Sacred Waters:
“Water was put here for all of life on Mother Earth. Every drop counts. Every drop has a duty to provide life and if we decide that it is ok to pollute some, we are battling the Natural Laws and no one will prevail,” said Jake Edwards reminding us of the necessity of healing and restoring Onondaga Lake. On Monday, April 19 at 7 pm at Syracuse Stage, 820 East Genesee St., Central New Yorkers can hear the public unveiling of the Onondaga Nation’s “Vision for the Future of Onondaga Lake.”
“Every region has its special feature. Ours is clean freshwater in abundance,” notes SUNY ESF professor and series organizer Jack Manno. “In the recent past, people took this gift for granted and allowed it to be degraded. Now, we’ve begun to take responsibility for righting that historic wrong. While much progress has been made to date, its now time to consider what true restoration could mean. It’s time to hear the Onondaga Nation’s ideas about what the lake can become once more and how.”
The main presenters are:
Jake Edwards, Onondaga Nation Chief who works on environmental issues on behalf of his Nation.
Henry Lickers (Seneca, Turtle Clan) is environmental coordinator for the Mohawk Council of Akwasasne and scientific co-chair of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force. An award-winning biologist, Henry has worked closely with the Onondaga Nation in developing their Vision.
A panel of community responders will respond to the Onondaga Vision: Onondaga County Executive Joanne Mahoney, SUNY ESF President Neil Murphy; Andrew Maxwell, Sustainability Director for the City of Syracuse and Meredith Perreault of the Onondaga Environmental Institute.
The program is part of the Onondaga Land Rights & Our Common Future series, consisting of 13 events in 2010. It is coordinated by Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation and co-sponsor by 12 major universities. Admission to this event is free. A reception and facilitated small group discussions will follow the presentation. For more information, including the full series schedule, see www.peacecouncil.net/noon or call 472-5478.
