Celebrating “Women in Climate: Forests”

This is an original published article of The Nature Conservancy in Maine on its Medium blog by Ray Mills. View the full article on TBNC Maine’s Medium page here. We are sharing the article here as part of Ray Mill’s Changemakers residency with TNC and MEEA.

View the video of the full event panel discussion here.

by Ray Mills

The following remarks were originally shared live on October 1, 2024 at a “Women in Climate: Forests” event in Portland, ME.

“My name is Ray Mills and I am the Changemakers Climate Resident for The Nature Conservancy in Maine, and the Maine Environmental Education Association. I am a Wabanaki woman of Penobscot and Abenaki descent and I grew up in Western Maine, nestled between the White Mountains National Forest and the Mahoosuc Range.

When I was asked to welcome you all to this event, the first story that came to mind was when I met my first Aspen grove at ten years old while on my first hunting excursion with my grandfather. For years, I had been counting down the days until I would be old enough to accompany him on such a journey. And, when it finally came around, I crawled out of bed long before our planned 4:30 wake up time, dressed myself head to toe in humorously oversized hand-me-down hunting clothes, and waited patiently by the woodstove, warming my wool sock clad toes underneath the cast iron hearth.

I had imagined hunting as this grand adventure, you get to go out before the world wakes up, hike through the woods, and speak to the trees as your boots overturn their fallen leaves. However, within the first hour, I was over it. After hours of trying to shush my growling stomach and ignore the blisters forming on my toes, we found a spot to rest and eat our squished and slightly soggy bologna sandwiches.

As I followed my grandfather up a small hill towards a grove of trees, a branch slipped from his grasp, swinging back in my direction, and striking me right across the cheek. Maybe it was the hunger, or the sweat trickling down my back that I kept thinking was a bee, or just the simple fact that I was a ten year old child, but something led me to strike out against that tree. Kicking and grunting and cursing in my head, in that moment, that tree was my sworn enemy. That was until my grandfather scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the center of that grove of trees. As we sat down and I felt the sun penetrating through the branches above, warming my face, I was calm. That was when I officially met the aspen grove, a small bit of sanctuary in a forest of frustration.

My grandfather taught me how the aspen grove was likely one large organism, connected to one another through an incredibly intricate root system. He taught me how they talk to one another in that way. I told him I didn’t care how they talked because I’m not a tree and I can’t understand them and that branch hurt me. That was when I learned the story of how my people came to be, and how we are today and will be tomorrow. He told me the story of how my people stepped out of the Ash tree, forming a bond that transcends time and connects us to one another across the land. That moment is when I finally understood that we are very similar to the aspen grove we took refuge in that day. Beneath us all is a root system that connects us to all other beings and non-beings that dwell on the surface of this land.

I end this story with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Robin Wall Kimmerer. In her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, she says:

“The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don’t yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to us all. We can starve together or feast together.”

– Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

This “Women in Climate: Forests” event serves as a powerful reminder of the deep connections we share with the natural world and each other. Our experiences in nature can shape our understanding of community and resilience. As we continue to face the challenges of climate change, let us draw inspiration from the unity and strength of the aspen grove, recognizing that our collective actions can lead us towards a more sustainable and harmonious future. Together, we can honor the wisdom of our ancestors and the teachings of the land, ensuring that we not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity.

Ray Mills is TNC Maine’s 2024–2025 Changemaker Climate Adaptation Resident, in partnership with the Maine Environmental Education Association.