Dear Hubbard Brook Friends and Colleagues -

Greetings! I write on behalf of the DEIA-R subcommittee on Indigenous Knowledge and Networks. We would like to invite you to participate in a community reckoning with the Indigenous presence in the Hubbard Brook region – past, present, and future.

As part of this journey, we are planning a 1.5-hour discussion of the book Braiding Sweetgrass, authored by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer: plant ecologist, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at SUNY-ESF, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The virtual discussion, to be held on Zoom, is planned to occur in approximately one month.

We are hoping for strong attendance, so that as many perspectives as possible are included in the discussion of the teachings in this book. Please consider reading / listening to this book (if you haven’t already!) and joining the discussion. Additionally, please let us know your availability for the book discussion by completing this meeting poll, no later than October 5.

Braiding Sweetgrass provides ground-breaking teachings that weave two distinct ways of knowing: the modern ecosystem science that we promote and practice at Hubbard Brook, along with principles of Indigenous ecological knowledge such as gratitude, relationship, and reciprocity. The writing is poetic and beautiful; Dr. Kimmerer’s reading voice is equally beautiful, and the audio book is an ideal companion on a commute.

The discussion of this book will provide a foundation for ongoing and future work:

• formalizing a land acknowledgement for Hubbard Brook events and publications (please feel free to comment on the draft that is linked);
• hosting a future discussion of the recent publication from Harvard Forest on “Conservation implications of limited Native American impacts in pre-contact New England” and the response from Indigenous ecosystem scientists in the bioregion; and
• inviting regional Indigenous ecosystem scientists to participate in an upcoming COS meeting, as part of a panel discussion, to explore the potential for collaborative research.

Based on the results of the meeting poll, we will provide a final date and time for the book discussion. We will also offer 2 - 3 discussion questions, and we will suggest a few chapters to focus on for those who are pressed for time. Stay tuned for that announcement.

The “Hubbard Brook community” is defined here as including students and other colleagues of those on this email list. Please share this announcement widely.

On behalf of the Indigenous Knowledge and Network subcommittee, thank you in advance for considering joining the book discussion.

      - denise