By: Ashley Rogers, Former NJSOC Education Intern
This month, we are recognizing Autumn Peltier, a water rights advocate who was born on September 27th, 2004. A member of the Wikwemikong First Nation in Canada, Peltier strives to provide clean drinking water not only for her Great Lakes community, but also for other Indigenous Peoples and countries around the world. Inspired to take action after witnessing drinking water advisories at 8 years old, Peltier soon met with then Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, to condemn his promotion of oil pipelines.
Following in her great-aunt’s footsteps, Peltier became Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner when she was only 14. Throughout the years, she has also served as a UN Keynote speaker for World Water Week, was recognized as a Science Defender by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize 3 years in a row.
Housed within Stokes State Forest, NJSOC’s property possesses some of the cleanest water in the state. However, we realize that water pollution is a major risk for many across New Jersey. We aim to educate others about the significance of restoring the quality of all of our waterways through programming initiatives, like Water Ecology and Fish Ecology. For more information about Peltier, check out the Yale Climate Connections, NAAEE, and The Canadian Encyclopedia.
