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Home / Events / Nature Night: The State of Western Organizations Working on Indigenous Landscapes

March 8, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Nature Night: The State of Western Organizations Working on Indigenous Landscapes

Name: Nature Night: The State of Western Organizations Working on Indigenous Landscapes
Start: 2022-03-08T19:00:00-08:00
End: 2022-03-08T20:30:00-08:00
Location: Virtual

Friends of Tryon Creek Executive Director, Gabe Sheoships, will share a presentation that draws cultural differences and parallels between Indigenous stewardship practices and western models of environmental engagement, sharing examples and lessons from his work.

Friends of Tryon Creek is a 52 year old 501©(3) organization dedicated to the 660 acre urban forest within the boundaries of SW Portland and Lake Oswego, Oregon. Environmental education, community engagement and landscape restoration have been the focus of the organization’s mission, in partnership with Oregon State Parks. The organization has taken strides to recognize the Indigenous narrative of the land, and to serve the forest and human community through the relationship of an Indigenous worldview. Tryonfriends.org

About Gabe:

Gabe is the Executive Director of the Friends of Tryon Creek, where he leads efforts focused on community building, environmental sustainability and protection of the natural world. Gabe is Cayuse and Walla Walla from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Gabe has spent his life along the travel corridors and pathways of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, following traditional migratory routes of his ancestors. Gabe has dedicated his life’s work to protecting Indigenous First Foods, encouraging healthy ecosystems and empowering people to act as stewards of the land and water. In the Portland metropolitan area, Gabe has roots and relationships with Black, Indigenous, Immigrant and Refugee communities that date back to the 1980s. Through these relationships Gabe has built and advocated for change and continued support to meet community needs that have shifted and grown in his 20 years of work.

Gabe Sheoships, photo by Alex Milan Tracy

Gabe is a Commissioner for the City of Portland’s Planning and Sustainability Commission. In other volunteer roles, Gabe serves as the Board President for the Tributaries Network, Co-Chair of Nesika Wilamut, and is a board member for the Center for Diversity and the Environment and Freshwaters Illustrated, three of the four being nonprofit organizations. Gabe has an MSc in Fisheries Biology from Oregon State University. Family, fatherhood, and friendship are what Gabe holds most important in this world.