WATER HAS NO BORDERS

October 27th, 2023

Panelists from across the Great Lakes Bioregion discussed how to unite across borders and meet the needs of the connecting Waters that bring life to all. Coming from different fields of expertise, including environmental management, freshwater science, and Indigenous Methodologies, the speakers addressed the intricacies of the geopolitical interests that partition the Great Lakes. Together they grappled with the settler colonial constructs that treat this Bioregion as a mere resource, and contemplated how humans can honor their roles and responsibilities towards Great Lakes' ecosystems.

This event was organized in collaboration with:

NoCoPEACS
(North Country Partnership for Environmental Action, Community, and Sustainability)

a collaboration of the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley

and will be the keynote panel during the

North Country Sustainability Day and Green Living Fair

October 27 & 28, 2023

Abraham Francis

Abraham Francis has a BSc in Microbiology, 2014, and MSc in Natural Resources, 2019, from Cornell University. Recently, he became a Ph.D. student at Clarkson University studying Environmental Science and Engineering. Previously, he was the Environmental Services Manager for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. The position allowed him to develop and implement projects inspired and directed by community needs and influenced by his research interests. His research interests are at the intersection of environmental studies, Indigenous methodologies, community engagement, education, health, social services, law, and cultural foundations as a means for empowerment and healing within Indigenous Communities.

He hopes to bring all his research interests and passions together within his dissertation, targeted at creating tools to support other Indigenous Communities to care for their environments from their biocultural contexts. Abraham has cultivated their expertise around their research and grown an extensive network of Indigenous Scholars/Knowledge Sharers, and Allies that carry a variety of expertise. Their expertise and network inspired the founding of the Aronia Collective, which seeks to align Indigenous Communities with experts to meet their unique needs and non-Indigenous organization to engage Indigenous peoples meaningfully.

Jérôme Marty

Jérôme is the Executive Director of the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR). He is a freshwater scientist by training and has contributed to bridging science and policy for the last 10 years in Canada. He is a member of the Science Advisory Board of the International Joint Commission (IJC). In this role, he co-chairs a project aiming at documenting how can Indigenous Knowledge and western science complement each other's to support better decision making within the Laurentian Great Lakes.

Twitter: @FreshwaterMarty

Heather Stirratt

Heather Stirratt is the Director of the International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Regional Office.  As Director, she is leveraging key partnerships across the basin to elevate attention to and implementation of the IJC’s water quality recommendations.  By enhancing the IJC’s binational connections across Canada and the United States (U.S.), Ms. Stirratt is increasing awareness of regional water quality challenges, monitoring and forecasting gaps to inform policy decision making, and the requirements for new freshwater science investments. Priority programmatic areas of interest to the IJC in the Great Lakes include water quality, early warning systems, enhanced science planning, and climate resiliency in a time of accelerated change.  

Ms. Stirratt has a diversity of non-governmental, county, state, and federal work experience.  She joined the IJC with over 27 years of professional experience in coastal and fisheries management.  Most recently having served for 15 years as the Great Lakes Regional Lead for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management, providing co-management oversight of teams working to execute NOAA’s mission, address Great Lakes constituent needs, while providing the best available scientific information to inform decision making. Ms. Stirratt has been nationally recognized for her contributions to U.S. fisheries management of highly migratory species by the Department of Commerce and NOAA’s General Counsel.  Ms. Stirratt has logged over 800 hours at sea conducting scientific research in addition to her policy and coastal county permitting work.  

Ms. Stirratt holds a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs, for fisheries management and ocean and coastal law, from the University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Miami, Florida. Heather’s passion for scientific understanding of natural systems extends into her personal hobbies as a hiker, topography and bathymetry map aficionado, and advanced/rescue scuba diver. She truly loves spending quality time outdoors with her husband and three children at home in Eagan, Minnesota.