Edmonton Phenological Engagement
Practice
Noticing
Phenology is the art, science, and embodied practice of paying attention to changes in one's local ecology and tracking one's observations in connection with a calendar, that is to say, with a system for following solar and lunar cycles. Edmonton Phenological Engagement exists to revitalize and reclaim this lost art, as both a personal practice and a collective mode of knowledge generation and in-process orientation, with the aim forging better relationships with our more-than-human kin in the shared space where we live.
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Every art and practice has its ethics - the ethics that comes part and parcel of this practice is an ethic of coexistence with and mutual respect for all living beings. Find an articulation of our guiding principles to the right (below on mobile).
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Subscribe to our newsletter by sending an email to yegphenology@gmail.com (button in the footer).
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I was inspired to engage in this practice and to invite others in to join me by Ryan First Diver's Blackfoot Phenology course. You can find Ryan First Diver on YouTube. Click "Playlists," and scroll down to find "Phenology and Nature Study."
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I also highly recommend his video on Indigenous Harvest Ethics
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If you'd like you can watch some of my own phenology videos as well.
Grounded in Place
The core of this learning modality is the practice of visiting: we choose and return regularly to a particular spot throughout the year. We learn from the behaviour of all of the living beings who live in or visit our spot and how they are related.
Grounded in Living Time
All of life on earth is governed by solar and lunar cycles of time. Understanding seasonal cycles comes from paying attention to the sun and the moon. In modern cultures we allow ourselves to be governed by clocks, calendars, and schedules that are disconnected from living time. Paying attention to solar and lunar time takes an intentional effort, but is necessary to gain insight into life cycles of living organisms and how they are interconnected.
Grounded in Relationship
We approach our study as learning from, rather than about the various participants in the ecology. We consider how we may reciprocate for the learning, and what role a human being has to play in the ecology.
Grounded in Lifelong Learning
The kind of learning we do is gradual and lifelong. The living web of interrelationships is infinitely deep, and even in one small area, even in an urban setting, there will always be more to learn.
