The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)’s 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration kicked off Tuesday evening in Denver, CO with Indigenous presenters and performances honoring their deep connection to land and culture. This conference brings together professionals and leaders from around the world to learn and share about global restoration efforts. You can watch the opening ceremony to SER2025 here. https://vimeo.com/1120902852
Ernest House, Jr., enrolled member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Towaoc, CO, states in the opening ceremony that “We were green before green was cool.” Since time immemorial, Indigenous cultures have had a reciprocal relationship with the land, rather than the extractive one that dominates today. It can be argued that the very idea of ‘conservation’ is a Western concept invented in response the environmental and cultural degradation resulting from European colonization.
Indigenous people have a deep connection to their land and to their culture. It is also important to acknowledge the deep connection between land and culture that continues to exist today. Our Indigenous Heritage Initiative – Reconnecting Land and Culture, aims to do just that. We aim to listen and learn from the Indigenous community and to help tell their story rather than interpret it. We aim to merge Indigenous knowledge with Western science in the conservation field by learning, educating, and fostering conversation. We are working with local Indigenous groups, experts, allies, and conservation professionals to help bring this opportunity for collaboration to the forefront of local conservation work. We are grateful to SER for giving us a platform to share our project on this global stage. You can view a recording of our presentation, as well as our poster submission below.
“Restoring land without restoring relationship is an empty exercise. It is relationship that will endure and relationship that will sustain the restored land.” – Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
There is no ecological restoration without cultural restoration.
Link to poster >
The SER2025 Opening Ceremony coincides with the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools in the United States, and the Canadian National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – also known as the ‘orange shirt day’. For the first time, Franklin & Marshall College publicly commemorated the historic harms of the boarding school system and honored the children who lived and labored in Lancaster, PA. You can view a clip from the ceremony here https://www.facebook.com/reel/1224028019532164
