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      Film Screening and Panel Discussion

      We Are Made From the Land

      Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 2—3:30 pm

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      Photographs of Indigenous peoples overlaid on an aerial view of the Seal River Watershed

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      In-person event
      Location: Morse Auditorium

      Included with admission

      Join us for a special screening of the short documentary We Are Made from the Land: Protecting the Seal River Watershed, shown in conjunction with Knowing Nature: Stories of the Boreal Forest. This moving film highlights the Seal River Watershed Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) Initiative — one of the largest land protection efforts underway in the world, located in the heart of the boreal forest in Manitoba, Canada. Hear personal accounts of this powerful place, firsthand perspectives on the trauma of historic land separation and the healing power of recent collective action to protect Indigenous Dene and Cree Nation land.

      The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with co-producer Stephanie Thorassie (Sayisi Dene First Nation), the Executive Director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance; IPCA collaborator Jeff Wells of the National Audubon Society; and field ornithologist Nathan Senner with Mass Audubon, which is engaged in a 30x30 initiative to preserve 30 percent of Massachusetts land by 2030.

      A reception will follow the talk.

      About our collaborators

      Stephanie Thorassie
      Stephanie Thorassie

      Stephanie Thorassie is a member of the Sayisi Dene First Nation from Tadoule Lake, Manitoba and is the Executive Director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance. Thorassie has a degree from the University of Manitoba and is a student of her Dene language, a hide tanner and a jewelry maker. She is humbled to be a part of sustaining connections to the land, culture and caribou. She is committed to showcasing Indigenous knowledge and leadership on the land and creating opportunities for Indigenous youth to succeed in their communities. Thorassie lives in Winnipeg with her partner and daughter and also lives part time in her community of Tadoule Lake.

      Jeff Wells
      Jeff Wells

      Jeff Wells, Ph.D., is a Vice President of Canada Programs at National Audubon. He leads Audubon’s efforts on using applied science and strategic communications to leverage public support for Indigenous-led conservation in Canada, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and Indigenous Guardians programs. Through this work, some of the largest new land protections in modern history are taking place across this globally important biome that supports billions of nesting birds. Previously, Wells served as Audubon’s National Bird Conservation Director and the Director of Bird Conservation for Audubon New York. For nearly 20 years, he led science and policy for the Boreal Songbird Initiative and the International Boreal Conservation Campaign. He has authored and co-authored numerous books, articles, papers and reports, including Birder’s Conservation Handbook, Boreal Birds of North America and most recently, Birds of Maine, among others.

      Nathan Senner, Ph.D., is Mass Audubon’s Gerard A. Bertrand Chair of Natural History and Field Ornithology and Assistant Professor in UMass Amherst’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Senner and his lab focus on understanding how organisms respond to environmental change to better help conserve threatened and endangered species. Senner’s love of birds began when he was a small child and continued at Carleton College, where he was awarded the opportunity to follow Hudsonian Godwits on their annual migration from the Arctic to South America. He went on to earn a Ph.D. at Cornell University and did his postdoctoral work at the University of Groningen and at the University of Montana. When he’s not at work, Senner trains with his dog and running partner, Oliver, who is three-time champion of the Snow Joke Half Marathon.

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