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Stewards
Stewards is helping tribes and urban natives create climate solutions through education, indigenous Agro-biospheres, terraforming, and land back using TEK, Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This program is designed to empower Indigenous communities to take an active role in protecting and preserving the natural resources in their traditional territories and beyond.
Indigenous people have a deep spiritual and cultural connection to the land and its resources, however, we often face significant challenges in preserving these resources due to settler state politics, land loss due to settler encroachment, and lack of funding to support community garden projects.
This is where our Stewards program comes in.
GSC will provide Indigenous communities with the tools, seeds, saplings, teachers, and resources they need to protect and preserve their natural habitats. This includes training in best practices for resource management, access to funding for conservation projects, and support for traditional land management practices through the creation of Agro-Biospheres that can act as future food forests for people, animals and insects, restoring our natural landscape and biodiversity.
Upcoming Events
Indigenous Steward Family Day at Sly Fox Den Resturant
We are promoting our first Stewardship event in partnership with the new Sly Fox Den Restaurant and Cultural Center, Yucayeke Farms, and Grinding Stone Collective. Join us on Sunday, June 2nd at 11am for a day of community engagement and environmental conservation. The event will take place at the new Sly Fox Den Restaurant and Cultural Center located at 143 CT-2A, Preston, CT 06365.
Sly Fox Den Food Forest Work Plan
Our Stewards educator Brandon Ruiz of Yucayeke Farms visited the new Slyfox Den to survey the land and has created the mock-up shown here of where the rematriated plants will be laid out. These plants will provide fresh foods to the community and remediate the soil by adding new compost and nutrients. With Sherry's assistance, they identified existing native plants to be transplanted to make room for the new plants without harming the area's original inhabitants.
The STEWARDS Program has Three Re-Indigenizing Ethos
Land Rematriation
An integral part of this project is encouraging our Stewards to practice Rematriation in all forms. This includes working towards Land Back initiatives by bridging access to or purchasing land & securing it under community ownership. Our long term goals for this project include the creation of Native Food Centers across the country, creating a Native Food Highway. We envision spaces where people can gain knowledge and skills in growing, harvesting, prepping, and preserving traditional and regional foods.
Food Culture Acquisition & Continuity
We aim to distribute several workshops and roundtable discussions covering the impacts of climate change & our fight for visibility, as well as toolkits, seeds, and saplings so we can empower a new generation of Stewards. Developing this series will allow us to highlight/center Indigenous voices on how we can combat environmental catastrophes before it is too late. We plan to work with local stewards and native professionals on developing this programming as it is made for and run entirely by Natives.
Preservation of Indigenous Ecosystems & Biodiversity
Settler Plant Removal will include the weeding and harvesting of settler plants which make up 50% of plant coverage, often destroying traditional ecosystems and cultural access to traditional plant medicines/foods. Utilizing modern research, we will test Water/Soil Composition to ensure our grounds are rich in nutrients to support our rematriation goals. We will host events to distribute saplings and seeds for disbursement. These biospheres will support our Indigenous food culture to thrive and sustain beyond the establishment of this program.
On the importance of TEK
[aka Traditional Ecological Knowledge]
Stewards leverages the importance of TEK, the world's oldest technology and our original big data. By bridging the gap between the old ways and the new, we are empowering Indigenous people across the nation to take back our food sovereignty. From the lessons of the three sisters to seasonal harvesting practices, we can eliminate the food crisis and scarcity. We are ensuring that the generation has the knowledge to make it happen. For decades, Traditional Ecological Knowledge has allowed indigenous communities to thrive even in the aftermath of settler colonialism, now we want we will use this knowledge to restore the natural environment.
Our program can only grow through working directly with Stewards on the frontlines who are actively fighting against climate change, climate disasters and those who would stand in the way of our right to self determination. If you would like to help us grow this program, please send us a message.
Are you a Steward? Do you want to get involved?
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