I spent this Summer Solstice at the Last Hope Camp, located by Beal’s Brook in the Kespukwitk district of Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. 

A special celebration was happening to mark the solstice, Indigenous People’s Day in Canada, and a victory for the protection of this forest.  Extinction Rebellion and others had been based in this forest since last December to protect it from being logged. Due to the at-risk species of lichen that they found, the majority of the forest is now off-bounds to logging, and the Forest Protectors have taken down the camp and declared a win.

This episode is a compilation of different people offering their insights and reflections about how their involvement in Last Hope Camp affected them. During the last part of this show, we get an update from Nina Newington, one of the people who offered incredible dedication and creativity towards the protection of this forest, and learn how and why the Last Hope Camp is transitioning to a broader movement, the Last Hope Campaign. 

Get a feel for what it was like at the camp, why so many people came together, the strong community that formed, and what was achieved.

For anyone who feels overwhelmed and despairing due to all the interconnected world challenges, find some hope here! We don’t always know at first how to help or make a difference, or what an ultimate solution will be, but we can certainly find “the next right thing to do”, and build community with others doing that as well.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Facebook pages for news on the Last Hope Campaign-

Bioblitz Mi'kma'ki (Nova Scotia)

Extinction Rebellion Mi'kma'ki/Nova Scotia

XR email address: xrns@riseup.net

CBC Information Morning interview with Nina Newington on June 22/22

Also, see Shared Ground episodes 1 and 2 for more about Last Hope Camp