ORONO — The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine is scheduled to host a talk, “Wabanaki plant gathering in Acadia National Park: Mobilizing Indigenous Knowledge to restore traditional sweet grass harvesting,” at 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14.

The talk will be held remotely via Zoom and in person, according to a news release from Ruth Hallsworth, strategic program manager at the center.

In this talk, Suzanne Greenlaw, a Ph.D. student with the UMaine School of Forest Resources, will discuss the Indigenous research methodology and participatory action research approach to facilitate sweetgrass gathering in Acadia National Park.

Greenlaw is a citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and an ethnobotanist focused on mobilizing Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices to address cultural resource issues such as reduced access, invasive species planning and loss of traditional food sources.

She co-leads a project that facilitates the development of plant gathering agreements between the Wabanaki Nations and Acadia National Park. This interdisciplinary work focuses on Wabanaki stewardship approaches and cultural protocols to assert Indigenous sovereignty within natural resource management.

Greenlaw’s research aims to provide a template of culturally appropriate engagement between Native American gatherers and national parks.

All talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free. The in-person talk will be held at 107 Norman Smith Hall on the UMaine campus. Registration is required to attend remotely.

To register and receive connection information, visit umaine.edu.

Face coverings are required for all attending Mitchell Center Sustainability Talks. For the latest UMaine health and safety guidance, see umaine.edu/return.

Updates for this event will be posted to the event webpage. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Hallsworth at 207-581-3196 or  hallsworth@maine.edu.

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