What are Stewardship Salons?
Stewardship Salons are collaborative learning spaces that foster a practitioner network for
voices in natural resources care and stewardship that:
1. Transcend institutional hierarchies and organizational boundaries to build an
informed community of practice for all voices.
2. Create a brave space where participants can feel valued and affirmed with their
experiences in natural resource management.
3. Encourage sharing both professional and personal connections to nature and each
other.
4. Amplify capacity for place-based stewardship and caretaking of the environment.
The Stewardship Salon concept drew inspiration from a 2017 workshop called “Learning from
Place” that brought Kekuhi Kealiikanakaoleohaililani, a Native Hawaiian master teacher, and
her learners from Hawaii to exchange with New York City (NYC) stewardship practitioners.
Kekuhi encouraged us to organize our own community prior to the exchange, to prepare
ourselves to be in dialogue with different ways of knowing and Indigenous practices. From
this exchange, the Stewardship Salon concept commenced.
Stewardship Salons engage the “stewards of stewardship” including natural resource
workers, land managers, scientists, artists, and other community-based stewards. The name,
"Stewardship Salon", was chosen as salon1
signifies a gathering of individuals who carry
experiences and perspectives related to a particular subject, and, in the case of these spaces,
stewardship, is our topic of focus. Stewardship is the act of protecting, taking care of, or
being responsible for our environments, our communities, and those who we share them
with– both other humans and the non-humans.
Stewardship Salons are a space to engage participants in experimentation and creative
methods not normally a part of their daily work, while exposing them to new knowledge
and perspectives. Participants build relationships over time with individuals who they
might not have otherwise connected with in their work, fostering a greater appreciation of
others’ unique expertise. Importantly, this co-learning exchange is a source of inspiration
for participants to see value in their own contributions to natural resource management.
Together these spaces can help work to prevent burnout and provide a source of resilience
against imposter syndrome, and feelings of isolation.
Our stewardship salons are hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as part of the NYC Urban Field Station
programming. This guide is meant to be a starting point for others who are interested in
developing and hosting their own salons. We encourage you to adjust this however you want
to your community and place.