It is a glorious summer day here in Maine. I am able to look out my office window on Commercial Street in Portland and see the dance of sunlight on the bay. The grass is so green still (not brown as it will be soon), the June blumes are so fragrant, and the daylight just goes on and on. I am grateful to not have to put on a jacket or wear a hat. Every season has blessings, this one seems to have more than others. So, now – out you go! Partake in one of those adventures – jumping off a dock, sea kayaking, or hiking – or sit on the bench outside your office to soak in the warmth and sun, as I am about to do today!

Abenaki, Spanish, Dutch, and English bring to mind the concept of colonization, and our history of De-humanizing different people. At this sad time, we are angered because of actions that have found their way through history time and time again, and now into the present. Genocide, Slavery, Native American Boarding Schools, Internment Camps, Detention Centers. What is it about this practice that stands the test of time, despite the horrors, reparations, lessons, and change?

Conservation has a role to play in our social development towards systems that start with love, kindness, humanity, and respect. Our organization, and many of our member organizations, are working together to learn what that role might be and to start taking steps to address inequity and the heretofore unbreakable circle of time.

Post by Jessica Burton, Executive Director of the Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative.