian Nations University. While at Haskell, I became involved in environmental research through the Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Institute. That experience shaped my path toward graduate school and showed me that I could bring together my connection to my community, my interest in the environment, and scientific research in a meaningful way.

As I continue my graduate education, I hope to keep working alongside tribal nations and Indigenous communities on environmental issues that are important to them. My goal is to conduct research that is useful to the communities it serves while uplifting Indigenous knowledge and the traditional relationships Indigenous peoples have with their lands and waters. Ultimately, I hope the work I am doing can help protect those relationships and contribute to healthier lands, waters, and communities for future generations.