Ross Dixon

A spotlit masked dancer representing Nang Kilsdlaas (NK), also known as Raven - cultural hero of the Northwest Coast, stands front and centre on the floor of a cedar-built big house named Gina Guu Aahljuu Naay (The Performing House) at the Haida Heritage Centre in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii. The mask’s exterior, when closed, represents NK in bird/Raven form. This photo captures the moment the mask has opened (NK has transformed) to reveal 'Nang Kilsdlaas-to-be,' or NK as a baby. Behind NK, a row of dancers stand with their backs facing forward, creating a wall, or screen, of ornate red and black ceremonial robes depicting various crest prerogatives. The dancers are also wearing woven cedar bark hats and Raven’s Tail headdresses. This human wall/screen is not theatrics. It is a very important part of our ceremonial dance protocol. My Old Nanaay (great-grandmother) Hazel Stevens taught me that before Nang Kilslaas comes out in full force, they first poke their beak out from behind this screen - curious, observant, careful, like you see a Raven in its natural setting. Suspended above and behind the human screen is a spotlit, giant fabric dance screen, made in the form of a ceremonial robe, featuring a Hummingbird in the centre with Eagles on the side borders. Mask carved by Haida artist Guujaaw. Giant ceremonial robe designed by Haida artist Clayton Gladstone, and sewn/appliqued by the late Haida artist Shelley Hageman. *IMPORTANT: Since Bluesky is a new audience to me, I'll also throw out there that Haida art, song, stories, names, etc. are intellectual properties. Rights to use these properties are held by specific individuals or clans, or held collectively by the Haida Nation. Please enjoy what is shared, please re-share, but do not appropriate. Haawa - thank you!

I'm honoured to lead Hltaaxuulang Guud ad K'aajuu, a ceremonial dance group. Here we honour Nang Kilslaas (The One Whose Voice is Obeyed - aka Raven, cultural hero of the Pacific Northwest Coast) for APTN’s new Water Worlds series.

#haida #haidagwaii #haidahealing #raven #nwc #aptn

Environment - Metcalf Foundation Working with Canadians to improve the health and vibrancy of our communities, our culture, and our environment.

It's timely to strengthen political, economic, and leadership conditions for #conservation to thrive in #Canada. A new 10 year strategy from the Metcalf Foundation includes:
A big tent, community prosperity and leadership - take a look
metcalffoundation.com/programs/env...
#philanthropy

Empowering First Nations Leadership to Meet Canada’s Conservation Goals | Clean50 Canada has committed to conserving 30% of its lands and waters by 2030, emphasizing Indigenous leadership in conservation. However, First Nations face funding gaps hindering their stewardship efforts.

"Central to any effective conservation effort must be the leadership of #FirstNations communities, who possess the traditional knowledge and deep connection to their territories necessary for sustainable stewardship."

clean50.com/empowering-f...

Start with what you are passionate about and move from there. I starting on contaminated land 25 years ago in the UK and I now work on Indigenous conservation in Canada.

the DSM5 did to psychology what species classifications did to conservation. Neither doctrine is wrong or inaccurate but it's only part of a much larger whole and when viewed in isolation will lead you to very weird & harmful conclusions

Out today! Land Power by @mikealbertus.bsky.social

In Land Power, political scientist Michael Albertus shows that who owns the land determines whether a society will be equal or unequal, whether it will develop or decline, and whether it will safeguard or sacrifice its environment.

Klamath River We have ensured Blue Creek is protected from the Siskiyou Wilderness all the way to its confluence with the Klamath River. In the process we returned sacred ancestral homelands to California’s Yurok T...

Great example of more innovative #conservationfinance from Canada's southern-most province 😜.
Conserving a cold-water lifeline for salmon on California’s Redwood Coast - kudos to the Yurok tribe and Western Rivers Conservancy.
#Indigenous #conservation
www.westernrivers.org/projects/ca/...

Scaling Investment in Indigenous-led Conservation Across Canada - Nature Investment Hub Join the Nature Investment Hub and First 30x30 Canada for an engaging discussion on the role of the philanthropic and private sectors in scaling investment in Indigenous-led conservation and stewardsh...

In partnership with First 30x30, our Nature Investment Hub Solution Space is hosting an event on Scaling Investment in Indigenous-led Conservation in Canada.

📅 December 11 - 1:00pm-2:30pm ET
🔗https://natureinvestmenthub.ca/scaling-investment-in-indigenous-led-conservation/

#conservationfinance

Kazakhstan's Snow Leopard Population Reaches Near-Historic Levels - The Times Of Central Asia The snow leopard population in Kazakhstan has rebounded to near-historic levels, with an estimated 152 to 189 individuals now residing in the country. This

The snow leopard population in Kazakhstan has rebounded to near-historic levels, with an estimated 152 to 189 individuals now residing in the country. This marks a significant achievement in conservation efforts, as such numbers were last observed in the 1980s.

2024 in Review: 24 Good News Stories from First Nations First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii made headlines in 2024 for their groundbreaking achievements in environmental stewardship, economic development, sustainable energy, and cult...

I'm starting 2025 with gratitude for the past. Here's 24 reasons to be grateful from @coastfunds.bsky.social - including new investments in #Indigenous #conservation and community well-being, Haida title recognition and the largest eulachon return in a generation.
coastfunds.ca/news/2024-in...

Trudeau to resign as prime minister after Liberal leadership race | CBC News Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he plans to step down once the Liberal Party has chosen a successor, bringing his time leading the country to a tumultuous end.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he plans to step down once the Liberal Party has chosen a successor.

Trudeau also said he asked Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to prorogue Parliament until March 24, and she granted the request.

#cdnpoli

www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Wham! return to No 1 ahead of Christmas chart battle next week Last Christmas replaces Gracie Abrams’ That’s So True in the top spot as festive classic celebrates its 40th anniversary Wham! have returned to the UK No 1 spot with Last Christmas, priming George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s festive classic as the…

Wham! return to No 1 ahead of Christmas chart battle next week

The Screaming Sky: The strange allure of swifts. Charles Foster YouTube video by Oxford Biodiversity Network

If you missed Friday's #Nature seminar, you can watch it here for an insight into the magical high-speed lives of swifts.
@ecioxford.bsky.social @oxfordgeography.bsky.social @oxfordbiology.bsky.social

Pollination Foundation Impact and Learning Report 2024 - Pollination | Climate Change Investment & Advisory Firm The FY24 year led us to the jungles of Peru and Indonesia,  the vibrant corals of the Great Barrier Reef, and the deserts of central Australia and the Middle East. These journeys were about listening,...

Interested in supporting #Indigenous peoples and local communities with climate and nature solutions? Here is a great resource from Pollination Foundation on:
• business readiness
• peer-to-peer networks
• financing models
pollinationgroup.com/global-persp...
#conservation #finance #nature

Two rehabilitated tigers released in different parts of the Pri-Amur. After three years, Boris had traveled more than 200 km straight line to re-unite with Svetlaya.

By rehabilitating and releasing orphaned #tiger cubs, conservationists have succeeded in restoring tiger populations in a region of Russia where the species was virtually absent for more than 50 years, says a new study led by WCS. bit.ly/4gqUKA7

Tule Elk at Point Reyes to Gain Freedom as Fence Removal Begins | Focusing on Wildlife After decades of debate and advocacy, the Tule elk of Point Reyes National Seashore will soon be free to roam beyond the confines of their enclosure at

Positive News out of California for the Tule Elk herds:
focusingonwildlife.com/news/tule-el... #publiclands #wildlife #conservation

Cristina Mittermeier has spent decades capturing the fragile beauty of our planet while amplifying the voices of its stewards—particularly those often overlooked in mainstream narratives.

Her lens does more than document; it inspires action and offers hope in an era overshadowed by despair.

Grant Funding Opportunities - Watershed Security Fund Explore grant opportunities for protecting BC watersheds. Discover funding streams, eligibility criteria, intake deadlines & 3 ways to apply.

Some useful #watershed #conservation #restoration funding for #Indigenous communities and others in #BritishColumbia. Very cool to see #UNDRIP referenced so directly in a granting framework.
watershedsecurityfund.ca/funding-oppo...
#biodiversity #philanthropy #conservationfinance

On Blackfoot land, the buffalo roam | The Narwhal In Alberta and Montana, the Blackfoot Confederacy is working toward free-roaming buffalo crossing the border once again — and revitalizing traditional hunts

“That guardian is a conduit between the buffalo and the human...To make management decisions and social decisions amongst ourselves so that the buffalo can flourish and [we] can flourish, together.” Tyson Running Wolf
Beautiful @thenarwhal.ca 🙌
thenarwhal.ca/blackfoot-gu...
#Indigenous #conservation

Assessments of expected MPA outcomes can inform and improve biodiversity conservation: Case studies using The MPA Guide Global, regional, and national targets have been set to protect and conserve at least 30 % of the ocean by 2030, in recognition of the important benef…

We looked at marine protected areas all across the globe and conclude that the world needs more and better ocean conservation

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🌱 Awesome to hear Eric Angels speaking about the Salmon Parks initiative led by Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation in Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island #restoration #economy

Join Our Team: Development Manager Coast Funds is hiring a Development Manager to support our team’s fundraising and donor engagement strategies, in service of First Nations’ goals. Reporting to the Director, Development, the Developme...

Anyone interesting in supporting #Indigenous Nations in the Pacific Northwest with their aspirations for #conservation and #economicdevelopment @coastfunds.bsky.social is looking for a development manager as we grow the organization.
coastfunds.ca/news/develop...

$375-million Indigenous-led conservation deal signed in N.W.T. | The Narwhal Nearly 380,000 square kilometres of lands and inland waters in the Northwest Territories could be protected by the agreement

Nearly 380,000 square kilometres of the N.W.T. will be protected by a landmark Indigenous-led conservation agreement, which uses a Wall Street-inspired approach to conservation financing thenarwhal.ca/nwt-pfp-agre...

Dendrochronology – Robert Moor Walking amid a tangle of ancient Sitka spruces and cedars on Gwaii Haanas, Robert Moor wonders how old-growth trees can help us feel, rather than intellectualize, not only the deep past, but also our ...

“Reckless deforestation provides our most potent mythic image of how, to enrich ourselves in the present, we steal from the past and impoverish the future”.

Brilliant @robertmoor.bsky.social essay on the (ethically) deep tree-time kept by old-growth forest.
emergencemagazine.org/essay/dendro...

Finance for Forests: A Guide to Conservation Finance Options for First Nations Today, Coast Funds, an Indigenous-led conservation finance organization serving First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii, releases Finance for Forests, a guide to financing First Nat...

How can #conservation #finance support Indigenous community interests? I spend my time working with Indigenous communities @coastfunds.bsky.social to help finance their goals for #conservation #stewardship and #community wellbeing. This report outlines @bsky.app ideas.
coastfunds.ca/news/finance...