About the Program
The Stories of the Forest project is a book and exhibition project based on the idea that the forest has a story to tell if only we slow down and take the time to look. A simple story might be the succession of trees and other plants that grow up after a disturbance like a fire or the life of a squirrel that scratches cedar bark to get fluff for its winter nest and takes apart cones for their seeds, leaving a giant midden. Observing a single flower over a series of days as it blooms and then seeds might tell a very interesting story.

If this program is presented in the classroom, the instructor will come to the class, possibly with a canvas from the exhibition and possibly with one of the other storytellers involved, and talk about the many things that can be observed in the world around us. She will also talk about different perspectives on the land, including First Nations perspectives shared by the elders who were part of the project.

If the class is outdoors, we will go for a walk and talk about the stories around us and then the children will have an opportunity to closely observe something that interests them and tell that 'story' through words or drawing - or any other media of their choice.

About the Community Educator
Laura is a writer, historian, and environmentalist with a strong interest in the history of the land around Revelstoke. Her latest book, Swift River: Stories of the First People and First Travellers on the Columbia River around Revelstoke, investigates not only social history, but also what the land, river, and natural environment were like before the arrival of settlers. Laura loves to share stories about how this land and the people who care for it have changed over time, and her presentation will get students to imagine different possibilities for the future by thinking about what existed in the past and how First Nations stewarded the land.