Growing Old: Tales from an Urban Canopy Tamara Power-Drutis, Colleen Echohawk, Katie Mosehauer, Lylianna Allala

Explore what the Northwest looked like pre-contact, with Native nutritionist and food sovereignty expert Valerie Segrest of the Muckleshoot Tribe. Walk through Schmitz Preserve Park where 50 acres of towering Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar still stand tall amid West Seattle’s urban community. Imagine what Seattle might look like in the year 2070, if it's to become a place where both trees and humans grow old.

Go the heart of Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood, where an immigrant family and thousands of volunteers turned 20 acres into a Japanese garden unlike any other. Hear the story of Fujitaro Kubota and the garden that carries his name, told by Joy Okazaki, President of the Kubota Garden Foundation. Travel with the Kubota family to Camp Minidoka, where they were interned along with 7,000 other Seattle residents of Japanese descent during World War II. Take part in Earth Corps’ restoration efforts to bring Salmon back to Mapes Creek, which runs through Kubota Garden into Lake Washington.

Harvest wild plants with Native nutritionist Valerie Segrest of the Muckleshoot Tribe. Explore what a regionally-based food system could look like in the Pacific Northwest. Take part in establishing edible prairie-land in your city to increase access to native foods.

Explore the systems of assimilation that aimed to eliminate Native culture in the United States, systems that began in Washington State. Travel to the Yakima Indian Reservation, where the very first assimilation board school opened, sparking the seizure of tens of thousands of Native children from their parents. Hear how one family rediscovered the songs of their ancestors.

Picture what it would look like for Seattle's housing and hospital infrastructure to reflect Coast Salish culture. Consider the role that forced sterilization of Native women has played in creating today’s high rates of Native infant mortality. Travel to the heart of SODO, where the Chief Seattle Club is turning concrete into a Medicine Garden. This is Growing Old.

Explore the role that trees play in human health and urban climate resilience, particularly amid a pandemic. Talk with City of Seattle urban forestry policy advisor Sandra Pinto de Bader, Urban Forestry Commission chair Weston Brinkley, and University of Washington research social scientist Kathy Wolf about the risks facing Seattle’s local trees with regards to climate change, development, and unintended neglect. Discuss the role of reciprocity and care in restoring Seattle’s “emerald” canopy. This is Growing Old.