(Photo by Barry Hetschko)
As you can see on our ‘who we are’ and ‘rightsholders and partners’ pages, lots of people and organizations are connected to our project. The core of our project are five worker bees who make the magic happen with frequent meetings, communication, and interaction – two community researchers, two PhD students, and a project lead. The five of us came together as a team by starting with discussions about our hopes and fears and co-learning sessions where we each shared our different knowledges and perspectives. Here we introduce ourselves so that you can learn a bit more about us.
Ella Martindale (she/her; community researcher) … I am Quw’utsun; I was raised on Nisga’a and Tsimshian territories. I am currently finishing an MA at UVic in Anthropology. I work on place-based learning in Quw’utsun, specifically at Ye’yumnuts with public school curriculum and teachers in SD79. I will continue to work on place-based learning in Quw’utsun during my PhD in Education at UofT, starting Fall 2022. I’m so happy to learn alongside such a vibrant research project and team, with a focus on water and community in one of my favourite places in the world!
Jennifer Shepherd (she/her/hers; community researcher) … I was born and raised in Crown Treaty 13 Territory in Tkoronto and I grew up paddling on creeks and lakes with my father. I design and facilitate creative experiences for leaders in social profit organizations, First Nations, government, academia, and community so we can navigate complexity with grounded clarity. Most days, you will find me walking, listening, and singing by local creeks in the Xwulqw’selu watershed to nourish relationships with place, community, and kin.
Kristina Disney (she/her; Ph.D. student) …. I grew up in a tight knit farming community in southern Saskatchewan on the traditional territory of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Assiniboine, Michif Piyii (Métis) and the Niitsítapi. Where I grew up, life revolved around the seasons and, more often than not, my family and many others prayed for enough rain to make it through another year. It seems that life always brings us back round to the beginning! I look forward to helping a community care for their watershed. When I’m not measuring water under bridges or walking up streams I like to kayak, cook lavish meals for friends and family and make t-shirts that quote the ridiculous things my siblings say.
David Serrano-Suárez (he/him; Ph.D. student) … I was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, a territory of Guane’s people (Guane means “tree” in Chibcha language). I like to play chess and learning from diverse cultures. I had worked previously in a university teaching hydrology and hydraulics and studied a MSc in Hydroinformatics at UNESCO-IHE, Delft. At UVic, I hope to work on the understanding of low flows in the Koksilah through community modeling.
Tom Gleeson (he/him; project lead) … I am a water nerd who leads the ‘groundwater science and sustainability’ research group at University of Victoria. I grew up in Iroquois territory near the Six Nations of the Grand River and lives and work on Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ Territories. I love new ideas, food and yoga, helping people and the world, and have received the AGU Early Career Hydrology Award, and founded the global groundwater blogging collective, water underground.