In the summer of 2021, a group of Indigenous and conservation leaders traveled to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to connect with each other and the land, and to engage in place-based dialogues using traditional methods including talking circles, ceremonies and the stories of Elders who spoke of the history, importance and future of the refuge. Their goal was to promote healing and reimagine management of this landscape in ways that will incorporate traditional knowledge, as well as the traditions and ways of life of Indigenous peoples.
The IMAGO Initiative is a transformative process with the potential to reshape how our nation’s public lands – the historic homelands of Indigenous peoples – are managed. In this webinar, you will join the IMAGO team virtually as you watch a film produced during their trip, and you will hear directly from key leaders of this effort as they engage in a panel discussion.
Please join us for this virtual film screening and Q&A as we reimagine conservation through an Indigenous lens.
Panelists
Kaushik Amruthur
Owner, Photographer & Cinematographer
Kaushik Studios/Third Eye Media
Dr. Natalie Dawson
Former Vice President and Executive Director
Audubon Alaska
Meda DeWitt
Sr. Specialist/IMAGO Initiative Coordinator
HAA JOONÍ & The Wilderness Society
Karlin “Nageak” Itchoak
Senior Regional Director, Alaska Region
The Wilderness Society
Dr. Sarah James
Gwich’in Leader
Arctic Village, Alaska
Doreen Nutaaq Simmonds
Inupiat Environmental Leader
Utqiaġvik/Barrow, Alaska
Robert Thompson, aka “Captain Bolo”
Owner-Guide, Kaktovik Arctic Adventures
Kaktovik, Alaska