Chyokten Paul Wagner is a member of WSANIC' (Saanich) First Nations, and has been speaking out on social environmental issues since he was a boy. He is a strong advocate of ancient ways and teachings of the circle of life, as well as the return of our elder women to guide our societies into life. He spoke at COP21 climate talks in Paris with the Salmon is Life Coalition, is the founder of Protectors of the Salish Sea, and is a Coast Salish storyteller and award-winning Native American flutist.

Herb Hammond is a forest ecologist and former forester. He is best known for his concept and application of nature-directed stewardship -- the protection and ecologically responsible use of ecosystems through all scales of time and space. He has primarily worked with Indigenous and rural communities. Herb is the author of an award-winning book, Seeing the Forest Among the Trees: The Case for Wholistic Forest Use, as well as Maintaining Whole Systems on Earth’s Crown: Ecosystem-based Conservation Planning for the Boreal Forest. 

Herb is currently co-authoring a book on applying nature-directed stewardship / ecosystem-based conservation planning to restore urban areas. The book’s working title is: Inviting Nature Home: Putting Nature First in Cities. Herb is also working on a book about Nature and our place in her complex fabric. This book draws on the Indigenous knowledge and ways of being shared with him by many Indigenous people through the years. With assistance from Indigenous collaborators, Herb hopes to describe a new reality for settler cultures—a reality that is necessary for our survival, and how to get there in the face of the climate emergency. 

Maleea Acker lives in unceded WSÁNEĆ territories. She holds a PhD in Geography and lectures at the University of Victoria and Thompson Rivers University. She is the author of three poetry collections, including Hesitating Once to Feel Glory, and a non-fiction book, Gardens Aflame: Garry Oak Meadows of BC’s South Coast, which charts the Indigenous stewardship and current restoration of an endangered Vancouver Island ecosystem. 

Maleea will talk about her experience of growing native plants in her Saanich yard, which she wrote about in this 2020 Focus on Victoria article: Why are we in trouble?

https://www.focusonvictoria.ca/commentary/why-are-we-in-trouble-r33/

Danijela Puric-Mladenovic is an assistant professor at the Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto. She holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Forestry and a PhD. from the University of Toronto.Her work and research provide real-world solutions and tools that support strategic conservation, restoration, and integrated spatial planning of urban forest, green and natural areas in urban and peri-urban landscapes. Danijela also leads research on strategic, multi-purpose forest monitoring, Vegetation Sampling Protocol, and a community-based urban forest stewardship and monitoring program (Neighbourwoods©, co-developer with Dr. W.A. Kenney). She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Urban Forest Conservation, Forest Conservation, Green Infrastructure, Landscape Ecology, Vegetation Monitoring, and GIS.

Kazusa Nakajo is an eco-designer and green-building-accredited architect, system thinker, and caretaker of Mother Nature. With a background in natural building, soil remediation, and bio-engineering in Japan, she integrates proactive design into restoration. She has a deep love for nature and is passionate about sharing the importance of the soil food web, and simple field techniques to enliven the soil and plants. She has a bachelor of Environmental Design, an MA in Ecological Design Thinking, and is currently a student in Restoration of Natural Systems at UVic.

Program: Protecting Nature in Cities - A Matter of Survival - Indigenous Wisdom and Science-based solutions for Changing Times - Earth Day 2023

Dates: Saturday, April 22, 2023

Time: 2:00 PM Pacific / 5:00 PM Eastern 

Cost: FREE

Location:  On-line – A Zoom Link will be emailed before the program begins.

CLICK: THE GREEN BUTTON BELOW TO REGISTER