Community-Engaged Work

Restoration, and honestly just being human, is deeply embedded in communities, values, and developing respectful relationships. We have a few projects that explore the connections between people and land, as well as people and each other.

LGBTQ+ Experiences in Field Education

As a part of Sam Ahler's PhD work at the University of Colorado, the lab supports projects exploring the experiences of LGBTQ+/Queer identifying students in field based education and work. The main questions guiding this work are: 1) Do LGBTQ+ students have unique experiences in field-based courses because of their queer identities? 2)What variation in experiences exists within the LGBTQ+ population of students? and 3) What does support look like for this marginalized group of students in order to increase their persistence in the discipline? This work is motivated by Sam's personal experiences in the field and their commitment to increasing inclusivity in the field—a defining experience for many field-based disciplines and professions. 

Indigenous and Community Led Native Seed Supply in the Yukon & Canada

Working to building the capacity and potential for meaningful land restoration through Indigenous and community led native seed supply in the Yukon, and across Canada. 
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This research project aims to understand and support the the work being led by Indigenous communities and local groups in the Yukon and Canada working to collection, grow and supply native seeds and plants to restore the land.

We want to highlight the different pathways that have allowed these groups to be successful and identify where ongoing support is needed for their continued progress. By sharing what we and others have learned with our peers, we hope to collectively work towards supporting the health of the land, water, and our communities.

Campus as Living Lands

Hannah Gentes' Masters research explores the health dynamics of Indigenous-managed wetland social-ecological systems, with a focus on culturally important wetland plants and Indigenous stewards on campus. The research project is the re-introduction of Indigenous management practices to a degraded and unmanaged wetland site on campus, with the intention of creating space for Indigenous students, staff, and community members to interact with the land, find home, and have access to culturally important medicines and foods. This project is part of the larger Indigenous restoration project on campus called Campus as Living Lands (CALL) and is guided by a local Lekwungen land steward.

Forest Bioeconomy and ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ (Ahousaht Nation)

Bioeconomy is an idea of an economy focused not around petrochemicals but instead around renewable resources. It aims to be circular in nature where the resources used have a way to be replenished and very little (if any) waste products are created. In Canada, and especially in British Columbia, this idea focuses around the forest sector. 
Indigo’s Masters research is a co-developed and relationship-first approach with the Maaqutusiis Hahoulthee Stewardship Society. The work is centered around the idea of bioeconomy and how Canadian government approaches to forest bioeconomy differ from the values and approaches stewarded by ʕaḥuusʔatḥ Haw’ił (hereditary Chiefs) and musčim (people). Once this difference is understood, then the research will focus on ways bioeconomic projects can be used to support the ʕaaḥuusʔatḥ. 
We work on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples. The Songhees and Esquimalt, as well as the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples have deep, historical relationships with the land that continue to this day. Most of our group are uninvited settlers here. We are committed to deepening our understanding of how we can assist in the movement of reconciliation, dismantling the systems that continue to cause harm, and honoring the traditional stewards that have shaped this land.