Awakening Lands

17/08/2024

Laura Chenault and Anna June hosted a workshop with Grassroots Gardens' Tyler Street community garden! Check out our Substack to learn more about Place Attunement and the inspiring work volunteers bring to the University Heights neighborhood in Buffalo, NY.

https://open.substack.com/pub/awakeninglands/p/place-attunement-practice-at-tyler?r=3cr1x3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

With Laura, Anna, and Jennifer

14/07/2024

We're forming a network of facilitators who guide community members through revelatory experiences. Lamia led place attunement practices with USAID Project staff, holding space for creativity and connection. She shares the experience in our Substack: https://awakeninglands.substack.com/p/a-place-attunement-practice-in-bangladesh?r=3cr1x3

With Lamia Shama

20/05/2024

Anna and Benji share their updated plans for a workshop, and the importance of listening to whenever you want to build something sustainable with communities. Thank you, Western New York Environmental Alliance, for your insights! We are really excited to continue working with ProSocial World to form a process that develops systemic insights and land connection, and that is transferrable to other regions.

And keep watching the video at the end to listen to an original song by John Whitney!

We're sharing some updates to our workshop proposal, giving space for community groups in this exploration of the voice of Erie Niagara.

13/05/2024

Awakening Lands is looking to give the land, water, air, and more than human lives a voice. In our most recent article, we share how we plan to do that with the workshops we will be hosting with the help of the Western New York Environmental Alliance

https://open.substack.com/pub/awakeninglands/p/building-in-public-curators-workshop?r=3cr1x3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Let's do this

30/04/2024

Our most recent article is a look into our mapping process in our storytelling workshops. This is an ode to the land, water, and living beings of Erie Niagara

Erie Niagara, how do we learn to see you better?

26/04/2024

This is a big win for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, the multiple Wildlife Management Areas around them, Orleans County, all the community members opposing STAMP development, and really all life in Erie Niagara and those living downstream from the development. US Fish and Wildlife Service has pulled the permit for drilling their pipeline for dumping waste water into Oak Orchard Creek.

25/04/2024

ProSocial World is launching a new group in the ProSocial Commons on May 2 - Prosocial in Practice! Commons members can share their experience with using the Prosocial process with organizations or communities. And Awakening Lands will be the first presenters! Join the ProSocial Commons to take part in this group and more at prosocial.world/community

20/04/2024

Our virtual storytelling workshops are getting deep! This past week we went through the process with our friend Lamia Shama and started to form potential storylines that would explore how communities are (re)generated

Lessons from our friend Lamia Shama and Gabtoli, Dhaka, Bangladesh

17/04/2024

If we want a world that values all life, we need to prioritize protecting biodiverse land and honoring the sovereignty of indigenous peoples. In our most recent video, Margaret Wooster and Catherine Landis share why we need to , the mega-industrial development that is sited immediately next to the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and multiple Wildlife Management Areas. Visit Allies of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation to learn more and take action!

Western New York Environmental Alliance SUNY ESF Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

Critical habitat and Tonawanda Seneca territory is being threatened by mega-industrial development STAMP in Erie Niagara.

13/04/2024

Awakening Lands is building it in public - our most recent substack article outlines the storytelling workshops we have been hosting online and how we plan to bring them to the ground in Erie Niagara. We're learning how to share the story of , how to root our videos and pictures and narration in place and and share the dream of an .

Read all of our articles and access our podcast episodes through our Substack at

Built on the foundation of three “rituals” First off, I want to share the barest structure of these workshops. In order to step into the right tone and to make sure we’re always growing and evolving, each session includes three rituals: We start with sharing gratitudes or a vision/dream/sense ...

11/04/2024

What is storytelling? James Abbondanza created beautiful photography celebrating the Faces of Change in Niagara Falls, highlighting the community members building up their community. Storytelling and art focusing on the work of leaders and weavers gives us a frame of reference around what is possible, lifts up those who do and sacrifice so much without recognition, and sets as the social norm. Now that's regenerative!

https://youtu.be/gEfmCuoAUVU

Find out more about the artist and this exhibit at https://eveneye.com/grant-projectFollow Awakening Lands on awakeninglands.substack.com or awakeninglands.t...

08/04/2024

The droughts in the Southwest of the U.S. are having a huge impact on agriculture all over Turtlle Island. Check out this video about the history of indigenous cultivation of the Sonoran Desert and how traditional ecological knowledge is being used today to transform rivers. This is ! Regenerating Sonora

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM9j12VfqcQ

Southern Arizona is known for its desert climate, with very hot summers and mild winters. This climate has meant the region has been a hub for agricultural g...

01/04/2024

Have you ever wanted to see what's on the inside of the Massachusetts Avenue Project's urban farmhouse? It's pretty amazing! Check it out: https://youtu.be/UBRLYFxD1P4 (We recommend you go there yourself after!)

Find out more about MAP at https://www.mass-ave.org/Follow Awakening Lands on awakeninglands.substack.com or awakeninglands.transistor.fm ...

01/04/2024

We dropped another Build It In Public episode and article. In this episode, Benji shares all that we've been up to as we build storytelling ecosystems. We also are able to share reels about Massachusetts Avenue Project in Erie Niagara and Elizabeth Yaari in the West Elks, part of the Colorado River Basin: https://awakeninglands.substack.com/p/building-it-in-public-our-regenerative

If you like our content, don't forget to like and donate!

This article’s companion Awakening Lands podcast episode (5 mins): Ok, so we now have a few regenerative storytelling workshops under our belt…Awakening’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

25/03/2024

We talk a lot about at Awakening Lands, and this article explains the significance of such radical change in how we steward our land

A paradigm is a framework containing the basic assumptions, ways of thinking, and methodology that are commonly accepted by members of any…

13/03/2024

Awakening Lands is starting to build it in public - check out our substack article to learn more about how we are bringing in collaboration and co-creation to our process!

Western New York Environmental Alliance Birds on the Niagara Western New York Land Conservancy Regenerating Sonora Grassroots Gardens ProSocial World

...also a bit of weaving between Erie Niagara and the Copper Corridor, Sonoran Desert, Arizona

08/03/2024

ProSocial World is embarking on some groundbreaking research to shift to a new paradigm https://youtu.be/0QVAbyCGWEQ?si=kC5F1IfDEwvwVE_g

Evolutionary biologist, Dr. David Sloan Wilson, has assembled a team of researchers focused on understanding the social contexts in which cooperative behavio...

02/03/2024

This is how Regenerating Sonora provides unique and meaningful programming to its community - they see community work as an adornment of place.

https://youtu.be/BnKJGpe67pc

Regenesis Group

Follow Awakening Lands on awakeninglands.substack.com or awakeninglands.transistor.fm

29/02/2024

Margaret Wooster explains why we need to stop the development of the massively disruptive Science, Technology, & Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP). This will do harm to the wildlife refuge and the Tonawanda Seneca Nation it will be directly adjacent to.

What if, instead, the US gave this to the Tonawanda Seneca, the rightful stewards of this land in the first place?

Visit the Allies of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation to learn more about the Tonawanda Seneca Nation and the STAMP project.

https://youtu.be/j54Xd2zjUwM

Follow Awakening Lands on our website: awakeninglands.transistor.fm/

29/02/2024

Miracle and Regenerating Sonora know how to do place-based storytelling! Talk about creative programming...like the Ghost Hunters?

We appreciate all the support for Regen News! It is such an honor to collect and create videos about our efforts in the community, we are so thankful for all...

28/02/2024

We need to care for the Earth because we ARE the Earth

https://youtu.be/ZuVbtw0zHdM?si=Yj0DPUoz612tmQyP

Follow Awakening Lands on awakeninglands.substack.com or awakeninglands.transistor.fm

27/02/2024

We are interviewing Regenerative Leaders and Weavers in Erie Niagara region, uncovering the stories of the cultural and ecological history of this place, some of the most inspiring and impactful projects and collaborations occuring now, and what it might look like if we shift to a culture that values our connection to our land andall life. Follow along in this story - we are only just beginning!

Learning how to see the local regenerative movement and a vision of what wants to be

24/02/2024

Sylvin Ashbrook is a true a weaver in the Erie Niagara region. Whether it is attending events, serving on boards, finding unique ways to collaborate, or giving plenty of shout outs in podcasts like this one, Sylvin embodies the mentality needed to weave whole-systems approaches. And they are part of a larger team that promotes this co-creative, for the betterment of social wellbeing in the urban setting. In this episode, we discuss , Grassroots Gardens and other innovative collaborations which we are sure to visit again in future episodes!

This episode also includes shout outs to:
Buffalo Women of Environmental Learning and Leadership- BWELL Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Niagara River Greenway Commission
North American Association for Environmental Education - NAAEE Pollinator Conservation Association Western New York Environmental Alliance BRRAlliance - Black Rock Riverside Alliance Native Plants of WNY Collaborative

https://awakeninglands.transistor.fm/episodes/sylvin-ashbrook-cultivating-love-of-place-and-land-connection-in-erie-niagara-buffalo-new-york

Welcome to Awakening Lands, an unfolding collection of conversations and storytelling around bioregional regeneration. In Awakening Lands, we share the stories of Landscape Leaders to try and magnify the impacts of their devotion to regenerating the Earth, their community, their place. We also inten...

15/02/2024

Marcus Rosten shares why festivals like Birds on the Niagara are so special, and critical to developing a connection with your local place! Find out what makes the Niagra River watershed so special by checking out the Birds on the Niagara (http://www.birdniagara.org) festival this weekend, with events from Buffalo to Niagara Falls to southern Ontario!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiDMFBozebI&list=PLYyXvHPehV-Oypb-TjtFBxwN0424mt0Ti&index=3

Follow Awakening Lands podcast: awakeninglands.transistor.fm/

11/02/2024

Birds on the Niagara is a bioregional festival celebrating the migratory birds who come to the region from the arctic this time of year. The Niagara River Strait is an important stop along their trip as it always has open, moving water and food sources even during the icy winter months. This is also a breeding site for many of the birds!

Check out Jay Burney's and Marcus Rosten's episodes on our website to learn more about how the Erie Niagara bioregion plays a role in connecting wildlife from all over the eastern hemisphere: https://awakeninglands.transistor.fm/

​North America's Only International Bird Festival

11/02/2024

​North America's Only International Bird Festival

10/02/2024

This is a perfect example of a leader in action - someone knowledgable of community culture and history, and someone who goes out of their way to do whatever they can to support it!

https://superioraz.gov/index.php/government/planning-and-zoning/planning-and-zoning-agenda/2024-7

10/02/2024

In this episode, we spoke with Lynda Schneekloth - placemaker, activist, mentor, and convener of community exploration. She provides valuable insight into the history and culture of Buffalo, what makes this place so special, how the land has shaped the culture of this post-industrial city, and pathways for moving forward. The connection she feels to whole living systems is palpable, and speaks perfectly to the movement!

https://awakeninglands.transistor.fm/episodes/lynda-schneekloth-feeling-that-life-is-so-much-bigger-than-we-originally-imagined-it-to-be-from-erie-niagara-buffalo-new-york

Western New York Environmental Alliance Interfaith Climate Justice Community Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Sierra Club Niagara Group Native Plants of WNY Collaborative Our Outer Harbor

Welcome to Awakening Lands, an unfolding collection of conversations and storytelling around bioregional regeneration. In Awakening Lands, we share the stories of Landscape Leaders to try and magnify the impacts of their devotion to regenerating the Earth, their community, their place. We also inten...

31/01/2024

Awakening Lands interviewed Margaret Wooster, a key figure of the environmental movement in Buffalo for decades. She was a founding member of the Friends of the Buffalo River (now Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper), is an advocate for indigenous voices and sovereignty and member of Allies of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation , is a supporter of regenerating Our Outer Harbor, and has been part of some of the largest collaborations across the Great Lakes as an Executive Director of Great Lakes United, board member of Western New York Environmental Alliance, and member of Great Lakes Ecoregion Network.

In this episode, she shares her personal history as well as the ecological history of Buffalo and it's waterways, her part in regenerating our watersheds, her source of inspiration and motivation, and opportunities for listeners to get involved in keeping our lands accessible to all.

Listen here: https://awakeninglands.transistor.fm/episodes/margaret-wooster

Welcome to Awakening Lands, an unfolding collection of conversations and storytelling around bioregional regeneration. In Awakening Lands, we share the stories of Landscape Leaders to try and magnify the impacts of their devotion to regenerating the Earth, their community, their place. We also inten...