Torchbearer: A Weekly Wisdom Post

This week’s word comes from presenter Lydia Parker, Executive Director of Hunters of Color, while she spoke at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in a session on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

The full session was entitled “The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: Contemporary Context and a Vision for the Future.” Parker stated, “We need People of Color and women representatives because WE are the next conservation torchbearers.” Parker, Julie Thorstenson (Executive Director of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society), and Marshall Johnson (Chief Conservation Officer at the National Audubon Society) served to represent that statement. While I heard many other speakers of wisdom this week, my focus will be on an attempt to summarize the wisdom of these three.

Relatives Not Resources

Julie Thorstenson was the first among these three to speak. As she went through the “7 tenets” of the model, the first says, "Wildlife is a public trust resource and held in public trust.” Thorstenson argued that these are our relatives, not our resources. This tenet amplifies our human separation from the rest of the planet's living and non-living beings. In fact, before Thorstenson went into the tenets in detail, she stated, “All natural resource laws are the direct effect of taking more than what is needed.”

Thorstenson said that part of many Native American stories about nature is that “humans are the weakest and most pitiful of animals.” Therefore, the rest of nature had to pity us and be willing to care for us. That reminded me of the caribou story from the movie Welcome to Gwichyaa Ghee about the Indigenous people fighting to protect caribou land in Alaska from oil and gas drilling. The people/caribou story was one of deep and long-lasting relation. And, we (as often of Western and European descent) don’t have these deeply relational stories.

As a part of how we relate, Thorstensen mentioned seven key values;

• Humility
• Generosity
• Respect
• Honesty
• Prayer
• Wisdom
• Compassion

What would your work in conservation look like if you took these value lenses to your work? How would you rank yourself, your team, and your agency? How are you relating? Who are your relatives?

Call to Action

Parker started and ended her talk around confusion and fear. Confused that just last year at the same conference this was a topic and yet not much more has been explored. Her final fear is that we will be in the same place again next year. As a result, Parker’s focus was on three very specific actions she’d like to progress in the next year.

1. Discussions of this MUST prioritize those excluded from this “North American Model.”
2. Study the model in communities (for how it works as well as impacts local areas and communities).
3. Reinforce coalition - include more inclusive, diverse, and adverse opinions.

For her first action, if the field doesn’t take the bold step of requiring a minimum number of people of color and women at every meeting and panel on the most pressing issues of conservation, including discussions of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, then these conversations will continue, year after year, without real action. I was happy to see many more women in attendance, in committee chair positions and panels, but many are still very mono-cultured. What (and who) is preventing this from happening? Who is boldly ready to take a look, so the field can experience real dialogue and action?

For the second point, I loved that Parker said even with a single model, action on the ground will be different depending on locality. The model must also be flexible enough to allow communities to bring in aspects of additional models – we know one size never fits all.

When I think of the third action, I believe we need foundational spaces where dissent is invited and encouraged. Until more people know how to create and host containers of safety, we will only continue to exclude anyone whose voice is different from ours and we surely won’t develop ways of engagement that are life-giving, even in difference. It is possible. I’ve seen it. But are we brave enough to truly examine our core beliefs and assumptions about this field, the people within it, and our full relationship with our planet?

What are you doing to make sure NO voice is missing and that the most marginalized move to the center? How are you making sure your models allow for local fluidity? What power do you have and can share to make these actions happen?

Good Trouble

Marshall Johnson was the last panel member to speak on the topic. What I loved is that after hearing the other speakers, he decided to ditch what he had prepared. For me, that means he dropped into his heart. Johnson recalled a story when working on strategic planning for National Audubon Society where they used the term “north star.” A woman from Columbia spoke up and said “We don’t see the North Star from here” which reminded him that we must better include all, not just in these groups but in our language.

Johnson spoke a lot about managing tensions, navigating discomfort, and forging new understandings. Johnson described how his own organization has been doing some soul-searching. Going into the darkness of the past can be a little painful. But it is only when we shine light in those dark places can something new emerge.

I wrote down “good trouble” in my notes. For me, Marshall was saying that we have to be bold in stating our truths while at the same time being open to the truths of others. We must not only never fear those “others” who seem farthest from us, but we must also invite them in and examine our own resistance. Until we know deeply about what is holding us back regarding our biases and beliefs, the transformation will be slow and even more painful. This all made me think of the book Professional Troublemaker and my previous post about it. We can cause good trouble – a bold and invitational way to move forward.

What are you willing to examine about yourself so you can cause good trouble? How often do you examine your own identity in all its complexity to shine more light on your own beliefs, biases, and assumptions? How can you sit in discomfort more for the purpose of forging a better understanding?  

Final remarks

Parker’s speech probably energized me the most. I was one of a few in the audience who stood with an ovation for her bold call to action over acting. I am not in a position of authority to influence this field in a giant or scalable way. I see too many gatekeepers and power hoarders but that is slowly breaking down. I also see more young women and people of color boldly stepping up. That is exciting!

I aspire to allyship by centering people like Parker, Thorstenson and Johnson when I have the opportunity. They are our early voices for the future! Please listen and before reaching out to them for “help” be clear to respond with the meaning their words had for you and how you will take action with the power you already have.

I continue to expand offerings with a lens of Inclusion such as Creating Brave Spaces, Power of Inclusion, Social Location in Conservation, Human-nature Connection series and even Nurturing Trauma-informed Conservation Communities. This also includes the Leadership of Self series which is designed to build the capacity to reach into our dark spaces to find new light. Once we develop more comfort in being curious about ourselves, we are also better able to hold the complexities of others. I'm not ready to call myself a torchbearer, but I sure am trying. Contact me for more information.

Special Shout out

I wanted to make a special call-out here to Jared Romero of Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, who moderated a session on Building Community and Sharing Resources Between Conservation and Recreation Organizations Wanting to Better Engage with Diverse Communities. Panelists there included Thorstenson along with Ashley Smith of Minority Outdoor Alliance, Dominic Lucero of Colorado High-Country Educational Treks Inc., Cici Ebersole from Ducks Unlimited, and Willard Franklin III from Four Ws Outdoors.