Through the Eyes of Rivers Deepens Humans Understanding of the Impacts of the Climate Crisis on Other-Than-Human Beings

Talking Rivers, Inc uses ecocentric storytelling, art, law, and science to listen to the Voice and advocate for the Rights of the Upper St. Lawrence River and Adirondack watersheds of northern New York, Haudenosaunee Territory. Talking Rivers works to prioritize the voice of ecosystems in how people make decisions and take action, helping to foster connections between people and the ecosystems in which they live.

The "Through the Eyes of Rivers" (https://talkingrivers.org/through-the-eyes-of-rivers) project invites humans to look at the world through the eyes of rivers and their ecosystems. Over the course of a year, Talking Rivers created an interactive website and map which hosts scientific research, art and stories from three Adirondack rivers and watersheds. These rivers are the Grasse River, also known as Nikentsà:ke in Kanienʼkehá (Mohawk), Raquette River (Ahná:wate), and the St. Regis River (Ahkwesásne), all flowing north towards the confluence of the St. Lawrence River and the Mohawk community of Akwesasne. The final component of the project was six in-person "storytelling circles," which gathered community members from across the watershed to come together and honor the personhood of rivers and consider the environmental crisis from the rivers’ perspective. 

Talking Rivers aimed to use both the science they conducted, and the science collected from researchers across the three watersheds, to listen to the riverine ecosystems and gauge the watersheds’ overall health.  Over the course of the project, Talking Rivers worked with ten researchers and scholars. You can see their work reported here. In addition, Talking Rivers conducted its own water sampling all along the St. Regis River, testing for PFAS, Nitrogen, Phosphoros, and Coliform Bacteria. Findings available at this link.

The data was then transformed into an interactive map and illustrated stories. The short stories were written by Blake Lavia, one of the coordinators of this project. Some of the beings portrayed in these stories included freshwater mussels, beavers and Canada Jays. The goal of the stories was to give a face to the scientific findings such that humans of these watersheds might be able to better understand the perspective of their other-than-human neighbors.These stories were utilized during the six storytelling circles to guide the conversation. The website comprises and holds all of these elements of the project and now serves as an educational resource. 

The six storytelling circles were held in different areas of the watershed.  When possible, the circles took place outside close to the waters that were the subject of the conversation. The participants included local elected officials, scientists, business owners, leaders of non profits, and activists from both Indigenous and settler communities. The circles were centered around the research featured in the project, the short stories, and current threats such as data centers and nuclear power plants. The participants discussed their own personal connection to the waterbodies in question, and how they can work across borders to coordinate environmental efforts. The discussions helped local politicians listen to their constituents and consider the realities of including Rights of Nature in local legislation. The story circle went beyond sharing stories, during these gatherings attendees also stated how can take action to meet the rivers' needs, while the project organizers provided information on getting involved in local community movements. 

"Through the Eyes of Rivers" now has an interactive website that hosts educational material, scientific findings and stories about the above-mentioned watersheds. This can be used by anyone, particularly inhabitants of the watershed, who want to learn more about the place they live in and what they can do to protect the ecosystems they call home. It’s also a useful tool for others looking to do similar work in their own ecosystems. 

Earth Rising is proud to have supported such an important resource for this ecosystem and is excited to see this confluence of ways of knowing combined in other places to better expand our understanding of the impacts of the climate crisis and move towards change.