Spring Alaska Schreiner, owner and Principal Ecologist of Sakari Farms/Sakari Botanicals and the Central Oregon Seed Exchange, was awarded a 2022 Indigenous Leadership Award last month in Portland, Oregon. At HDFFA, we would like to congratulate her on this honor and celebrate her work here in Central Oregon and for Indigenous communities across the nation.
Spring (Chugach Alaska Native Corporation and Valdez Native Tribe) advocates on behalf of Indigenous and small-scale farmers and to provide access to First Foods through Indigenous horticulture practices. During the initial phases of the the COVID-19 Pandemic, she initiated a free food box program for Indigenous communities in the Northwest with nutritious, culturally appropriate foods, to aid some of the most vulnerable communities impacted by the pandemic in a time of great need. Spring is a pivotal leader in food and Indigenous knowledge, practicing sustainable land management and hosting an ancestral tribal seed bank
Photos provided by Spring Spring Alaska Schreiner
On the Ecotrust Website, the Indigenous Leadership Awards is described as follows:
The Indigenous Leadership Awards is a celebration of the determination, wisdom, and continuum of Indigenous leadership across our region. Since its founding in 2001, 56 exceptional Indigenous leaders have been recognized. These individuals are some of the most distinguished community leaders in the Pacific Northwest, representing a diverse spectrum of Indigenous cultures, languages, communities, and professions. They are negotiators, culture bearers, environmentalists, educators, advocates, scientists, knowledge holders, linguists, artists, resistors, and catalysts for change. All are united in their drive to protect and uplift tribal communities. For more information, visit the Indigenous Leadership Award website.
Thank you, Spring, for all the continued work you do and the dedication you have to food sovereignty and food security both locally and nationally. You are more than deserving of this recognition for all of the work that you do.
Read Spring’s bio and interview with Ecotrust here: https://ecotrust.org/spring-alaska-schreiner-interview/. To read the press release detailing more information about the 2022 awardees, head to this link: https://ecotrust.org/press-releases/ecotrust-indigenous-leadership-awards-2022-awardees-announced/.
To learn more about Sakari Farms and Sakari Botanicals, you can check out their website here.
Photo: Sakari Farms, 2021, Amanda Photographic
