California’s Strategy for Sustainable Outdoor Recreation & Wildfire Resilience

This webinar will explore California’s Strategy for Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Wildfire Resilience, a collaborative framework that supports work at the intersection of land use, forest health, outdoor recreation, and tourism.

Presenters will discuss how the strategy is being implemented in California and how its approach could support Native Nations and communities in California and across the country. Attendees will learn how the framework can help inform recreation and tourism planning while advancing forest health, community safety, and long-term resilience.

John Wentworth, CEO/President, Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA Foundation) 

John Wentworth is president and CEO of the Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA), where he leads initiatives connecting sustainable outdoor recreation, tourism, forest health, and regional economic development.

MLTPA serves as an industry sector coordinator for sustainable recreation and tourism in the Sierra Nevada region through the California Jobs First initiative. The foundation also convened and delivered “California’s Joint Strategy for Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Wildfire Resilience” to the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. The initiative was recognized by Region 5 of the U.S. Forest Service as its Partnership of the Year. MLTPA also supports the Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Partnership and its Sustainable Recreation and Tourism Initiative.

Wentworth is a member of the Mammoth Lakes Town Council and serves on several local agency boards, including the Eastern Sierra Council of Governments, Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, and Mammoth Lakes Tourism. Since 2018, he has served on the Technical Advisory Council for the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program within the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.

Before beginning his work in outdoor recreation and public service, Wentworth worked in the motion picture industry. His credits include serving as co-producer of “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” and “Mulholland Drive,” both directed by David Lynch.

Dawnielle Tehama (Moderator), Education and Business Development Director, American Indigenous Tourism Association

Dawnielle Tehama is a Modoc tourism professional and an enrolled citizen of the Klamath Tribes with deep experience in stewardship, destination development, and Indigenous tourism. She serves as Education and Business Development Director for the American Indigenous Tourism Association, following her work as a senior associate principal at Coraggio Group, where she supported strategic planning and community engagement across the tourism sector. As a destination management organization (DMO) leader, she advanced regenerative travel efforts and diversity initiatives grounded in community priorities.

After law school, Tehama launched and operated multiple small businesses before discovering her passion for tourism. She helped establish a DMO in southern Oregon and served as a liaison to her tribe. Her career also includes overseeing global marketing for the Hualapai Tribe at Grand Canyon West, contributing to early economic development planning for the Hopi Tribe, and collaborating with the Grand Ronde, Siletz, and Klamath Tribes on a variety of tourism and economic growth initiatives.

She holds a Class III gaming license in three states and has presented on Indigenous tourism for global organizations, including The World Travel and Tourism Council. Her credentials include recognition as a Certified Diversity Tourism Professional, Certified Autism Specialist, graduate of the Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy, and Woman of the Year from the National Tour Association. She chairs the National Tour Association’s DEI Advisory Council, is a member of the Tourism Cares Program Committee, and has served as a Climate Champion within the Expedia Sustainable Destination DMO program.

In all her work, Tehama remains dedicated to unifying stakeholder voices while promoting stewardship that sustains communities for generations.