Julia Terhune, a doctoral student in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, has received the 2026 Natural Resources Research Interest Group (NRRIG) Student Paper Award from the Rural Sociological Society for her paper, "A Call for Indigenous First in Definition and Application for Environmental Stewardship: A Content Analysis of and an Argument for a Future of Co-Management."
The award recognizes outstanding student scholarship in rural sociology and natural resource research. Terhune, a second-year doctoral student in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, will be recognized during the Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting later this summer.
Originally written for a doctoral seminar on research epistemology, the paper reflects more than a year of research and Terhune's commitment to understanding how environmental stewardship can better serve both people and the natural world.
"I felt really proud," Terhune said. "Doing this paper wasn't just the culmination of research I had done over the last year. It was also a chance to think about how to incorporate Indigenous methodology as a form of justice for this population, especially as a non-Indigenous person."
For Terhune, who grew up in a rural community, the recognition carries personal significance.
"I really care about rural people because I am one, and when you see the need in rural areas, you can't forget it," she said. "Being recognized by the Rural Sociological Society is a form of credibility for my discipline and my research approach that helps me show what I bring to a future academic career and to future colleagues."
Her research examined 63 scholarly papers across eight disciplines to better understand how environmental stewardship is defined. She found that definitions varied widely depending on the field, with little consistency across disciplines. More notably, she found that Indigenous perspectives on environmental stewardship — centered on reciprocity and restoring what is taken from the natural world — were largely absent.
Drawing on those findings, Terhune argues for an "Indigenous First" approach to environmental stewardship through co-management, a model in which governments and Indigenous communities work together to make decisions about public land use and natural resource management.
"Co-management includes Indigenous persons in decisions about public land development," Terhune said. "It's not just getting their opinion. It is actually working with Indigenous leaders and experts to make decisions, plans and interventions for land use and development."
She points to partnerships such as the collaboration between California and the Yurok Tribe, where traditional prescribed burning practices have helped reduce wildfire risk while supporting Indigenous cultural traditions.
Terhune hopes her research encourages broader conversations about how environmental decisions are made and whose knowledge informs those decisions.
"I believe in co-management of public lands," she said. "The Indigenous process and method of reciprocity is, in my opinion, one of the most sustainable approaches for caring for our environment. I hope that my paper provides additional commentary on the promotion and adoption of co-management."
Although the award-winning paper is not part of her dissertation, Terhune said the research reflects the direction she hopes to continue throughout her academic career.
She also credits the mentorship she has received at Michigan State.
"I would like to thank Dr. Bree Holtz and Dr. Jean Hardy for their incredible support, encouragement and research mentorship," Terhune said.
By Claire Dippel