Ben Bridges is folklorist and anthropologist who specializes in the environmental humanities, material culture studies, and critical Indigenous studies. His primary research concerns the effects of climate change and economic transition on red and yellow cedar trees in Southeast Alaska, specifically in relation to Tlingit and Haida art. Alongside his work in Alaska is a running interest in human-environment relations in North Carolina, his home state. In the classroom, his central goal is to help students draw meaningful, personal connections between the course material and their own lives, which he accomplishes through experiential education, project-based learning, and mentorship.