In this month’s Relearning Highlands History, HHLT’s Stewardship Fellow Joseph Moonjely explores the ecology of spring ephemerals. Treasured by many for the beauty they bring to the start of spring, these fleeting yet vital wildflowers have been used by many Indigenous communities for generations in healing and medicine traditions.
In this month’s Relearning Highlands History, HHLT’s Stewardship Fellow, Joseph Moonjely, describes his experiences tapping maple trees, his discoveries about Indigenous maple sugaring practices, and the evolution of syrup production to this day.
An Interview with Lavada Nahon In this month’s issue of Relearning Highlands History, we consider the unique system of enslavement that developed in the Hudson River Valley throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. While slavery in New York, and the North in general, took a different form than that of the Read more…
As we celebrate our national independence and look ahead to the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026, Relearning Highlands History explores a local battle fought by a pioneering regiment of Black soldiers in the Revolutionary War. “The 1st Rhode Island”s story is such a unique one in the Read more…
In this issue of Relearning Highlands History, we explored the intersectional relationship between LGBTQ+ rights and the environmental justice movement through a Q&A with Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D NY-18). Rep. Maloney has served New York’s 18th congressional district since 2013 and is the first openly gay person elected to Congress from New York. He lives in Cold Spring with his husband and three children.
A conversation with Rowen White, Seed Keeper and Member of Akwesasne Mohawk Nation In this issue of Relearning Highlands History, we sat down with Rowen White, who is a farmer, seedkeeper, author, founder of Sierra Seeds, and member of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. Rowen’s work focuses on the growing movement to Read more…
Last month, our nation observed Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day to appreciate and honor the diversity, history and culture of Indigenous communities. And this month we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. We thought this would be an opportune time to call attention to Indigenous land acknowledgements, or statements that recognize Read more…
Looking Back at Our Statement on Racial Inequity and the First Year of Relearning Highlands History One year ago this month, we launched the Relearning Highlands History series to deliver on a promise we made in our June 5, 2020 statement on racial inequity. Among other diversity and equity initiatives, we made a Read more…
All across the country, tree cover tends to be sparser in low-income neighborhoods compared to wealthier (and often whiter) neighborhoods. Living near trees provides countless public health, economic and environmental benefits—and people without adequate access to trees often suffer. According to The New York Times, “Healthy trees trap air pollutants, which Read more…
This month (June 2021), President Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday. Celebrated on June 19th, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday originates in Galveston, Texas, where enslaved people were finally declared free on June 19, 1865, nearly three years after President Lincoln signed the Read more…