Spring TEK Interns Celebrate

By Dawn Lowe (Mohawk, Cherokee, Apache, Hawaiian, Blackfoot)

TEK Educator/Mentor

They did it! Our Spring 2025 Elderberry Wisdom Farm interns celebrated the conclusion of the Spring TEK Workforce Development Internship on Thursday, May 29, 2025.

We asked them for feedback as they departed, and they named just a few of their shared experiences. They reported that it was most meaningful to them to learn more about and experience Traditional Ecological Knowledge, so critical for helping restore our earth, but it also their indigenous heritage. They were able to have a greater understanding of their ancestors’ spirituality and their connection with their sacred landscapes.

The team grew strong bonds with each other, which continued to grow along with the connections they made with partners during the internship. “Getting to see how working with other organizations was big for me,” said CJ Senn (Umatilla), a Portland State University graduate. 

They felt one of the most incredible experiences was when they went out for experiential service learning activities with our partners at North Santiam Watershed Council on a side channel of the North Santiam River. At John Neal Memorial Park, we conducted a site assessment where a population of the threatened Western Pond Turtle seems to be thriving and growing, with a total of 11 turtles all sunning themselves on a large tree that had fallen into the pond. They felt honored tat they didn’t splash into the water and disappear when the team approached. One of the Western Pond turtles was a giant grandfather.

Grandmother and young Western pond turtles at John Neal Memorial Park

They also got to spend time working on and learning from Elanor at Persephone Farm learning more about organic farming and removing invasives from the hedgerows. They also spent twice a week at Chemeketa Community College learning plant identification. 

Interns shared with Rose High Bear, ED, how much they appreciated the opportunity to learn from the farm itself through various Native Plant Nursery work experiences. “There’s variation, we had a big range to learn all of these things,” said Amanda Puitiza who is completing her PhD at OSU.

There are raised beds to tend and a Three Sisters Garden to grow (Three Sisters are traditionally corn, beans, and squash grown together). They helped to repot close to 1,500 trees and shrubs native to the Willamette Valley for some of our partners and learned how to design and construct an improved “smart” irrigation system.  

“I really liked working together and planting bare-root trees, especially one day when we planted 200 native pollinators," said intern Joaquin, a Willamette University graduate who just became our Native Plant Nursery Coordinator. 

We at EWF congratulate this amazing cohort on their successes and studies and all of their future environmental work on their life journey.

From said CJ Senn (Umatilla): “Our real-life connections with each other are more important for our health and for progressing further into a healthier and stronger planet."