This episode is a compilation of segments of hopeful, local stories from some previous Shared Ground conversations, as well as an update about the newly formed Lichen Camp, which protects an area of old growth forest at Goldsmith Lake in Annapolis County, within the Kespukwitk District of Mi’kma’ki. You’ll hear wisdom and inspiration from Katherine Barrett, Shawn Feener, Teresa Quilty, Nina Newington, Rob Bright as well as several forest protectors at the Last Hope Camp. Following are the full episodes from which these segments originated (in order of appearance)Inspiration from a Community Food ForestSave Our Old Forests: A Conversation with Rob BrightForest Protection and Community Care with Nina NewingtonCelebration and Reflection; onward to Last Hope Campaign!EPISODE RESOURCES:Ne'ata'q Food Forest website , facebook pageSave Our Old Forests (SOOF) website , Facebook and Instagramhashtag #saveouroldforestsFriends of Goldsmith Lake Wilderness Area on FacebookInterview on CBC Info Morning with Nina Newington about Lichen Camp Some upcoming Earth Day events (2024):April 20: Build compost and soil from yard waste at Ne'ata'q, The Food Forest in LunenburgApril 21:  SOOF Soup Sunday & Earth Day Celebration in CentreleaCitizen Science Workshop (Part 1) @ The Wooden Monkey in HalifaxFind all upcoming SOOF events hereNote from Nina regarding support for Lichen Camp and Goldsmith Lake:We welcome campers, visitors and donations. Please email lichencamp AT...

Better with Bees is a student-run club focused on urban environmental sustainability at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, within the Sipekne'katik district of Mi'kma'ki.In the words of Topsy Olatunji, a student member of Better with Bees: “Our project centers on involving the Mi'kmaw community in establishing a healing garden and a Wabanaki pollinator garden, topics I will delve into deeper in the episode. We aim to educate and cultivate environmental awareness on local bee populations and pollinators in our ecosystem.”And from teacher Christopher Hall: “In the spring of 2022, Charles P. Allen High School (CPA) was approached by Alvéole, an urban beekeeping company, to house a beehive at the school. This beehive inspired the work that CPA’s Better With Bees does as a community change maker. Working with students we have developed a plan to not only make tangible impacts on climate change, but also to showcase a native species garden. By building a Wabanaki pollinator garden surrounding a Mi’kmaq Medicine Garden, we hope to demonstrate that gardening with native species is a beautiful urban possibility.”Shared Ground host Amanda Bostlund was excited to speak with three of the many people involved in Better with Bees during Helping Nature Heal's 18th Seedy Saturday event in Bridgewater this February. Here's a bit about them, in order of appearance.Topsy Olatunji is a proud member of The Better with Bees club at Charles P. Allen High School. As a member of both the media team and website subcommittee, she is consistently engrossed in their mission to promote sustainability within the urban environment.Christopher Hall has been on staff at Charles P. Allen High School for 19 of his 26 years of teaching. Using both the academic setting and extracurricular activities, he is able to encourage students to draw on their strengths in the pursuit of meaningful goals.Khaled Al-Sakkaf is a Grade 12 IB student who is deeply invested in the intersection of environmental sustainability. Currently, on Fridays, he devotes his time and skills to the Better with Bees Meadow Project, serving on the technology and data team. Through his involvement, he aims to harness his skills to drive positive change and sustainability initiatives. His commitment to volunteering reflects his belief in the power of innovation to address environmental challenges and create a better future for our planet. EPISODE RESOURCES:Better with Bees website Instagram YoutubeThe United Nations Sustainable Development Goals From  Sackville Rivers: “The Legend of the Petroglyph at Bedford Basin” RE3 conference Alvéole https://www.alveole.buzz/Ne’ata’q Food Forest at the Bluenose Academy in Lunenburg  https://foodforestatbluenose.ca/Cortado Tasting Room  on FacebookThe She Shed Other Shared Ground episodes mentioned:...

In this conversation with Josh of South Spore Mushrooms, we hear more about his mushroom-growing adventures, both indoors and outdoors, as well as a bit about mushroom hunting, and his favourite ways to cook mushrooms.Josh Clark began building the business of South Spore Mushrooms two years ago. He also works off-shore as a chef, and plays in the Celtic punk band, Black Matilda. He and his wife and their three kids (who sometimes help with South Spore Mushrooms!) live in Blockhouse, Nova Scotia.To hear more about South Spore Mushrooms, check out the previous episode (#23), of an interview from CVCR.Find the South Spore Facebook page here EPISODE RESOURES:Fantastic Fungi documentary  Paul Stamets  What The Fungus Mushrooms Local mushroom producers mentioned:Feeney’s Fungi  Fancy’s Fungi (vends at the Bridgewater market)Josh’s favourite ways to cooks mushrooms:Sautee with shallots and butter (or olive oil or butter+tallow) anda) with caraway, raw honey and salt OR b) with garlic and sherrySupplies and equipment mentioned:Autoclave, Unicorn grow bags, laminar flow hood, Martha tent~ To support Shared Ground -- Thank you!! ~

Hear how South Spore Mushrooms (based on the South Shore) began, including the entertaining story of how Josh Clark found the equipment he got started with, and why he and his family wanted to get into this exciting adventure of growing mushrooms. Currently they are producing various species of mushroom indoors. Josh shares some of his challenges, considerations and experiments, as well as how he is incorporating the value of environmental sustainability, into his business. Josh Clark began building the business of South Spore Mushrooms two years ago. He also works off-shore as a chef, and plays in the Celtic punk band, Black Matilda. He and his wife and their three kids (who sometimes help with South Spore Mushrooms!) live in Blockhouse, Nova Scotia.The main interview of this episode is from Coastal Villages Community Radio (CVCR) show “On These Shores” with host Sarah Tingley, recorded live on May 20th, 2023.Find the South Spore Facebook page hereYou may also like to check out the next episode (#24) where Amanda gets an update on Josh’s interesting endeavours and learns more about his plans for outdoor cultivation.

This episode is a compilation of short segments of some previous Shared Ground conversations! It includes wisdom and inspiration from Shawn Feener, Nina Newington, Diane Obed, Rosmarie Lohnes, Rob Bright, Kim Thomson, Dr. Jenn MacLatchy, and Bob Bancroft Following are the full episodes from which these segments originated (in order of appearance)Meeting Mi'kmaw Knowledge Holder Shawn FeenerA 3-pronged approach to sustainability with Rosmarie LohnesForest Protection and Community Care with Nina NewingtonSave Our Old Forests: A Conversation with Rob BrightManaging for Healthy Forests with Bob BancroftDecolonization and Healing with Diane ObedThe Sky Pillar, A Bridge to the Night

A carbon-sequestering art and research installation, the Sky Pillar at the Deanery Project was designed with architecture students from Dalhousie University. As Executive Director Kim Thompson puts it, the Sky Pillar is "a bridge to the night", and was created as an anchor to the Deanery’s annual SeaLight SkyLight festival. Kim says, “We’re trying to get people outdoors, connecting with nature, at night, which isn’t something we always do in our century”.Listen to this conversation with Kim Thompson and Dr. Jenn MacLatchy as they talk about how the Sky Pillar came to be and how it brings together art and science, land and sky.This installation sparks an interest and understanding in night time wonders and gives an interesting angle from which to view our place in space, to think about navigation, and to connect to the seasons.Tune in also to discover the relationship of the Sky Pillar to bioluminescence, Japanese Knotweed, and biochar! (And a bonus: a luminescent fungi chat.)The Deanery Project is nestled in a forested, sheltered cove of the Atlantic Ocean. It is an environmental arts and education centre that hosts many intriguing buildings, workshops, projects, and art installations. It is located in Lower Ship Harbour, on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore of Mi'kma'ki. Visitors and students come here to experience creative natural building techniques, to learn about permaculture, to help out on the land, discover community, practice citizen science, collaborate on an art installation, and/or to join a group for one of the wide-ranging programs. Here, one can find everything from a solar wood kiln to to retreat facilities. In response to the challenges of our times, the Deanery is also a convening space and living laboratory; for research and for building capacity for communities.Kim Thompson is Executive Director of the Deanery Project. She imparts her love for learning, art, social justice and sustainability into everything she does and is passionate about nature, family, natural building, art, traditional skills and community. An adjunct instructor with the School of Architecture since 1998, Kim is deeply committed to creating experiential, educational opportunities for pre and post secondary students at the Deanery, and welcomes anyone interested to learn and become involved with the variety of things going on there.Dr. Jenn MacLatchy (she/they), is an artist, a kayak instructor, and researcher of settler descent living in Mi’kma’ki. Her doctoral research was focused on using arts-based methods to engage with waste, weeds, and wastelands to form a settler method for decolonizing relationship with land and tending to liveable post-Anthropocene futures. (Episode 16 of Shared Ground is about this)(You may also like to check out Episode 17: An Intro to the Deanery Project)EPISODE RESOURCES:Find out more about the Deanery Project atThedeaneryproject.com https://www.facebook.com/deaneryprojecthttps://www.instagram.com/deaneryproject/Open houses are on the 1st Sunday of each monthTo discuss an idea; a potential art residency, a science research project or something with youth, contact Kim at 902-845-1888 or email thedeaneryproject@gmail.comAsitu’lisk

So many people have come together through the Save Our Old Forests campaign, started in Annapolis County, within Mi'kma'ki.The folks behind it have recently hosted a successful music festival to raise awareness and funds, and to provide connection, support and inspiration for all those who care about the trees and animals in our Wabanaki Acadian forests.In this special SOOFstock episode, meet some of the people involved (from musicians to volunteers), glimpse a rainy forest walk at the proposed Goldsmith Lake wilderness areas with Bob Bancroft and Donna Crossland, and get a small taste of some music at the festival!EPISODE RESOURCES: Save Our Old Forests website , Facebook and Instagram hashtag #saveouroldforests(For some wonderful photos of the event, take a look at their social media.) Links to websites or pages of the musicians and artists interviewed:https://anitacazzola.com/musichttps://www.facebook.com/samsonwrote/https://www.facebook.com/CuckooMoon/https://thestrangevalentines.com/homehttps://www.amandasuutari.com/Suzanne Simard’s website with videos and links to her booksNature Nova Scotia  Blomidon Naturalists Society The online public consultation mentioned by MLA Carmen Kerr, started on August 23: Collective Protected Areas Strategy Engagement The website of the settler education Rob mentioned (who went to Last Hope Camp) See this NS Forest Notes page for information about the decline of bird populations (including the Blackburnian warbler). The full paper can be found here Forest degradation drives widespread avian habitat and population declines Facebook pages and groups:Bridgewater Watershed Protection Alliance (BWPA)Nova Scotia species at risk  Annapolis Environment and EcologyTreaty Truckhouse #2  Citizen science M'ikma'ki   Past Shared Ground episodes that...

Join us for a conversation about Ne’ata’q, The Food Forest at Bluenose Academy in Lunenburg/E'se'katik (in Nova Scotia, within Mi'kma'ki).Outisde this P-9 public school is an area where the grass has been replaced with a forest-to-be; with plants that will help one another, provide learning and delight for the children, and bring so many people from the local community together while sharing indigenous knowledge and working towards food security.This food forest builds on a belief of the importance of resilience and connections for a healthy community, and the involvement and enthusiasm that can come from within it when different points of view are sought out. Meet three folks from the project team, and hear some of the history, their motivation and the interconnected benefits of the food forest, which is of benefit not only to the children of the school and the greater human community, but other beings as well.Katherine Barrett is a writer, editor and permaculture gardener. She has a graduate degree in Botany and has worked on environmental issues for many years. Katherine facilitates communication within and about the food forest project.Shawn Feener is a Mi'kmaw knowledge holder and a conservationist. He is Regional Coordinator of Mi’kmaw Education Services for the South Shore Regional Center for Education.  Shawn has lived close Pijinuiskaq or the Lahave River his whole life and has had the pleasure of working with some of the beings that call Pijinuiskaq home. He completed a diploma in Wildlife Conservation at Holland College in Prince Edward Island, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick, and is currently working on a Bachelor of Education at St. FX in Nova Scotia.Teresa Quilty is a grandmother, nature-lover, grower-forager, and community organizer. Her previous work in both non-profit and corporate settings spanned education, communications and organizational development. Her idea of fun is learning how to make good things happen in a community of skilled, creative and generous people.EPISODE RESOURCES:Ne'ata'q Food Forest website email address facebook pageThe article mentioned about the Anishinaabe Studies professor about how Indigenous food forests shape ecosystems: ‘TODAY WE HAVE GARDENS BUT BEFORE WE DESIGNED… ENTIRE LANDSCAPES’The other Shared Ground episodes mentioned: *Meeting Mi'kmaw Knowledge Holder Shawn Feener (episode 10) *A 3-pronged approach to Sustainability with Rosmarie Lohnes (episode 3) *A Two-eyed seeing approach with Clifford Paul, with Elder Albert Marshall (episode 14)~ To support Shared Ground -- Thank you!! ~

On a mild summer's evening, Pat Wiggin met for Shared Ground to give us a window into the world of forestry on private lands in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki). Discussed in this episode are some of the programs that exist to support people and forest ecosystems, and the exciting emerging option of working forest easements (through the Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust). Also, hear thoughts on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and related questions: If there was more transparency about where forest products came from, what would people choose to purchase? And in Pat's words, "What if wood had more of a story to tell?"The conversation also touches on the local energy market, including important considerations on the use of biomass for heating.Pat Wiggin was raised in the Halifax Regional Municipality and first became interested in Natural Resource Management while studying Environmental Science at Mount Allison University. He funded his education by tree planting in the wilds of northern British Columbia and eventually decided to go back to school where he obtained a Forestry Technology diploma at the Maritime College of Forest Technology in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and has since held positions within various organizations, providing forest management, support, and advocacy to Nova Scotia’s small, private woodland owners.EPISODE RESOURCESNova Scotia Working Woodlands TrustFederation of Nova Scotia Woodland OwnersForest Innovation ProgramThe Lahey report pdf (An Independent Review of Forestry Practices in Nova Scotia)Forest Innovation Voucher through NSCCWestern Woodland Cooperative ServiceForest Steward Certification (FSC)Maritime College of Forest TechnologyNatural Resources Environmental Technology program at NSCCSave Our Old Forests campaign: website on FacebookSOOFStock music festival 2023

Nestled in a forested, sheltered cove of the Atlantic Ocean, is the Deanery Project, an environmental arts and education centre that hosts many intriguing buildings, workshops, projects, and art installations. It is located in Lower Ship Harbour, on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore of Mi'kma'ki. Visitors and students come here to experience creative natural building techniques, to learn about permaculture, to help out on the land, discover community, collaborate on an art installation, and/or to join a group for one of the wide-ranging programs. Here, one can find everything from a solar wood kiln to to retreat facilities to an emerging sound studio.This Shared Ground episode gives a little overview of the Deanery Project, which is no small task given the scope and energy of the place!Join host Amanda Bostlund as she talks with a few different folks about this special place, including an interview with the Executive Directo,r Kim Thompson, who imparts her love for learning, art, social justice and sustainability into everything she does.As well as getting a brief tour of the grounds and some of the cool things happening, the conversation with Kim touches on the potential of social enterprise, participatory action research, and greenwood construction.Kim Thompson is passionate about nature, family, natural building, art, traditional skills and community. In 1993 with the help of friends, family and curious community members she built her straw bale home in Ship Harbour, the first of its kind in Eastern Canada. Drawing on that experience she continued to design, build and produce educational materials to help support a growing network of people committed to natural, low impact building methods. An adjunct instructor with the School of Architecture since 1998, Kim is deeply committed to creating experiential, educational opportunities for pre and post secondary students at the Deanery, and welcomes anyone interested to learn and become involved with the variety of things going on there.RESOURCES:See the Deanery's website and their new facebook page to find out about upcoming programs, open houses, and events. About The Path We Share, from the Signal in 2016 Mi'kmaw Moons facebook page Trails, Tales, and Spruce Tea podcast with hosts shalan joudry and Frank Meuse

At the Deanery Project this spring, I met with Dr. Jenn MacLatchy (she/they), who is an artist, a kayak instructor, and researcher of settler descent living in Mi’kma’ki. Her doctoral research was focused on using arts-based methods to engage with waste, weeds, and wastelands to form a settler method for decolonizing relationship with land and tending to liveable post-Anthropocene futures. In this episode, you’ll hear about this fascinating doctoral research and her art practice, which is process-based and focused on marine plastics, waste paper, and invasive plants, and different ways of weaving these materials together to explore relationships in the inextricably interconnected living world.  We hear her perspective of seeing garbage as artifacts that can help us understand our culture, and about the problem –and the irony– of plastics. She shares the view that humans aren’t inherently bad for the environment, and offers an interesting twist on what it can mean to be less materialistic. We also talk about some lesser discussed aspects of Japanese knotweed (...and my secret love of the plant.)EPISODE RESOURCES:The Deanery Project  The website of Marlene Creates, an artist in Newfoundland  A website about the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes area and protectionBooks referenced by Jenn:Flotsametrics and the floating world: How one man’s obsession with runaway sneakers and rubber ducks revolutionized ocean science. C. Ebbesmeyer & E. Scigliano (2009)Pollution is Colonialism. , M. Liboiron (2021)Waste. B. Thill (2015) Braiding Sweetgrass. Robin Wall Kimmerer (2015) Living Treaties: Narrating Mi'kmaw Treaty Relations.  Marie Battiste (2016) Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene. Anna Tsing, Heather Swanson, Elaine Gan, Nils Bubandt (2017)Staying with the Trouble.  Donna J. Haraway (2016)Some website information about the Peace and Friendship Treaties from:Canadian EncyclopediaThe Government of CanadaL’nuey

During this episode, we meet with wildlife biologist, writer, and media communicator, Bob Bancroft. He is a wealth of information about ecology, forest health, and what has been going wrong in forestry systems, as well as methods that help in the face of climate change, benefit nature and forestry, too. We learn what is possible when one “tickles the forest” with a view to management for wildlife and ecological forestry. He talks about considerations and realities of buffer zones around waterways, the mainland moose, and many current challenges, including a very clear picture of what happens to the animals of a clear-cut forest. For 48 years, Bob has nurtured former pasture land in eastern Nova Scotia back to ecological forest health. The 56 acres now have 52 tree species and many restored wildlife habitats. A former FSC assessor, he stepped down as president of the Nova Forest Alliance, the Model Forest for Nova Scotia and PEI, after a contractor clear-cut a neighbor’s land and two provincial, as well as one federal department would not enforce environmental laws that had been broken. Bob is the current President of Nature Nova Scotia, a group of individuals and twenty-five organizations attempting to raise a stronger voice for nature to counter the gutting of Nova Scotia’s forests and habitats.EPISODE RESOURCES:Nature Nova ScotiaSave Our Old Forests website , Facebook and Instagram hashtag #saveouroldforestsGlobal Forest Watch interactive forest and tree cover change dataThings suggested in this episode to write your politicians about: stop clear-cutting(it doesn't matter what you call it, it is still happening), the needs for wider buffers around riparian zones, landscape level planning, and better wildlife regulations

Join Clifford Paul at East Bay Sand Bar in Unama'ki (also known as Cape Breton in Nova Scotia). Clifford refers to this beautiful place on the Bras D'or Lakes as the shorelines of his ancestors.Throughout this episode, Clifford illuminates ways in which Mi'kmaw traditional knowledge and Western scientific knowledge can be woven together through what is known as two-eyed-seeing, or Etuaptmumk. Elder Albert Marshall (who you will hear from briefly) and his late wife, Elder Murdena Marshall, developed this approach which is now being applied across many fields internationally. Clifford Paul treats us to a traditional oral story and a science story to help explain the approach. He also helps us understand how non-Indigenous people can learn to use two-eyed seeing and he talks about how traditional knowledge can come from many different cultures. Hear about his holistic work as Moose Manager through UINR (Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources) and about the need to communicate in a way similar to how different species in ecosystems communicate with one another for the health of the whole.Also discussed is the importance of inspiring in our youth a sense of place and understanding of the natural world. Change of behaviour is the way to move forward, and can come from being, as Clifford says, "a conduit for change”.Clifford Paul is a father and grandfather. He has done a variety of work, including as a writer, photographer, and editor, and as the Criminal Records Manager and dispatch trainer for the Unama’ki Tribal Police. Now Moose Management Coordinator for UINR (Unama’ki Institute for Natural Resources), Clifford's other passion is creating jewelry through his business BearMan Authentics.EPISODE RESOURCES:Unama’ki Institute for Natural Resources (UINR)A CBC Article (Jan.,/22) about Two-eyed seeingArticle by Dr. Shelley Denny “Herring Study Confirms Mi’kmaq Observation”Elder Voices podcast

During the Save Our Old Forests campaign launch, Bob Bancroft was one of the excellent speakers. This episode features a slightly shortened version of his passionate talk, along with a brief overview of this inspiring campaign, which launched in the spring of 2023 in Bridgetown in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki).Bob Bancroft is a wildlife biologist, writer, and media communicator. For 48 years he has nurtured former pasture land in eastern Nova Scotia back to ecological forest health. The 56 acres now have 52 tree species and many restored wildlife habitats. A former FSC assessor, Bob stepped down as president of the Nova Forest Alliance, the Model Forest for Nova Scotia and PEI, after a contractor clear-cut a neighbour’s land; Two provincial and one federal department would not enforce environmental laws that had been broken.Bob is the current President of Nature Nova Scotia, a group of individuals and 25 organizations attempting to raise a stronger voice for nature to counter the gutting of Nova Scotia’s forests and habitats.EPISODE RESOURCES:Save Our Old Forests website , Facebook and Instagram hashtag #saveouroldforestsArticle by Bob Bancroft about the recent bird loss studyNatura Nova ScotiaSion Sound Studio

During the Save Our Old Forests campaign launch, forest ecologist Donna Crossland was one of the excellent speakers. This episode features a slightly shortened version of her heart-felt and informative talk, along with a brief overview of this inspiring campaign, which launched in the spring of 2023 in Bridgetown in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki).Donna Crossland's primary focus is on protecting healthy Wabanaki-Acadian forest. As a National Park Warden early in her Parks Canada career, protecting ecological integrity ofwoodlands and waters instilled an unrelenting desire to conserve what remains of our natural heritage. She retired from a career as a biologist at Parks Canada and now leads protection of old growth hemlock groves, working to conserve this majestic conifer tree against attack from an invasive insect, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). She was the ‘HWA Project Coordinator’ at Kejimkujik, and now holds the same title through the Medway Community Forest Coop. Donna has provided key direction on two provincial forestry strategies.She is the daughter of the last horse logger in her natal community of East Dalhousie.EPISODE RESOURCES:Save Our Old Forests website , Facebook and Instagram hashtag #saveouroldforestsSuzanne Simard's book Finding the Mother TreeGlobal Forest Watch interactive forest and tree cover change dataProvincial landscape viewer Sion Sound Studio

On March 25th, a campaign launched in Bridgetown in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki) called Save Our Old Forests (SOOF). As is written in their excellent pamphlet: "Saving old forests in Annapolis County is something we can do locally that will have a global effect." and "We need to protect the best of what is left, for the health of nature, yes, but for our health, too, and for the health of our economy." Find out more about the SOOF through this episode, which includes some clips of the recordings from the speakers at this standing-room-only event, and features a conversation afterwards with a spokesperson for the campaign, Rob Bright.Hear about the story and evolution of a small group of people finding solutions, and about the actions we can each take as individuals to make a difference for the health of our forests. Join us in contemplating the ownership and management of "crown land" and some root causes and challenges behind our current forest crises.Rob Bright spent the early part of his career working with street youth in downtown Toronto before becoming a social researcher studying harm reduction with injection drug users. After several years Rob switched things up and went to chef school. It was there that he found a passion in following food from farm to table, and learning about where food comes from. Rob and his wife, Laura, made the move to Hampton, on the North Mountain, in 2018 to follow their dream of growing and raising their own food. Once the gardens were built and the hens started laying, Rob turned his attention to the clearcutting that is hidden not far from the side of the roads. He became involved with a small group of concerned neighbours to help raise funds to save a forest on Arlington Road. This evolved into the Arlington Forest Protection Society of which Rob is the current Vice-President.EPISODE RESOURCES:Save Our Old Forests website , Facebook and Instagram hashtag #saveouroldforests

During the waning of the Berry Ripening Moon, as it is called in the Mi’kmaw culture, I had the pleasure and honour of meeting Shawn Feener. In this episode, Shawn introduces the moons of this time of year and how they relate to understanding animals and plants throughout the seasons, and about some of the relationships in the forest. He also talks about the importance of school students learning about Mi’kmaw culture and, in fact, all cultures, and becoming comfortable with cultural diversity. Shawn shares about Netukulimk, a way of living, and about how there can be differences in Mi’kmaw teachings from different communities, how all teachings are rooted in respect, and about the tolerance of Mi’kmaw people to hold these differences and a way that doesn’t designate right or wrong.Shawn Feener is a Mi'kmaw knowledge holder and a conservationist. He has worked in the conservation field for many years as a fish biologist, and has recently entered the education field. Shawn has lived close Pijinuiskaq or the Lahave River his whole life and has had the pleasure of working with some of the beings that call Pijinuiskaq home. He completed a diploma in Wildlife Conservation at Holland College in Prince Edward Island, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick, and is currently working on a Bachelor of Education at St. FX in Nova Scotia.Shawn and I met in the Sipekne'katik district of Mi’kma’ki, and the episode production occurred just across the river in the Kesputwik district. This is the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq.RESOURCES:Moon phases online resource: "Time and Date"Mi’kmaw Moons facebook pageOther podcasts of interest, mentioned in this episode:"Below the Canopy" by Community Forests International   "Elder Voices", through How We ThriveBoth of these limited series podcasts are available through all major streaming platforms.

Curious to hear from someone who worked for Lands and Forestry (DNRR) for 22 years?This conversation with Peter Romkey touches on the Christmas tree industry, the early days of glyphosate use in the Cape Breton Highlands, some natural history, and Peter’s idea for a specific incentive for private landowners. We hear about what he thinks should change in forestry and why the future could look much different.Nova Scotia and the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest Region has been home to Peter Romkey for his entire life. During his year at Maritime Forest Ranger School he became enthralled with indigenous plants. His professional career with Lands and Forestry and The K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University allowed him to gather a great deal of practical knowledge about plants et al. Retired now on Romkey Hills on the South Shore, Peter spends his time gardening, constructing stone walls and buildings, and brewing New England-style IPA along with a few other hobbies. Peter says, "I’m very grateful that the wildlife in our small forest has welcomed us to their home and I promised them it will be better after we leave."RESOURCES:K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens websiteThe "Lahey Report" (officially titled: An Independent Review for Forest Practices in Nova Scotia)OTHER RESOURCES:www.mikmaqonline.org and the section specific to treesTo donate to Shared Ground through the Ko-fi site

Join us for the story of a canoe “marathon”, completed in less than a day, in which four Nova Scotians traveled from one side of the province to the other, and why they did it. During this episode, consider the many reasons why folks including Mike Lancaster are dedicated to an Ingram River Wilderness Area, and how wilderness areas support a wide range of recreational uses.Hear why land-level planning is crucial to protecting areas of such fragility and importance, about the many opportunities for various economic activities that are aligned with ecological values, some cool facts about the size and age of some trees in this region, and some surprising history of the forestry industry’s reaction to the pulpwood industry in Nova Scotia in the ‘60s. We gain a greater awareness of what our Wabanaki-Acadian forests are capable of and what that can mean for our communities. It is inspiring to consider the diversity of what is possible when we manage our human actions for values that include ecological and community health.Mike Lancaster's work crosses multiple disciplines with a focus on forestry, conservation, and community development. Some of the many roles that Mike fills include being the Executive Director of the St. Margaret's Bay Stewardship Association, the Stewardship Coordinator for the Woodens River Watershed Environmental Organization, and the Coordinator of the Healthy Forest Coalition. Mike also owns his own forest and trail management and consulting company where he works with clients to implement management strategies to achieve their goals while ensuring that ecological values take the forefront of decision making. Mike also sits on the board of the Medway Community Forest coopMike clearly explains the three important elements- of how, where and when- of good forestry and gives clarity to some of the issues surrounding various aspects of forestry, as well as some of the terms which have come to replace the wording of “clear cutting”, and  about some of the competing interests between various governmental departments. Hear about the watershed-based approach of the St. Margaret’s Bay Stewardship Association, and take heart in knowing there is a need for more foresters who are able and willing to do work for woodlot owners who prioritize ecological values over an extractive model and that this is an opportunity for emerging foresters.Join us for this informative hour!EPISODE RESOURCES:   Protect the Ingram River Wilderness Area  website St. Margaret’s Bay Community Enterprise CentreSt. Margaret’s Bay Stewardship AssociationWoodens River Watershed Environmental Organization The Healthy Forests CoalitionLarchwood (in Cape Breton)   Our Parks and Protected Areas PlanAnnual Progress Reporting for the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction ActThe...

Most of us are wanting to better support Indigenous people on the lands we now also call home. We want to learn and understand more about the connections between current ecological catastrophes and colonization, and about coming into right relationship with the land and the first peoples of the land. Join us for this conversation about the lifelong journey of living respectfully within Mi’kma’ki, or wherever you may be, and contributing to regeneration and healing.On a beautiful summer day, I met Diane Obed to talk about decolonization, including its importance in environmental movements.Diane Obed is an Inuk woman mixed with white settler ancestry. She is a mother, writer and community member originally from Hopedale, Nunatsiavut, Labrador, currently living, studying and working in Mi'kma'ki, Nova Scotia. She is presently enrolled in the Educational Foundations PhD program at Mount Saint Vincent University, exploring decolonization and contemplative land-based studies.In this conversation, Diane shares wisdom, gentleness and many helpful resources, including why cultural diversity loss leads to loss of biodiversity, and the importance of practices that help oneself be grounded in these uncertain times. The connection is explored between current ecological crisis and Indigenous dispossession from their lands. The more people who explore these topics together of the continued effects of colonization, of what decolonization means, and ideas of how we can contribute, the better the chances for a healthier and more whole world.Episode resources:Indigenous Climate Action websitewebsite for Healing Haunted Histories, the book by Elaine Enns and Ched MyersBook referenced by Diane by Inuit Elder: The Qaggiq Model, toward a theory of Inuktut knowledge renewal link to Good ReadsThe Land Back paper Diane referencedKira Jewel Lingo's website Kira's episode The way out is inDeveloping Stamina for Decolonizing Higher Education: A Workbook for Non-Indigenous People(2021). (This workbook is relevant for anyone, despite it being written for a context of higher education.)Land Water Spirit on Mighty Networks (an interactive platform through How We Thrive)Mi’kmaw place and language resources:Mi'kmaw place names interactive mapNative land .cawww.mikmaqonline.org and the section specific to treesOther resources:Treaty Education,  Nova Scotia: 13...