This meeting and presentation took place both in person at the Liederkranz Club and concurrently online via Zoom.
LSNY President Peter Davenport called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM.
Peter welcomed attendees and recognized seven new members of the Society: Penny Ardley, Nicole Chandonnet, Ryan Fitzgerald, Christian Heath, Sandy Schiffman, Laura Waterbury, and Dr. Michael Wethington.
Peter reminded members of upcoming spring field trips, including the North Woods Spring Migration Walk (4/26) and the season’s first Birds and Brews outing (4/29). He encouraged members to participate in or support the annual Bird-A-Thon (5/2-5/3), noting the Society’s $20,000 fundraising goal in support of Great Gull Island research and programs.
He also noted pending Lights Out legislation before the New York City Council intended to reduce bird mortality from building illumination and informed members of an upcoming rally and opportunities for public comment. He highlighted an upcoming newsletter feature: Shelly Xiong’s project, MetBird, a more accurate bird-search tool for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
Lecture Program
Peter introduced the evening’s speakers, Mr. Neil Patterson Jr. (Tuscarora), Executive Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment (CNPE) at SUNY-ESF, and Dr. Catherine Landis, CNPE Science Advisor. The CNPE bridges traditional ecological knowledge with Western science
Lecture Title: A Time to Heal: Indigenous Biocultural Restoration
Mr. Patterson and Dr. Landis presented on Indigenous stewardship, biodiversity, and environmental justice, emphasizing relationships among people, land, species, and systems of knowledge as a central theme of the evening.
Mr. Patterson discussed traditional ecological knowledge as living, relational knowledge grounded in reciprocity and long-term care for place. Drawing in part on Haudenosaunee perspectives, he described ecological restoration as tied to cultural renewal, healing, and rematriation, emphasizing matrilineal systems, traditional ecological knowledge, and the role of Indigenous women in restoring relationships and responsibilities to land. He also discussed governance principles, including the Great Law of Peace and the Dish With One Spoon agreement, as expressions of relational responsibility and stewardship. Extending these themes to contemporary environmental challenges, he touched on Indigenous understandings of climate and sustainability, including the concept of good mind thinking, and described traditional ecological knowledge and scientific ecological knowledge as complementary or “intellectual twin” approaches.
Building on this framework, Dr. Landis illustrated how those principles inform restoration in practice through work associated with the Onondaga Nation’s Thousand Acres, land returned through the Onondaga Lake Superfund settlement within historic Onondaga territory. Using examples from wetlands, mature forest, floodplain restoration, pollinator habitat, and culturally significant understory plants such as Solomon’s seal, trillium, and wild ginger, she showed how ecological healing and community healing are understood as intertwined. Historical vegetation and land-use patterns were discussed as guides for present-day restoration, including efforts to transform former agricultural fields into meadow and floodplain forest.
Turning from restoration to contemporary threats, Dr. Landis addressed concerns associated with the proposed Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP), including habitat loss, industrial impacts on wildlife and water resources, and implications for treaty rights and human rights. Framing these concerns within a broader environmental justice context, she drew on avian biodiversity research and ecological monitoring as tools for both conservation and advocacy, highlighting documentation of more than 140 bird species on these lands, including cerulean warblers, short-eared owls, northern harriers, and bald eagles, as well as other wildlife including northern long-eared bats. Bird populations were presented not only as indicators of biodiversity, but also as part of the argument for protection and stewardship.
Mr. Patterson concluded by returning to themes of healing through education and responsibility, including Indigenous land-rights education, institutional support for land return, and approaches to ecological renewal grounded in enduring relationships with land.
At approximately 7:54 PM, the Q&A session began with questions from the in-person audience and concluded with questions submitted via Zoom. Following the conclusion of the Q&A, Ms. Karen Becker thanked the speakers for a fascinating program. The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:20 PM.
The presentation and Q&A session were recorded in their entirety, along with President Davenport’s opening remarks. The recording is available through the Linnaean Society website and YouTube channel.
Respectfully submitted,
Michelle D’Mello
Recording Secretary