Our Relationship With Nature

‘Earth and nature are alive. We are not alone, nor here for ourselves alone.’     - Stephen H. Bhuner

I have been told that every time I step into a forest, everything living there becomes aware of my presence. My teacher from the Skwxwu7mesh Nation taught me to offer the traditional greeting of their hunters and travelers when I enter. 

“Hello trees. I’m passing through. I may stop. I will not stay.”   

The work of the late Yup’ik elder, Dr. Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley taught me that everything is connected - every rock, every lake, every plant, every animal, every insect, every microbe. He believes that the wellness of a nation depends on the ability of its people to live disciplined lives in concert with nature. 

During the summer I offer half day plant tours on horseback to illustrate this web of interconnection for those who strive to understand it in all of its beautiful simplicity and complexity.

“Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine…” - Basho

I respectfully acknowledge that I live, work and play in the unceded territories of the St̓át̓y̓emcpeople with the intention to honor these lands and their inhabitants.