Each September the Long-term Ecological Research Program (LTER), which funds the K-12 Partnership, hosts an All Scientists Meeting. This two-day event brings together faculty, students and staff to share research updates and to tour the agricultural landscapes at KBS. In my role as the K-12 Partnership Coordinator, I was delighted to attend this event along with Partner teachers, Gabe Knowles and Melissa Frost. During the event we were able to share our program’s 25 year timeline, network and answer questions about the outreach and engagement work of the K-12 Partnership with scientists interested in the KBS LTER.

The KBS LTER is part of a national network of LTER sites across the country, each one is unique in terms of ecology, partners and community engagement. Yet, we find community and common ground in sharing our work with each other. The theme of the meeting, Building meaningful relationships between LTERs and Native Nations, provided a lens to think more deeply about our work. As the KBS LTER is seeking to be a better partner of Tribal communities here in SW Michigan, a panel of educators and Native American tribal partners from three other LTERs traveled here to share their journeys of collaboration. Tribal issues of importance, including land acquisition, language revitalization, recognition and healing of generational trauma due to land theft, displacement and attempts at cultural erasure of Native peoples through education, were shared. Some of the initiatives that were shared, included:
- Including the Kaw language into K-12 field trips (Konza Prairie LTER, lands of the Kaw, or Kanza (“Kaáⁿze”) People in Kansas)
- Providing mentoring opportunities for Native American youth and researchers through a summer research program at Harvard Forest LTER, lands of the Nipmuc People in Massachusetts
- Providing space for Tribal partners to meet and use the site for programming; adding plant signage in the Ojibwe language to support language acquisition and Indigenous Knowledge related to the properties of each plant at Cedar Creek LTER (lands of the Dakota and Ojibwe People of Minnesota)

It was wonderful to hear from this panel of educators and community partners. It was inspiring to hear their stories and think about how we want to honor the history and presence of local tribes and Native peoples on the landscapes of KBS. After the panel discussion we were able to take a beautiful walk together at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. I was reminded that spending time in person with collaborators that sustain, nurture and challenge my learning is such a gift. I am so thankful they traveled here to share time and space with us. Do you have personal or professional networks that sustain you? Who are they? How do they challenge your thinking and help you grow?
As educators and leaders of the K-12 Partnership, Gabe, Melissa and I used the meeting as inspiration for envisioning the next several years of the Partnership. We are asking ourselves: How will we bring longer histories that acknowledge the presence and dedication to land stewardship of the Anishinaabe? What connections could we make between the research shared and the curriculum of our classrooms?

About the KBS K-12 Partnership
The KBS K-12 Partnership is funded through the KBS Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) and the Michigan State University Graduate School. The KBS K-12 Partnership is a network of educators and scientists that come together to learn about the latest science at KBS and innovative pedagogies for classroom and outdoor teaching.
Questions? Email our team, k12partnership (at) kbs.msu.edu
Join our mailing list to keep up to date on K-12 Partnership happenings!
KBS K-12 Partnership offers professional development in science teaching! Learn more about the KBS K-12 Partnership.