“Comprised of artists, scientists, and Indigenous knowledge keepers coming together through the confluence of their work and research, the Awi’nakola Project is a research group working to keep the rich ecosystems of the some 2.7% of high productivity old growth left in the province intact. What began as an intimate, close-knit group of five in 2019, the Awi’nakola Project has grown to some 40 dedicated people working collectively to build a better future for generations to come.”
The group includes Makwala Rande Cook (artist and Hereditary Chief of the Ma’amtagila First Nation), Dr. Suzanne Simard (author of Finding the Mother Tree), Dr. Rachel Holt (author of A Last Stand for Biodiversity), Dr. Smhayetsk Teresa Ryan (founder of the Salmon Forest Project), Kelly Richardson (artist), Paul Walde (artist), Stephanie Smith (curator, writer, arts leader), Chelsey Geralda Armstrong (ecologist, ethnoecologist, archaeologist), Chief Ernest Alfred (Hereditary Chief of the Tlowit’sis Nation, elected leader of the ‘Namgis First Nation and leader of the Swanson Occupation), among others.
Click here to read more about the project in an article written by Kristen Bounds for ecologyst.