It’s a cool and crisp morning on the shores of Lake Iliamna, a region with less than a thousand people, in Southwest Alaska, as Mary Hostetter, a Land Guardian, and Brandon Jensen, a drone pilot working with the Bristol Bay Guardians initiative, prepare for a drone flight. Mary and Brandon are in Pedro Bay and will drive from Brandon’s home to Knutsen Beach to survey spawning salmon.

On a cold, crisp October evening in Anchorage, the room of over 100 people fell still as Mary Hostetter, Yup’ik, shared why she believed in the power of Guardians – and why she had invited everyone to join us in learning about that power. Hostetter is one of the founders of the Bristol Bay Guardians program in southwest Alaska. She is inspired by the model of Guardians that is flourishing across Canada and hopes to see a similar movement expand across Alaska

Today more than 160 First Nations Guardians programs care for lands and waters across the country. This growth confirms what we already knew: where there are Guardians, there are benefits—for lands and waters, for health and wellbeing, for communities and regional economies, for the country and for all of us.

I had one of my best days on the land this fall. As part of the Land Guardians training on ethical harvesting, I went out with three hunters. These guys are young but loaded with knowledge.