Shows
Shared GroundAction and Collaboration (a compilation)This episode is a compilation of segments of hopeful, local stories from some previous Shared Ground conversations, as well as an update about the newly formed Lichen Camp, which is protecting an area of old growth forest at Goldsmith Lake in Annapolis County within the Kespukwitk District of Mi’kma’ki. You’ll hear wisdom and inspiration from Katherine Barrett, Shawn Feener, Teresa Quilty, Nina Newington, Rob Bright as well as several forest protectors at the Last Hope Camp. Following are the full episodes from which these segments originated (in order of appearance)Inspirat...
2024-04-1354 minShared GroundIt's Better with Bees! A story of hope and collaborationBetter with Bees is a student-run club focused on urban environmental sustainability at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, within the Sipekne'katik district of Mi'kma'ki.In the words of Topsy Olatunji, a student member of Better with Bees: “Our project centers on involving the Mi'kmaw community in establishing a healing garden and a Wabanaki pollinator garden, topics I will delve into deeper in the episode. We aim to educate and cultivate environmental awareness on local bee populations and pollinators in our ecosystem.”And from teacher Christopher Hall: “In the spring of 2022, Charles P. Allen High S...
2024-03-0940 minShared GroundSouth Spore Mushrooms: Amanda’s FUNgal conversation with Josh ClarkIn this conversation with Josh of South Spore Mushrooms, we hear more about his mushroom-growing adventures, both indoors and outdoors, as well as a bit about mushroom hunting, and his favourite ways to cook mushrooms.Josh Clark began building the business of South Spore Mushrooms two years ago. He also works off-shore as a chef, and plays in the Celtic punk band, Black Matilda. He and his wife and their three kids (who sometimes help with South Spore Mushrooms!) live in Blockhouse, Nova Scotia.To hear more about South Spore Mushrooms, check out the previous...
2024-02-1037 minShared GroundSouth Spore Mushrooms: A rebroadcast of CVCR interview with Josh ClarkHear how South Spore Mushrooms (based on the South Shore) began, including the entertaining story of how Josh Clark found the equipment he got started with, and why he and his family wanted to get into this exciting adventure of growing mushrooms. Currently they are producing various species of mushroom indoors. Josh shares some of his challenges, considerations and experiments, as well as how he is incorporating the value of environmental sustainability, into his business. Josh Clark began building the business of South Spore Mushrooms two years ago. He also works off-shore as a chef, and plays i...
2024-01-2028 minShared GroundRestoring Relationship with the Lands (a compilation)This episode is a compilation of short segments of some previous Shared Ground conversations! It includes wisdom and inspiration from Shawn Feener, Nina Newington, Diane Obed, Rosmarie Lohnes, Rob Bright, Kim Thomson, Dr. Jenn MacLatchy, and Bob Bancroft Following are the full episodes from which these segments originated (in order of appearance)Meeting Mi'kmaw Knowledge Holder Shawn FeenerA 3-pronged approach to sustainability with Rosmarie LohnesForest Protection and Community Care with Nina NewingtonSave Our Old Forests: A Conversation with Rob BrightManaging for He...
2023-11-1842 minShared GroundThe Sky Pillar: A bridge to the nightA carbon-sequestering art and research installation, the Sky Pillar at the Deanery Project was designed with architecture students from Dalhousie University. As Executive Director Kim Thompson puts it, the Sky Pillar is "a bridge to the night", and was created as an anchor to the Deanery’s annual SeaLight SkyLight festival. Kim says, “We’re trying to get people outdoors, connecting with nature, at night, which isn’t something we always do in our century”.Listen to this conversation with Kim Thompson and Dr. Jenn MacLatchy as they talk about how the Sky Pillar came to be and how it b...
2023-10-1434 minShared GroundSOOFstock: A festival for the forestsSo many people have come together through the Save Our Old Forests campaign, started in Annapolis County, within Mi'kma'ki.The folks behind it have recently hosted a successful music festival to raise awareness and funds, and to provide connection, support and inspiration for all those who care about the trees and animals in our Wabanaki Acadian forests.In this special SOOFstock episode, meet some of the people involved (from musicians to volunteers), glimpse a rainy forest walk at the proposed Goldsmith Lake wilderness areas with Bob Bancroft and Donna Crossland, and get a small taste...
2023-09-101h 18Shared GroundInspiration from a Community Food ForestJoin us for a conversation about Ne’ata’q, The Food Forest at Bluenose Academy in Lunenburg/E'se'katik (in Nova Scotia, within Mi'kma'ki).Outisde this P-9 public school is an area where the grass has been replaced with a forest-to-be; with plants that will help one another, provide learning and delight for the children, and bring so many people from the local community together while sharing indigenous knowledge and working towards food security.This food forest builds on a belief of the importance of resilience and connections for a healthy community, and the involvement and enthu...
2023-08-1557 minShared GroundEcosystem-driven forestry on private land, with Pat WigginOn a mild summer's evening, Pat Wiggin met for Shared Ground to give us a window into the world of forestry on private lands in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki). Discussed in this episode are some of the programs that exist to support people and forest ecosystems, and the exciting emerging option of working forest easements (through the Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust). Also, hear thoughts on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification and related questions: If there was more transparency about where forest products came from, what would people choose to purchase? And in Pat's words, "What if...
2023-07-251h 04Shared GroundA Glimpse Into the Deanery ProjectNestled in a forested, sheltered cove of the Atlantic Ocean, is the Deanery Project, an environmental arts and education centre that hosts many intriguing buildings, workshops, projects, and art installations. It is located in Lower Ship Harbour, on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore of Mi'kma'ki. Visitors and students come here to experience creative natural building techniques, to learn about permaculture, to help out on the land, discover community, collaborate on an art installation, and/or to join a group for one of the wide-ranging programs. Here, one can find everything from a solar wood kiln to to retreat facilities to...
2023-07-0542 minShared GroundEngaging with Waste, Weeds and Wastelands with Jenn MacLatchyAt the Deanery Project this spring, I met with Dr. Jenn MacLatchy (she/they), who is an artist, a kayak instructor, and researcher of settler descent living in Mi’kma’ki. Her doctoral research was focused on using arts-based methods to engage with waste, weeds, and wastelands to form a settler method for decolonizing relationship with land and tending to liveable post-Anthropocene futures. In this episode, you’ll hear about this fascinating doctoral research and her art practice, which is process-based and focused on marine plastics, waste paper, and invasive plants, and different ways of weaving these materi...
2023-06-1349 minShared GroundManaging for Healthy Forests with Bob BancroftDuring this episode, we meet with wildlife biologist, writer, and media communicator, Bob Bancroft. He is a wealth of information about ecology, forest health, and what has been going wrong in forestry systems, as well as methods that help in the face of climate change, benefit nature and forestry, too. We learn what is possible when one “tickles the forest” with a view to management for wildlife and ecological forestry. He talks about considerations and realities of buffer zones around waterways, the mainland moose, and many current challenges, including a very clear picture of what happens to the animals of a...
2023-05-2357 minShared GroundA Two-Eyed Seeing Approach with Clifford PaulJoin Clifford Paul at East Bay Sand Bar in Unama'ki (also known as Cape Breton in Nova Scotia). Clifford refers to this beautiful place on the Bras D'or Lakes as the shorelines of his ancestors.Throughout this episode, Clifford illuminates ways in which Mi'kmaw traditional knowledge and Western scientific knowledge can be woven together through what is known as two-eyed-seeing, or Etuaptmumk. Elder Albert Marshall (who you will hear from briefly) and his late wife, Elder Murdena Marshall, developed this approach which is now being applied across many fields internationally. Clifford Paul treats us to...
2023-05-0254 minShared GroundBob Bancroft at the Save Our Old Forests launchDuring the Save Our Old Forests campaign launch, Bob Bancroft was one of the excellent speakers. This episode features a slightly shortened version of his passionate talk, along with a brief overview of this inspiring campaign, which launched in the spring of 2023 in Bridgetown in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki).Bob Bancroft is a wildlife biologist, writer, and media communicator. For 48 years he has nurtured former pasture land in eastern Nova Scotia back to ecological forest health. The 56 acres now have 52 tree species and many restored wildlife habitats. A former FSC assessor, Bob stepped down as president of th...
2023-04-1823 minShared GroundDonna Crossland at the Save Our Old Forests launchDuring the Save Our Old Forests campaign launch, forest ecologist Donna Crossland was one of the excellent speakers. This episode features a slightly shortened version of her heart-felt and informative talk, along with a brief overview of this inspiring campaign, which launched in the spring of 2023 in Bridgetown in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki).Donna Crossland's primary focus is on protecting healthy Wabanaki-Acadian forest. As a National Park Warden early in her Parks Canada career, protecting ecological integrity ofwoodlands and waters instilled an unrelenting desire to conserve what remains of our natural heritage. She retired from a career...
2023-04-1835 minShared GroundSave Our Old Forests: A Conversation with Rob BrightOn March 25th, a campaign launched in Bridgetown in Nova Scotia (within Mi'kma'ki) called Save Our Old Forests (SOOF). As is written in their excellent pamphlet: "Saving old forests in Annapolis County is something we can do locally that will have a global effect." and "We need to protect the best of what is left, for the health of nature, yes, but for our health, too, and for the health of our economy." Find out more about the SOOF through this episode, which includes some clips of the recordings from the speakers at this standing-room-only event, and features a...
2023-04-0451 minShared GroundMeeting Mi'kmaw Knowledge Holder Shawn FeenerDuring the waning of the Berry Ripening Moon, as it is called in the Mi’kmaw culture, I had the pleasure and honour of meeting Shawn Feener. In this episode, Shawn introduces the moons of this time of year and how they relate to understanding animals and plants throughout the seasons, and about some of the relationships in the forest. He also talks about the importance of school students learning about Mi’kmaw culture and, in fact, all cultures, and becoming comfortable with cultural diversity. Shawn shares about Netukulimk, a way of living, and about how there can b...
2022-09-131h 05Shared GroundA Conversation with Retired Forest Ranger Peter RomkeyCurious to hear from someone who worked for Lands and Forestry (DNRR) for 22 years?This conversation with Peter Romkey touches on the Christmas tree industry, the early days of glyphosate use in the Cape Breton Highlands, some natural history, and Peter’s idea for a specific incentive for private landowners. We hear about what he thinks should change in forestry and why the future could look much different.Nova Scotia and the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest Region has been home to Peter Romkey for his entire life. During his year at Maritime Forest Ranger School he became ent...
2022-08-301h 02Shared GroundThe Public's Power, and Canoeing for Conservation- with Mike LancasterJoin us for the story of a canoe “marathon”, completed in less than a day, in which four Nova Scotians traveled from one side of the province to the other, and why they did it. During this episode, consider the many reasons why folks including Mike Lancaster are dedicated to an Ingram River Wilderness Area, and how wilderness areas support a wide range of recreational uses.Hear why land-level planning is crucial to protecting areas of such fragility and importance, about the many opportunities for various economic activities that are aligned with ecological values, some cool...
2022-08-161h 11Shared GroundDecolonization and Healing with Diane ObedMost of us are wanting to better support Indigenous people on the lands we now also call home. We want to learn and understand more about the connections between current ecological catastrophes and colonization, and about coming into right relationship with the land and the first peoples of the land. Join us for this conversation about the lifelong journey of living respectfully within Mi’kma’ki, or wherever you may be, and contributing to regeneration and healing.On a beautiful summer day, I met Diane Obed to talk about decolonization, including its importance in environmental movements.Di...
2022-08-0256 minShared GroundCelebration and Reflection; Onward to Last Hope Campaign!I spent this Summer Solstice at the Last Hope Camp, located by Beal’s Brook in the Kespukwitk district of Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. A special celebration was happening to mark the solstice, Indigenous People’s Day in Canada, and a victory for the protection of this forest. Extinction Rebellion and others had been based in this forest since last December to protect it from being logged. Due to the at-risk species of lichen that they found, the majority of the forest is now off-bounds to logging...
2022-07-1954 minShared GroundExploring the Roots of our Current Challenges with Soren Bondrup-NielsenJoin me for a talk with Soren Bondrup-Nielsen about the effects of a mechanistic worldview. This wide-ranging conversation includes topics of teaching conservation in a holistic way, his involvement in the court case to protect species-at-risk in Nova Scotia, the effect current forestry has on the the composition of our forests, and how ultimately, the economic system is at the root of many of our current world challenges. As he says, “our economic system is something WE created. We can change it.” He also offers some thoughts on the internet, critical thinking, how technology can interfere with feedb...
2022-07-0559 minShared GroundA 3-pronged approach to sustainability with Rosmarie LohnesIn this conversation, you will hear from Rosmarie Lohnes, who runs an ecological landscaping business based in Bridgewater, in Mi'kma'ki' (Nova Scotia).Rosmarie began her company, Helping Nature Heal, twenty years ago. She has a B.A. in Conservation and Environmental Studies from York University and has also studied Architectural Design, Horticulture as Therapy, Ecological Landscape Design, Shoreline Erosion, and Landscape Management. She originally came to Nova Scotia to study ecological forestry and organic gardening at Windhorse Farm, in 1999.Note: Windhorse Farm has been renamed to Asitu'lɨsk (pronounced ah-see-dew-lisk). This Mi'kmaw name means "that w...
2022-06-211h 07Shared GroundAmazing Lichens with Frances AndersonJoin Frances Anderson and I in the woods in Southwestern Nova Scotia with a couple of hand lenses. We spend a fascinating morning of lichen discovery in an area of forest on the South Shore of Minamkeak Lake near Bridgewater. Former librarian Frances Anderson began studying lichens in 2000. Since then she has explored thousands of kilometers of back woods in Nova Scotia, discovered lichen species new to the province and to the Maritimes, written and co-authored over a dozen papers on lichens and a field guide designed to bring (sometimes mysterious) lichens to the general public. She i...
2022-06-0756 minShared GroundForest Protection and Community Care with Nina NewingtonSome time after my first trip to Last Hope Camp (Episode 1), I made the journey there again to this small forest slated for logging in Annapolis County, in the Kespukwitk district of Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia). Hear about why so many people are dedicating energy and resources to saving this forest, which is the home of several at-risk species, including the mainland moose.This time, you will hear my conversation with Nina Newington. Nina is a gardener, carpenter, writer, forest protector and member of Extinction Rebellion. She and her wife live on the North Mountain in the K...
2022-05-241h 09Shared GroundA Visit to Last Hope CampGet a glimpse into life at Last Hope Camp; meet some of the dedicated people camped out in the middle of a maritime winter and be inspired by their passion and good spirits. Join me for my first visit up to the Last Hope Wildlife Corridor, which is a forest slated for logging in Annapolis County, in the Kespukwitk district of Mi’kma’ki (in Nova Scotia), and is home to several at-risk species.Through every kind of weather, for over five months now (at the time of the episode release), rotating groups of campers have...
2022-05-1054 minShared GroundIntroducing Shared Ground!Find out about Shared Ground, where we meet different folks from Mi'kma'ki (Nova Scotia, Canada) for inspiring, informative, and interesting conversations related to our forests.
2022-04-2503 min