Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens will host a panel discussion on May 13 with six Wabanaki leaders as they discuss a growing movement to center Indigenous knowledge and leadership in conservation work. Dr. Darren J. Ranco, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Coordinator of Native American Research at the University of Maine in Orono, will moderate this conversation prioritizing Indigenous leadership in conservation.

Last year, Dr. Ranco was the keynote speaker in the 12th Annual Ina and Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture. Educator, researcher, and citizen of the Penobscot Nation, Dr. Ranco shared contemporary scholarship about Indigenous conservation practices and identified best practices for partnerships with environmental organizations and Indigenous peoples.

The May 13 discussion will focus on the interconnections of land, culture, and Indigenous sovereignty and bring five additional Wabanaki speakers into the conversation. The panel reflects a cross-disciplinary mix of artists, writers, researchers, educators, and historians, including Nolan Altvater, Passamaquoddy; Suzanne Greenlaw, Maliseet; Jennifer Neptune, Penobscot; Richard Silliboy, Mi'kmaq Nation; and Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy.

"We are honored to host such a distinguished group of guests all in one evening,” said Daniel Ungier, the Gardens’ Vice President of Guest Experience and Education. "We aspire not just to learn more aboutWabanaki expertise, but to better understand the barriers Wabanaki people face to exercising this expertise and to better understand our shared responsibility in addressing those barriers. We’re excited to invite the public to share in the learning together."

This event takes place after-hours at the Gardens on Saturday, May 13, 7-8:30 p.m. One hundred percent of proceeds from registrations from this program will go to the Wabanaki Self-Determination fund. The Wabanaki Self-Determination Fund, a long-term, sustainable funding structure that the Wabanaki Commission on Land and Stewardship is currently creating, is funded primarily by sustained commitments from non-Wabanaki people and organizations who work and dwell in Wabanaki homelands. Run entirely by and for Wabanaki people, it recognizes Wabanaki expertise and knowledge in identifying the best ways to use funds. For more information and to register, visit MaineGardens.org or call 207-633-8000. To learn more about the fund, visit: firstlightlearningjourney.net/working-groups/fund.

At nearly 325 acres, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is the largest public garden in New England. The nationally recognized public garden features two miles of hiking trails, 19 acres of ornamental and themed gardens, a children’s garden, a sensory garden, and so much more. The mission of the Gardens is to inspire meaningful connections among people, plants, and nature through horticulture, education, and research. To learn more, visit MaineGardens.org.