FOR THE AUDIO-ONLY RECORDING, FOLLOW OUR PODCAST
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Plastic pollution is one of the most urgent and far-reaching threats facing our Oceans today—touching everything from marine life to coastal communities to climate resilience. In this powerful conversation with Rachel Bustamante of Plastic Pollution Coalition and Tamara Adame, a scientific ocean diver and anti-plastics activist, we explore the multifaceted impacts of plastic on Ocean health, and the deep interconnections between pollution, policy, and our relationship with the living world.

With a background in environmental policy analysis and campaign coordination, Rachel has worked to protect marine biodiversity and Ocean health at both state and global levels—including participation in the UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and direct advocacy with U.S. lawmakers. Her work is grounded in a commitment to justice, care, and solutions that protect people and planet.

As a scuba diving instructor in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, diving in the Mexican Caribbean, Tamara started noticing a huge influx of plastics to the Ocean about eight years ago. Her own grassroots efforts at organizing Ocean cleanup - and seeing how little impact that had on the quantity of plastics in the region - led her to become an anti-plastics activist, both in her state of Quintana Roo and at the national level. Plastic bags in supermarkets have now been banned across Mexico, thanks to the efforts of many anti-plastics advocates, including Tamara.

This session includes grounded insight, personal story, and tangible steps for those seeking to become more active stewards of Ocean health—whether in local watersheds or at the global level.

Resources PDF with links shared by Tamara and Rachel

Special opportunity: Watch the documentary film, Mermaids Against Plastic, featuring Tamara Adame! This 10-minute film is available by special permission from the filmmaker, Sylvia Johnson, and is not available to stream elsewhere on the internet. This is a limited time opportunity - only for the duration of the Ocean Conversation Series - now through November 18.

Rachel Bustamante (she/her) is a Campaign Coordinator at Plastic Pollution Coalition. She has a background in environmental policy analysis, with three years of experience leading and supporting campaigns to protect marine biodiversity and ocean health. While living by the ocean in North Carolina and researching international ocean governance, she discovered her passion for ending plastic pollution. Her work, grounded in advocating for solutions that advance justice and care for people and our blue planet, led her to participate in the global plastic treaty negotiations and meet with members of the U.S. Congress.

Rachel holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Maryland and has published research in PLOS Biology and Sustainability. She is excited to dive into advocacy campaigns and communication efforts at the U.S. federal and state levels, including her home state of Maryland. In her free time, Rachel enjoys soaking up sunshine, biking, running, walking her senior beagle, collecting plastic pollution on beach walks, or enjoying a good read outdoors.

Tamara Adame is a Mexican cave diving instructor, explorer, and scientific diver whose life has been shaped by her deep connection to Nature and the sea. Growing up in the fishing village of Puerto Morelos, she developed an early intimacy with aquatic environments that continues to guide her work today.

With a BSc in Communication, Tamara has dedicated recent years to the exploration of flooded caves, while also joining scientific diving expeditions to Alaska, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, and Belize. Her journey was featured in the film Mermaids Against Plastic, which follows her efforts to confront marine plastic pollution in the Mexican Caribbean. Through her teaching, exploration, and advocacy, Tamara works to inspire the diving industry and local communities to reduce single-use plastics and protect the marine environments she loves. To learn more about Tamara and her work visit her website.

Explore More Ocean Offerings

This webinar is part of a larger collective offering from the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries. Visit the main Ocean page to explore the full Ocean Conversation Series, join the Ocean Gratitude Ceremony, and enjoy spoken stories, poetry, recipes, and other ways to connect with the living Ocean.
→ Return to the main Ocean page

Conversation Series Schedule

Amazon to Ocean: The Currents That Connect Us, September 16th
Featuring Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza, Peruvian chemical biologist, Author, and NatGeo Explorer
➡️Replay

The Plastic Crisis & Our Interconnected Ocean, September 23rd
Featuring Rachel Bustamante, Ocean Advocate and Environmental Campaign Coordinator
Tamara Adame, Scientific Diver and Anti-Plastics Activist
➡️Replay

Whale Kinship: Stories of Love and Evolution, October 14th
Featuring Pat McCabe, (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining)—Diné mother, Grandmother, Activist, and Ceremonial Leader
➡️Register Here

Herring Protectors, October 23rd
Featuring Kh'asheechtlaa Louise Brady, Tlingit Nation, Kiks.ádi (Raven Moiety – Frog Clan), from Sheet’ká Kwaan (Sitka, Alaska), and leader of the Indigenous-led group Herring Protectors
➡️Register Here

Ocean Voices: A Journey into Intuitive Interspecies Communication, November 11th
Special 2-hour interactive webinar workshop on Intuitive Interspecies Communication and how this is being implemented to support Ocean health and research. Featuring Dr. Lynne Shannon, Wynter Worsthorne, Eleni Gkikakis, & Christine Noble Seller
➡️Register Here

When the Ocean Has Rights: Sea Turtles and People, November 18th
Featuring Callie Veelenturf — Marine biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and Founder of The Leatherback Project.
And Michelle Bender — Ocean Rights expert and international environmental lawyer.
➡️Register Here

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

FOR THE AUDIO-ONLY RECORDING, FOLLOW OUR PODCAST
ON SPOTIFY, APPLE ITUNES, AND OTHER PLATFORMS

The Amazon breathes life into the Ocean. Through airborne rivers, nutrient cycles, and unseen pathways of energy and water, these two great bodies—Forest and Ocean—are intimately intertwined.

In this opening session of our Ocean Conversation Series, we are joined by Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza—Peruvian chemical biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and award-winning artist. Raised between Lima and the edge of the Amazon jungle, Rosa’s work bridges Indigenous knowledge and modern science in service of biodiversity, conservation, and cultural resilience.

This intimate, conversational session explores the nutrient flows between forest and sea, the role of traditional ecological knowledge in scientific understanding, and the art of storytelling as a pathway for ecological healing and reconnection.

We also glimpse Rosa’s personal journey—her grandmother’s backyard “natural pharmacy,” her pioneering research on the Boiling River and medicinal stingless bees, and the global ecosystems that have shaped her vision. Her newly published book, The Spirit of the Rainforest, weaves these threads into an immersive journey through the Amazon—science, spirit, and story entwined.

This is a conversation about relationship and reciprocity. A chance to listen to the waters—of land, sea, and self.

About Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza
Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza is a Peruvian chemical biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and award-winning artist whose work bridges Indigenous knowledge and modern science to protect biodiversity and uplift rainforest communities. Founder of Amazon Research Internacional, Rosa has led groundbreaking studies on extreme ecosystems, including the Boiling River and medicinal stingless bees, while advocating for policies that honor the intrinsic value of Nature.

With Andean-Amazonian roots and global research spanning from the Amazon to Yellowstone and Alaska, Rosa integrates science, storytelling, and ancestral wisdom to foster deeper connection with the living world. Her recently published book, The Spirit of the Rainforest, offers an immersive journey into Amazonian ecology, culture, and healing.

Explore More Ocean Offerings

This webinar is part of a larger collective offering from the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries. Visit the main Ocean page to explore the full Ocean Conversation Series, join the Ocean Gratitude Ceremony, and enjoy spoken stories, poetry, recipes, and other ways to connect with the living Ocean.
→ Return to the main Ocean page

Conversation Series Schedule

Amazon to Ocean: The Currents That Connect Us, September 16th
Featuring Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza, Peruvian chemical biologist, Author, and NatGeo Explorer
➡️Replay

The Plastic Crisis & Our Interconnected Ocean, September 23rd
Featuring Rachel Bustamante, Ocean Advocate and Environmental Campaign Coordinator
Tamara Adame, Scientific Diver and Anti-Plastics Activist
➡️Replay

Whale Kinship: Stories of Love and Evolution, October 14th
Featuring Pat McCabe, (Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining)—Diné mother, Grandmother, Activist, and Ceremonial Leader
➡️Register Here

Herring Protectors, October 23rd
Featuring Kh'asheechtlaa Louise Brady, Tlingit Nation, Kiks.ádi (Raven Moiety – Frog Clan), from Sheet’ká Kwaan (Sitka, Alaska), and leader of the Indigenous-led group Herring Protectors
➡️Register Here

Ocean Voices: A Journey into Intuitive Interspecies Communication, November 11th
Special 2-hour interactive webinar workshop on Intuitive Interspecies Communication and how this is being implemented to support Ocean health and research. Featuring Dr. Lynne Shannon, Wynter Worsthorne, Eleni Gkikakis, & Christine Noble Seller
➡️Register Here

When the Ocean Has Rights: Sea Turtles and People, November 18th
Featuring Callie Veelenturf — Marine biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and Founder of The Leatherback Project.
And Michelle Bender — Ocean Rights expert and international environmental lawyer.
➡️Register Here

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

Join Suzi Steer, founder of The Tree Conference and co-author of Rooted in Ethics, for an insightful conversation on citizen-led reforestation, protecting old-growth forests, and transforming our relationship with trees. Suzi will explore the intersection of science, policy, and deep listening with Nature, highlighting innovative projects, grassroots movements, and cultural shifts that are reshaping how we care for Earth’s ecosystems. This session will inspire new ways of thinking about trees—not just as resources, but as intelligent, interconnected beings essential to planetary wellbeing.

Suzi Steer’s mission is to support trees to survive and thrive on Earth in these times. She is the founder of the Tree Conference, an event that brings together scientists, tree-related NGOs, foresters, grassroots communities, creatives, legal experts, tree-speakers and the general tree-loving public. 

Suzi’s specialism is in the relationship between human construct systems (e.g. financial, legal, technological and governmental) and Nature’s planetary intelligence system. From her profession as a maths teacher, Suzi’s journey into exploring systemic change with individuals, communities and organisations has been through deep listening with trees and plants as experts in Earth’s multidimensional living systems.

For six years Suzi worked through the UK charity TreeSisters to articulate the Ethics and Nature Relationships that support land, forest and biocultural restoration that honours all beings of Nature as conscious, intelligent and having agency. 

This involved listening with representatives of Original Peoples and Nations and reforestation practitioners alongside specialists in law and international agreements. The resulting Rooted in Ethics: The Community Tree Stewardship Framework and Practices Guides are co-published by TreeSisters and The Fountain, a US 501c3.

Learn more about Suzi and her work at thetreeconference.com

Conversation Series Schedule

Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Replay

Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18th
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Replay

Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Replay

Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azzuz, Yurok and Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Replay

Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests, April 29th
Featuring Tashena Francis - Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen, Freddie Lane - Lummi Nation Elder, and Elizabeth Dunne - Earth Law Center
➡️Replay

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Replay

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

FOR THE AUDIO-ONLY RECORDING, FOLLOW OUR PODCAST
ON SPOTIFY, APPLE ITUNES, AND OTHER PLATFORMS

Join us for a rare and profound conversation with visionary botanist, biochemist, and bestselling author Diana Beresford-Kroeger, whose work reveals Forests as living, breathing networks essential to our survival.

In this intimate webinar, Diana shares insights from Our Green Heart, the culmination of her life’s research on the deep connection between trees, human health, and planetary survival. As likely the last child in Ireland to receive a full Druidic education, she bridges ancient ecological wisdom with cutting-edge science to show how trees serve as the Earth’s lungs, medicine, and protectors against climate breakdown.

Discover the hidden intelligence of trees, the critical role forests play in stabilizing our climate, and how Diana’s groundbreaking bioplan offers a roadmap for restoring our forests—and our future. She calls on each of us to take action by planting and protecting trees and seeing the natural world through a lens of reciprocity and kinship.

This is more than a conversation—it’s a call to action. Leave inspired and empowered with concrete steps to help safeguard the forests that sustain life on Earth.

Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a world recognized author, medical biochemist, botanist and climate change visionary. She possesses a unique understanding of modern western science and ancient Celtic knowledge.  Orphaned in Ireland in her youth, Beresford-Kroeger was educated by her Irish elders who instructed her in the Brehon knowledge of plants and nature.

Told at a young age that one day she would need to bring this ancient Celtic knowledge to a troubled future, Beresford-Kroeger has done exactly that.

Diana has been working to preserve the environment since the early 1960s when she identified climate change as one of the most important challenges we would face in the modern age. This set her on a course of rigorous scientific study where she achieved a masters in botany and two PHD’s – one in biochemistry and the other in biology.  In 1967 she discovered genetic smearing, which changed the way scientists studied microcosms under a microscope.  Diana also discovered cathodoluminescense in biological systems, which is now used to detect cancer.  But because of her Celtic roots her heart was always with the forest.

Diana’s understanding of the ancient knowledge of trees has led her to unique scientific discoveries.  In the 1970s Diana started her own arboretum and collected trees from all over the world. She discovered the importance of mother trees at the heart of the forest and she scientifically proved that trees are a living library of medicine that have a chemical language and communicate in a quantum world.  She created an ambitious bioplan encouraging and educating ordinary people how to replant the global forest. This plan was adopted by the city of Ottawa.

Diana’s documentary, “Call of the Forest” was released in 2016 and alongside it was a tree-planting app “which keyed species to plant to the regions where people lived.”  Early on in filming, Diana was introduced to activist Sophia Rabliauskas, leader of the Poplar River First Nations. Sophia had secured protected status for two million acres of virgin boreal forest on the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg, and was currently fighting to have the entirety of Pimachiowin Aki, a massive area of virgin boreal forest, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The women teamed up and when their first application was rejected, Diana journeyed into the forest to prove the importance of its biodiversity by identifying plants that exist nowhere else.  In August 2018, Pimachiowin Aki was named a UNESCO World Heritage and Cultural Site – the first to be recognized as having both cultural and environmental significance.

Diana’s legacy project is to clone and map the entire global forest. This process is similar to medicinal stem cell cloning where the DNA is preserved unchanged remaining in its native form.  A living bank of tree seeds must be put together to either mend or amend what remains of our global forests. Creating a living library of the global forests will preserve the forests for generations to come.

You can learn more about Diana and her work here https://dianaberesford-kroeger.com/

Forest Conversation Series Schedule

Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Replay

Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18th
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Replay

Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Replay

Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azzuz, Yurok and Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Replay

Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests, April 29th
Featuring Tashena Francis - Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen, Freddie Lane - Lummi Nation Elder, and Elizabeth Dunne - Earth Law Center
➡️Replay

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Replay

Trees, Ethics, and Planetary Wellbeing, May 20th
Featuring Suzi Steer, Ecological Ethicist, Earth Systems Connector and Citizen-Led Reforestation Champion
➡️Webinar

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

FOR THE AUDIO-ONLY RECORDING, FOLLOW US
ON SPOTIFY, APPLE ITUNES, AND OTHER PLATFORMS

The Elwha River Watershed is a living, breathing web of interconnection—home to salmon, orcas, towering trees, and the stories of the Lower Elwha Klallam people. For generations, these lands and waters have sustained life, and in return, they have been cared for as kin. But today, 850 acres of mature, structurally complex forests in the watershed are at risk of being auctioned for logging, despite decades of restoration efforts.

In this conversation, we explore the urgent movement to protect the Elwha’s legacy forests, guided by those who stand on the leading edge of this movement for protection and stewardship. Tashena Francis (Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen) and Freddie Lane (Lummi Nation Elder) have been organizing their communities to defend the watershed, upholding their sacred responsibility to protect the land. They are collaborating with Elizabeth Dunne (Elwha Watershed Resident), co-founder of the grassroots Elwha Legacy Forests Coalition (of which Tashena and Freddie are also a part). Elizabeth, who leads Earth Law Center's Cascadia Bioregion Program, is working to establish legal protections rooted in the Rights of Nature and principles of respect and reciprocity.

Together, we discuss:
🌿 Forests as relatives, elders, and teachers
🔥 Community organizing as an act of resistance and protection
⚖️ The Rights of Nature and how law can align with Indigenous knowledge
🌳 Working together as Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies for the places we love
🛡️ What we can do, collectively, to ensure these forests remain standing

This is a call to listen, witness, and act. The Elwha’s forests are not lost yet—but they need all of us.

To learn more and sign the Protect the Elwha petition,
visit the Earth Law Center.

During the webinar, the presenters shared many amazing opportunities to get involved and connect. This PDF contains links to these opportunities.

Tashena Francis is a Lower Elwha Klallam tribal citizen and member of the Elwha Legacy Forest Coalition. She was born and raised on the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation and advocates for preserving the Elwha watershed. Francis believes that saving our forest for future generations is pivotal to addressing our global climate crisis.

Freddie Lane is a citizen of the Lummi Nation and a long-time community leader, artist, and advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental protection. He has served on the Lummi Nation Council and continues to speak on behalf of the Lummi General Council, working to protect, preserve, and promote Schelangen—the Lummi way of life. Through his communications work and his business, Sul ka dub Strategies, Freddie supports treaty protection efforts and environmental justice campaigns across Indian Country.

A skilled organizer and storyteller, Freddie has played key roles in major cultural and advocacy events, including the Paddle to Lummi Canoe Journey, the Red Road to DC Totem Pole Journey, and decades of Native Vote campaigns. His deep roots in community and creative media continue to uplift Indigenous voices and protect the sacred—work that aligns powerfully with efforts to defend the Elwha River Watershed.

Elizabeth Dunne, Esq. is a Movement Lawyer, voice for Nature, and founder of the Earth Law Center's Cascadia Bioregion Program. She has 20 years experience innovating in the legal sphere. She advanced many of the groundbreaking Rights of Nature laws in the US, served as counsel and advisor on the first court cases filed on behalf of ecosystems, and co-authored the US Chapter of the first Earth Law textbook. Much of her current work aims to uproot colonial paradigms that commodify our last remaining old-growth and mature forests. Her forest advocacy is featured in the award-winning short film Last Stand: Saving the Elwha River’s Legacy Forests for which she also served as Creative Producer.

Conversation Series Schedule

Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Replay

Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18th
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Replay

Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Replay

Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azzuz, Yurok and Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Replay

Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests, April 29th
Featuring Tashena Francis - Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen, Freddie Lane - Lummi Nation Elder, and Elizabeth Dunne - Earth Law Center
➡️Replay

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Replay

Trees, Ethics, and Planetary Wellbeing, May 20th
Featuring Suzi Steer, Ecological Ethicist, Earth Systems Connector and Citizen-Led Reforestation Champion
➡️Webinar

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

Follow us on Spotify, Apple iTunes, and other platforms to easily download and listen to the Nature Evolutionaries podcast channel.

Join us for a transformative Earth Day webinar with renowned plant spirit healer and author Pam Montgomery. Pam guides us into a deeper relationship with the living world, inviting us to experience Nature as an ally and teacher rather than a resource to manage.

Pam offers a perspective that is both practical and profoundly heart-centered, illuminating the subtle yet powerful connections between human beings and the natural world. Her newly released book, Co-Creating with Nature, delves into this relationship and offers pathways for healing.

In this webinar, Pam shares stories of her own journey into plant communication, explores the intelligence present in Nature, and inspires us to rekindle our relationship with the Earth. Come with an open heart and leave with a renewed sense of wonder and connection to the world around you.

Support This Offering
This free Earth Day webinar is a gift from the heart of our community—and we invite you to give back in support. Your donation helps the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries continue offering Earth-honoring programs like this one, uplifting Nature’s voice and deepening our collective relationship with the living world.

🌿 Make a Donation to ONE »

Thank you for helping this work grow.

Pam Montgomery has been investigating plants and their intelligent spiritual nature for more than three decades. As an author, teacher, and practitioner, she has passionately embraced her partnership with the plants who are guiding us in our spiritual evolution.

She is the author of Partner Earth: A Spiritual Ecology and the best-selling Plant Spirit Healing: A Guide to Working with Plant Consciousness and most recently Co-Creating with Nature: Healing the Wound of Separation. She teaches internationally on plant spirit healing, spiritual ecology, and people as Nature Evolutionaries.

Pam is the founder of ONE. She has dedicated herself to co-creative partnership with all of life and feels the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries is a way to make this partnership manifest.

You can connect with Pam here: www.wakeuptonature.com 

For the Audio-Only recording, FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY, APPLE ITUNES, AND OTHER PLATFORMS ~ Where you can EASILY DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THE
NATURE EVOLUTIONARIES PODCAST CHANNEL

For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have used fire as a tool to cultivate and sustain the land. Yet, colonization and fire suppression policies criminalized these ancient practices, leading to devastating consequences for ecosystems and communities. Today, cultural fire practitioners are reclaiming the knowledge of their ancestors, bringing back "good fire" to heal the land, reduce catastrophic wildfires, and restore balance.

Join us for an illuminating conversation with Elizabeth Azzuz, a dedicated cultural fire practitioner working to restore Indigenous fire stewardship. As a member of the Cultural Fire Management Council on the Yurok Reservation and Ancestral lands, Elizabeth helps train new generations of fire lighters, ensuring that traditional ecological knowledge continues to shape a more resilient and thriving landscape.

In this webinar, we explore:

• The spiritual and ecological importance of cultural burning.

• How fire supports food, medicine, and basket-making materials.

• The challenges Indigenous fire practitioners face in reclaiming their ancestral stewardship.

• The growing recognition of prescribed fire as a solution to today’s wildfire crisis.

Elizabeth’s work is not just about fire—it is about sovereignty, cultural survival, and the renewal of life itself. Come listen, learn, and support the movement to restore Indigenous fire practices to the land.

Elizabeth Azzuz is a cultural fire practitioner who has been burning since the age of four. Her Karuk grandfather taught her about her obligations to Mother Earth after catching her playing with fire. She is a mother and grandmother, and she gathers foods, medicines, teas, and basket materials in post-burn areas. As part of the Cultural Fire Management Council, she works to train fire lighters to restore ecosystems with the greatest tool left by the Creator—fire.

You can learn more about Elizabeth and Cultural Fire Fire Management Council at https://www.culturalfire.org/

Conversation Series Schedule

Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Replay

Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18th
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Replay

Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Replay

Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azzuz, Yurok and Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Replay

Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests, April 29th
Featuring Tashena Francis - Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen, Freddie Lane - Lummi Nation Elder, and Elizabeth Dunne - Earth Law Center
➡️Replay

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Replay

Trees, Ethics, and Planetary Wellbeing, May 20th
Featuring Suzi Steer, Ecological Ethicist, Earth Systems Connector and Citizen-Led Reforestation Champion
➡️Webinar

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY, APPLE ITUNES, AND OTHER PLATFORMS TO
EASILY DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THE NATURE EVOLUTIONARIES PODCAST CHANNEL

Forests hold stories—ancient memories woven into their roots, whispered through their leaves, and carried on the wind. In this special gathering, Katherine Parker invites us into a deeper relationship with the Forest as both a place and a presence.

We begin by exploring the connection between Forests and ancestral memory, touching on how these living landscapes hold the echoes of those who came before. Katherine then shares a Forest story, offering a glimpse into the mythic consciousness that has long honored the wisdom of trees.

From there, we turn to practice—ways to attune to the intelligence and consciousness of the Forest, to listen rather than simply observe, and to experience the Forest not as separate from us, but as a part of who we are.

This session is an invitation to slow down, to listen, and to remember. Join us as we step into the stillness and presence of the Forest together.

Katherine Parker, PhD is a Wilderness Rites of Passage Guide and recovering psychologist. She wanders the liminal space between mythology, psychology, and animism, looking for ancestral connections. Kat is an oral storyteller in the tradition of the British Isles and created the podcast Celtic Medicine Stories. She writes “Adventures in the Otherworld, the Science and Mythology of the non-ordinary” on Substack.

You can learn more about her work at https://ancestralconnection.earth

Conversation Series Schedule

Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Replay

Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18th
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Replay

Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Replay

Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azzuz, Yurok and Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Replay

Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests, April 29th
Featuring Tashena Francis - Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen, Freddie Lane - Lummi Nation Elder, and Elizabeth Dunne - Earth Law Center
➡️Replay

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Replay

Trees, Ethics, and Planetary Wellbeing, May 20th
Featuring Suzi Steer, Ecological Ethicist, Earth Systems Connector and Citizen-Led Reforestation Champion
➡️Webinar

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY, APPLE ITUNES, AND OTHER PLATFORMS TO
EASILY DOWNLOAD AND LISTEN TO THE NATURE EVOLUTIONARIES PODCAST CHANNEL

Join us for Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships with Luke Cannon, a journey into the interconnected world of the forest ecosystem. Grounded in Appalachian Forest ecology, this exploration touches on Forest principles that play out in countless ways across the planet.

From the hidden networks beneath the forest floor to the towering crowns of ancient trees, we explore the relationships that sustain these living communities. Luke helps us traverse the intricate web of interactions between fungi, plants, animals, and the elements, touching on deep time and illustrating how these relationships form the foundation of a thriving forest. Within this conversation, participants are invited to consider their own connection to the greater community of life, including the Forests where they live—as humans, what is our Forest niche?

Luke Cannon, a seasoned botanist and naturalist, brings decades of ecological study and experience to this conversation. His insights draw from Appalachian ecology, ethnobotany, and a lifetime of immersive study with the living landscape.

This webinar offers a unique perspective on Forests as collaborative, relational communities rather than just collections of individual species. Centering our own role within ecosystems, it provides a broad yet nuanced understanding of the Forest's intricate dynamics and leaves participants with a renewed appreciation for the profound interconnectedness that makes a Forest a Forest.

Click here for Luke’s Printable Forest Resource List

Luke Cannon is a botanist, naturalist, and lifelong student of the living Earth. His passion for understanding the ecological intricacies of forests has taken him across the Americas and beyond, learning and teaching about the Earth's astounding diversity. With a background in Appalachian ecology, ethnobotany, permaculture, and experiential education, Luke draws from diverse fields to share practical, insightful knowledge about the natural world.

As the founder of Astounding Earth, Luke has dedicated decades to teaching and mentoring people of all ages, helping them deepen their relationship with Nature. He has led programs for numerous institutions, including the North Carolina Arboretum and Organic Growers School, offering accessible, experience-based learning that inspires a lasting connection to the forest community.

You can learn more about Luke and his work at https://www.astoundingearth.com/.

Conversation Series Schedule

Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Replay

Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18th
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Replay

Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Replay

Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azzuz, Yurok and Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Replay

Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests, April 29th
Featuring Tashena Francis - Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen, Freddie Lane - Lummi Nation Elder, and Elizabeth Dunne - Earth Law Center
➡️Replay

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Replay

Trees, Ethics, and Planetary Wellbeing, May 20th
Featuring Suzi Steer, Ecological Ethicist, Earth Systems Connector and Citizen-Led Reforestation Champion
➡️Webinar

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors:

Follow us on Spotify, Apple iTunes, and other platforms to
easily download and listen to the Nature Evolutionaries podcast channel.

Step into the Heart of the Forest: Discover the Spirit and Medicine of the Northeast Woodlands

Join Kate Gilday on a journey through the Northeast woodlands, where Nature encourages us to slow down, observe, and form a deeper connection with the world around us. Kate shares her wisdom and stories, inspiring you to use your senses to experience the unique essence of the forest.

Discover the medicinal and energetic gifts of trees like White Pine, Scots Pine, Golden Birch, and Hemlock, as well as the remarkable qualities of at-risk plants such as Goldenseal, Black Cohosh, and Bloodroot. Learn practical methods for sustainably growing and protecting these precious forest medicines.

Whether you’re an herbalist, Nature enthusiast, or someone seeking to strengthen your bond with the wild, this webinar will illuminate the beauty and healing power of the natural world.

Click here for Kate’s Printable Forest Resource List

Kate Gilday is a clinical herbalist, flower essence practitioner and creator, Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant and herbal teacher working and living in the foothills of the Adirondack Park. She is the founder of Woodland Essence, a forest ( and more) botanicals and flower essence company that she began 30 years ago with her husband Don Babineau that over time has developed a focus on Lyme, tick-borne infections and support for those challenged by chronic conditions.  

Healing with Flowers is her delight and passion, along with tending her relationship with the woodlands she loves so well. Songwriter of love songs to the plants, earth and life, she is trying her best to write and share more via her personal website www.journeybacktotheforest.com  with an eye to more.

Conversation Series Schedule

Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Replay

Forest as Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18th
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Replay

Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Replay

Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azzuz, Yurok and Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Replay

Defending the Elwha’s Legacy Forests, April 29th
Featuring Tashena Francis - Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Citizen, Freddie Lane - Lummi Nation Elder, and Elizabeth Dunne - Earth Law Center
➡️Replay

Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Replay

Trees, Ethics, and Planetary Wellbeing, May 20th
Featuring Suzi Steer, Ecological Ethicist, Earth Systems Connector and Citizen-Led Reforestation Champion
➡️Webinar

Thank you to our Forest Conversation Series Sponsors: