FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 28, 2025
Contact: Audrey Schwartzberg, ANCA Communications Director, [email protected], 518.891.6200
Adirondack Diversity Initiative Explores Human-Nature Relationships in Education
Educators invited to November 15 event at The Wild Center
Tupper Lake, N.Y. — What can nature teach us about human communities? How can we honor the rights of nature while addressing our own needs? The Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) invites North Country educators to explore these and other questions through two educational approaches that center the Earth as a teacher and guide.
The event, titled “Where Rivers, Forests and Voices Meet: Co-creating Justice Across Human and Ecological Communities,” will take place on Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, N.Y.
“The connection between our shared humanity and nature has always been evident,” said ADI Director Tiffany Rea-Fisher. “Having a chance to come together as a community and dive deeper into this idea and way of thinking is very exciting to me. It feels like it could be a very exciting path forward.”
The event will feature presenters from two regional arts and education initiatives, Diversity Education in Nature (DEIN) and Talking Wings, who will share ideas, resources and implementation tools for individuals and groups engaged in education through schools, nonprofits, and other community organizations.
Camille Simone Edwards and Dan Kreisberg, co-creators of Diversity Education In Nature, will lead a discussion about how biodiversity in nature can inspire us to value and nurture diversity in human communities.
“The Earth is a role model for building communities of belonging and empathy,” said Kriesberg. “This workshop will offer participants an Earth-inspired toolkit to be a positive force for change in their communities. ”
Kriesberg has been a middle school science teacher and environmental educator for over 40 years at both public and independent schools. He is the author of two books on outdoor environmental education, over 100 articles on environmental education, and essays about his outdoor experiences, and presented at national and statewide conferences.
Edwards currently serves as director of student affairs at Friends Academy, a Quaker independent school in Long Island. She brings over a decade of experience in school leadership, community engagement, and organizational culture work. Edwards is also the founder and principal consultant of Camille Simone Consulting, where she partners with independent schools, universities, nonprofits, and cultural institutions to design strategic initiatives centered on equity, belonging, and sustainable leadership.
Blake Lavia and Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo of Talking Wings will introduce attendees to eco-centric storytelling, which shares the voices of water, rivers, and ecosystems through art and circular conversations.
“At a time when humans find themselves more and more divided, we need to get back to the basics,” Lavia and Aguilar-Izzo said. “We are all part of a shared ecological community, we are all part of Nature. We believe that it is imperative that humans honor their rights, roles and responsibilities in Nature. To do this, we personally advocate for the rights of rivers and our other more-than-human kin.”
They said that during the workshop, they will share “ways that we can all use a language and grammar that breaks down the barriers between us and the rest of Nature, treating Nature not as a commodity, but as a vibrant and sentient tapestry of life.”
Lavia and Aguilar-Izzo are community organizers and storymakers who helped found the nonprofit Talking Rivers, Inc., an organization that educates human communities about rights of rivers and their ecosystems. They are currently working with communities across Adirondack watersheds to create ecocentric governance systems that meet the needs of Nature. They also make up the environmental storytelling group Talking Wings, with whom they have organized numerous conferences, curated art exhibitions, and produced visual storytelling pieces that share the voice of land and water.
Hosted by ADI, a program of the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), “Where Rivers, Forests and Voices Meet: Co-creating Justice Across Human and Ecological Communities,” will take place at on Saturday, November 15, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, N.Y. The suggested registration fee of $50 includes networking and coffee starting at 9:30 a.m.; presentations and discussions; lunch; and entry to The Wild Center for the day of the event. Other fee options are available to accommodate all who wish to attend. Registration is open at www.adirondack.org/voices-meet.
Existing at the intersection of environmental and transformational justice, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) works to make the Adirondacks a welcoming and inclusive place for both residents and visitors while ensuring a vital and sustainable Adirondack Park for future generations. ADI is a program of ANCA, based in Saranac Lake, N.Y.
ANCA is a regional nonprofit and economic hub building shared prosperity across northern New York. Focused on small businesses, climate & energy, local food systems, and welcoming & belonging, ANCA works to ensure the long-term viability of the North Country, empowering individual wellbeing, economic strength, and regional stewardship. ANCA works with individuals, groups, and communities across 14 counties to navigate resources, cultivate networks, generate economic and community solutions, build shared capacity, and shape region-boosting narratives.
Provided: three (3) photos:
Photos 1 and 2: Camille Simone Edwards and Dan Kreisberg, co-creators of Diversity Education In Nature
Photo 3: Blake Lavia (left) and Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo of Talking Wings
