Local Ecological Knowledge and Revised Storytelling for Biodiversity Conservation

with Dr. Lynne Heasley, Western Michigan University


From home-grown native gardens in Kalamazoo, to critical but underappreciated landforms in the Great Lakes, environmental historian Dr. Lynne Heasley will explore how local ecological knowledge-building can become a powerful form of storytelling. She argues that intentional—and intentionally-revised—storytelling is fundamental to repairing our relationships with nature, and to tackling global biodiversity, climate, and water crises. After a few examples derived from her research and from her long marriage to a native plant gardener (Lynne just lives in their home; insect and plant kin own the place), she’ll open the floor to audience stories of their more-than-human places.


Dr. Lynne Heasley is an environmental historian and writer, and a sustainability educator, at Western Michigan University. At WMU, Lynne serves on the Asylum Lake Policy and Management Council, the Native American Affairs Council, and the University Center for the Humanities. Outside of WMU, she is on the boards of the indomitable Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, and the Forest History Society (which sustains an exceptional library and archives of our North American forest heritage). Lynne’s most recent book, The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes, was a Next Generation Indies grand prize winner, and a Nautilus Silver winner for lyric prose. She is currently working on “Dreamscapes: Revised Storytelling for Biodiversity Conservation in the Great Lakes.” Lynne experiments with storytelling to make seemingly unremarkable or invisible small worlds visible and worthy of learning, wonder, and stewardship.

You may also like the following events from Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones:

• Next month, 22nd October, 06:30 am, Cultural Fire Stewardship of the Anishinaabeg Guiding Prescribed Fire and Co-Management in Portage

Also check out other Arts events in Portage, Literary Art events in Portage.