Hello everyone! Thank you for following us into February, and continuing to support Braided River. My name is Melissa Burrell (she/her), and I have the honor of introducing myself as the new Conservation Media Impact Producer at Braided River. While I grew up in Olympia, I have spent the last 9 years in Minnesota, Toronto, and most recently, Denver, doing work within the Water Protector Movement, climate policy, coalition building, and Indigenous justice. I care deeply about relationship building and trust in the work we do, and the power that art and storytelling brings to the climate justice movement. Braided River is a pretty powerful intersection of all of those things. On a personal note, I love collaging, trail running, anything with animals, and dancing!
I am excited to connect more with you! You can always reach me at mburrell@braidedriver.org. I look forward to exploring more of the Pacific Northwest and this land I love, so send me your recommendations! Thank you so much for being part of the Braided River community - so much good work yet to come.
Announcing...Overlooked & Untold Stories!
An Inaugural Braided River Grant Program Supporting Timely Environmental Reporting in Alaska
We are so excited to launch this fund that will support ambitious journalistic reporting that explores the overlooked and untold stories and voices in Alaska communities on the front lines of the consequences of the biodiversity, climate, and social justice crises! This is a call for proposals from journalists and social media influencers for revelatory and in-depth reporting that examines the politics and consequences of public and private land management impacts to communities and biodiversity from resource development in Alaska. The Overlooked & Untold Stories grant program generally funds projects between $2,500 to $10,000. Time-sensitive proposals limited to funding for travel in Alaska totaling $5,000 or less may be reviewed and responded to more quickly.
Examples of timely stories may include stories of Indigenous communities of the North Slope of Alaska that include a balance of voices currently not well represented in the media, or Alaska politics, economics, and the outsized influence of industrial scale resource development.
Interested? We want to hear from you! Proposals for 2025 fieldwork are being considered on a rolling basis. Follow the link below to learn more about the grant program, and how to apply.
Remembering Eric Scigliano
Seattle journalist Eric Scigliano passed in a tragic diving accident in the Galapagos Islands at the end of last month. He was well-traveled and well-read, gravitating toward the untold and unexpected in his nuanced work. Eric was the ideal author for Braided River’s title, The Big Thaw (2000) – a book that described the scientific complexities of the climate crisis in accessible terms while incorporating compelling and hopeful human stories. The book won multiple national awards for environmental writing and the Washington State Book Award for general nonfiction. Eric was also a major contributor to The Wild Edge (2004) and wrote for the Seattle Weekly, Seattle Times, Crosscut, Investigate Web, and Post Alley News, among others. His curiosity and dedication to protecting people, structures, norms, and history will be greatly missed. Read more on Eric’s legacy here.
Support Nonprofit Publishing— Get Your Name in Woodpecker
Please join me in sustaining independent, mission-driven publishing by supporting our excusive publishing partner, Mountaineers Books.
– Helen Cherullo, Executive Director, Braided River
Mountaineers Books is driven by publishing professionals who support the stories and storytellers that reveal our wild places on Earth--creating a wide range of books that delight and encourage readers to experience the mysteries and wonders of the natural world. Many of you receiving this newsletter are most familiar with its Braided River titles, books that are dedicated to exploring lives and lands with the goal of inspiring new environmental protectors.
Woodpecker, by the award-winning author and photographer Paul Bannick, is an example of this thoughtful, mission-driven publishing. The opportunity you have before you is not only to support the exceptional conservation work represented by Woodpecker and the Braided River imprint, but also to support the entire nonprofit, independent publishing program of Mountaineers Books that connects people to the outdoors. We need more passionate and informed advocates in the world today--and Mountaineers Books provides that bridge.
“The talented team at Mountaineers Books, and its imprint Braided River, provides a unique platform for authors and photographers who, like me, share their core values of conservation and stewardship of wild places. Knowing that we embrace the same goal made it easy for me to entrust them with the past several years of dedicated heart and field work I invested in my fifth Mountaineers/Braided River title—this one exploring the world of North American woodpeckers.” - Paul Bannick
With a gift of $250 or more, your name will be listed in the acknowledgments section of the new book,directly supporting Mountaineers Books as well as the production and distribution of our upcoming Braided River title, Woodpecker.
Photo Credits
Top Photo: Dave Showalter
Second Photo: Florian Schulz
Third Photo: Seattle Times courtesy of the Scigliano family
Fourth Photo: Woodpecker cover, Paul Bannick