• McDonald, Ella S.
  University of Maine Graduate School
  

Wabanaki people and conservationists have been calling for ash protection efforts since first learning about the threat of emerald ash borer (EAB) in the early 2000s. Building on priorities determined in ongoing collaborations between Indigenous Basketmakers, university researchers, and government agencies, in 2023 the newly formed Ash Protection Collaboration Across Waponahkik (APCAW) hosted a program to advance outreach and education efforts about the cultural significance of brown ash, EAB mitigation strategies, and ash resilience research. The online and in-person events strove to center Wabanaki perspectives to guide an audience across the region of Waponahkik, made up of conservation staff, Tribal Nation employees, private landowners, and foresters, to learn about and engage in ash protection actions.