I am committed to the Long Tom Watershed and our local community, both human and more-than-human. My work supports the healing of colonial harms in two ways:
- Liberation Listening: Internal and interpersonal work to heal the trauma carried by humans who have been isolated from each other and the Earth.
- Ecological Integration: Helping humans to rejoin the ecological community in supporting all life on Earth, through relationships with the more-than-human beings in our watersheds.
I am inspired by Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the multi-generational relationships between Indigenous peoples and their ecological communities. My 40+ years in the Willamette Valley is nothing in the face of the Kalapuya’s 14,000+ years of continued commitment. I bow to them.
I also give thanks to my ancestors, and to the scientists, farmers, Permaculturists, witches, midwives, herbalists, and Pagans who have taught me to love the land, love myself, and love other humans in all our complex beauty. Love is a verb. I can act on my love because of what you have taught me.