The first in the set — “Gaia & Beer: Signs of a Living Planet” — will held at Ten Mile Creek Brewery and explore the connections between the brews we drink and Mother Earth.  This will be an informal, fun symposia to open up the weekend.

The second in the set — “Gaia Meets Indigenous Perspectives” — will be held in the new events space at the Holter Museum of Art and serve as a formal introduction to Gaia Theory and various Indigenous Perspectives on nature.  This will be an evening gathering that involves a combination of presentation and Q & A. 

• 4-5pm: Mingling hour with live music by Spare Change and appetizers (by Dear Potato).  Beer & wine will also be available on site.
• 5-7:30pm:  Presentation/Discussion/Q & A

The third in the set — “Implications & Applications” — will be held on Merlin Nature Preserve at our outdoor classroom and involve a combination of presentation, discussion, and exploratory wanderings.  Due to preserve logistics, this gathering will be limited to 25 people.

Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet Nation) tribal member, and Aaniiih, Nakoda, Dakota tribal descent and an adventure explorer, photographer, videographer, writer, storyteller who travels throughout Montana to tell stories from an Indigenous perspective.

Lailani, grew up on the Blackfeet and Fort Belknap Indian reservations where she explored her home landscapes as a kid and got into trouble for taking off into the mountains (without notice) on “adventures.” She grew up hearing the stories and history of her tribal people and was grounded in identity through the passing down of oral traditions from her grandparents on both sides of her family and tribal lineage.

She says her experience and passion has led her to a closer connection to nature, likeminded storytellers, while vamping up a hunger to encourage others to tap into their voice through written and visual storytelling.

Lailani is on the board of directors for the Freeflow Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Missoula, Montana, that delivers opportunities for creativity, space, and access to wild places for writers, artists, and leaders of all backgrounds. She also is an advisory board member for The Common Ground Project, based in Yellowstone, Montana, that connects people from all walks of life to foster understanding of each other and the environment through campfire retreats.

Martin Ogle is an Educator, Wildlife Scientist, and former Chief Naturalist Emeritus for the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and founder of Entrepreneurial Earth.  He attained B.S. and M.S. degrees in Wildlife Science from Colorado State University and Virginia Tech, respectively.

Martin has served as an Instructor for Keystone Science School, Smithsonian Institute, and US Department of Agricultural Graduate School and has been recognized by Arlington Public Schools, Arlington County, and other organizations for outstanding contributions to the community.

He has a received a Green Innovation Award, Krupsaw Award for Non-Traditional Teaching, and an Arlington Green Patriot Award.

Martin is adept at bringing people together to advance sustainable living in creative, fun and successful ways.  His work is highly influenced by Gaia Theory — which Ogle has researched extensively and presents regularly on.