Wabanaki Field Trips to AMC land to assess harvesting opportunities

As a part of the First Light Learning Journey in 2019, Appalachian Mountain Club worked with the Penobscot Nation to begin issuing harvesting permits for brown ash to tribal members free of charge. On May 10th, about 15 Wabanaki people from four Tribes convened at the West Branch of the Pleasant River with Steve Tatko from AMC to assess its accessibility to Wabanaki communities and discuss AMC’s current harvesting permit for brown ash.  Steve offered this field trip to hear from Tribal representatives and artisans about how to make these permits accessible to other tribes while preserving the privacy of the harvesting practices. At the gathering, participants harvested ash. First Light is committed to funding and supporting more field trips of this nature in the months and years to come.