LAND FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES: Stories about the Past, Present, and Shared Futures of the Land around us.

Shaniqua Bowden serves as the Director of Cultural Engagement and Sustainable Living at the Kingston Land Trust, where she advances initiatives that expand land access for Indigenous communities and Black and Brown farmers and growers while supporting equitable land ownership and stewardship in communities of color. Shaniqua’s work is guided by a commitment to advancing ecological repair, driving racial justice and social equity, democratizing communities and wealth, retaining and restoring cultural diversity, and relocalizing economic power. She is passionate about exploring the intersection of culture, heritage, and land conservation, leveraging these insights to drive meaningful change.

Kawenniiosta is a Kanien’kehá:ka woman from the Wolf Clan of Akwesasne and Creative Director of Skywomans Forever Farm, an Indigenous-led initiative rematriating ancestral lands in Schoharie Valley, NY. A dedicated land steward, she integrates Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge with modern remediation practices to restore soil, water, and food systems affected by industrial pollution. Former Co-Executive Director of the Waterfall Unity Alliance, Kawenniiosta also brings years of experience in youth advocacy, cultural programming, and Indigenous fashion. She is a master seamstress, Full Spectrum Doula, and mother of six, committed to cultural revitalization, language preservation, and environmental healing. A graduate of the Champions of Change leadership program and a member of several Indigenous-led alliances, she works to advance sovereignty, sustainability, and community resilience through every aspect of her work.

John Kelder is a twelfth-generation farmer at Kelder’s Farm, which has been in his family since 1779. John and an amazing team manage a diverse U-pick fruit, vegetable, and flower destination. Passionate about connecting guests back to their agricultural roots to grow fun memories, John is also deeply committed to the future of regional farming. He actively serves on the Ulster County Farm Bureau, the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Rochester Ag Advisory Board, and acts as the YBSV (Young, Beginning, Small, Veteran) advisor for the Farm Credit East Board.

Eddie Moran currently serves as the appointed Historian for Ulster County, NY. Eddie graduated with a B.A. in history from SUNY New Paltz in the Spring of 2020, and began work as a tour guide at Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz while still a student in 2017. He managed guided tours and historical interpretation full-time at Historic Huguenot Street beginning in 2022, and was appointed Ulster County Historian in September 2024. He is a lifelong resident of the New Paltz area, and a descendant of the town’s Huguenot and Dutch colonizers.

Bethany Yarrow is a mesmerizing performer renowned for her rich musical history and deep-seated activism. Born into the tradition of the folk revival and freedom songs of the 1960s, she is a song keeper and earth activist who has brought the power of her voice to rallies, demonstrations, and frontline actions around the world. Bethany was a founding organizer of the Black Hills Unity Concert, the Waterfall Unity Alliance and, most recently, the Waterfall Center for Bioregional Learning. She lives in the Schoharie Valley in central New York at the top of a 100’ waterfall, which has guided her work and life path for over 25 years.