Land Acknowledgement

The Ontario Ecological Restoration Conference will take place on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

Ecological restoration in Ontario, at its best, accounts for and recognizes the long relationship between indigenous people and all beings and the land. Many ecosystems in Ontario have strong human ecologies shaped by indigenous stewardship of the land (e.g. tall grass prairie, wild rice dominated shallow water ecosystems, etc…) and without an acceptance of this fact a complete understanding of our ecosystems is not possible.

Ecological restoration also represents one of the best opportunities for genuine collaboration between the settlers and indigenous people in a way that honours the treaties and brings dignity and respect to our relationship with the land and one another. It is one of the intents of this conference to encourage this for the sake of a better future for all of us who live in Ontario, barring none.