“ECOLOGY TRANSFORMS YOUTH”
Mielikki Kotilainen (Wendy Kotilla) has been drawn to nature for shamanistic healing and guidance throughout her life in Canada. Since the age of four, she has gone to rivers for solace. Nature rituals include witnessing eagles bathing and listening to ancient forest wisdom. Mielikki has engaged in Native American sweat lodge, bathing and Sundance ceremonies for over twenty years. Her ancestors came from Kivijarvi and Tampere in Central Finland.

Oyster River Enhancement Society (ORES) has been a dedicated supporter of Youth and Ecological Restoration (YER) since the program began in 2004. Youth #6 was the first to come and help ORES volunteers with restoring salmon stocks to the river. In 2005, Youth #20 said that “ORES is a birthplace that brings life to the world. It is a place for fish to mate and we can help them.”

Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS) and Youth and Ecological Restoration (YER) are excited to invite the public to a youth led tour of the Perseverance Creek corridor on Friday, August 20th at 12:00 pm. This section of forest was purchased in 2020 and is 225 acres in size.

The Youth and Ecological Restoration Program (YER) is going through changes this fall. After sixteen years of YER being operated by one person, it is time to introduce someone else into the program leadership. This transitioning to new blood has been ongoing for a couple of years with the main goal of ensuring YER continue with its integrity intact.

The year of 2020 has been challenging for everyone. Youth and Ecological Restoration (YER) suspended operations when the COVID pandemic was first realized around the middle of March.