Shelley Porter has joined UINR as the Bras d’Or Lakes Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative (CEPI) coordinator. CEPI was initiated by Mi’kmaq to bring partners together to work collaboratively on solving environmental challenges in the Bras d’Or Lakes and to develop comprehensive environmental management plan for the Bras d’Or Lakes. CEPI blends First Nation knowledge, approaches and culture with non-First Nation approaches for two-eyed seeing.
Shelley is a great fit in this new role with her interest in ecology and her work with environmental organizations. A unique combination of creative writing and a Master of Science in Biology gives Shelley a truly wholistic understanding of the process involvement in achieving CEPI’s goals.
Her writing and research has been published in academic journals, popular magazines and newspapers. Shelley’s biology interests are with native plants and rare plant species and she brings her love of nature to the UINR offices every day with her well-attended bird feeders!
As CEPI coordinator, Shelley has overall responsibility for projects as directed by the CEPI Steering Committee and she oversees the organization’s day-to-day duties. On Shelley’s busy agenda is the organization of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workshop and the Salmon Workshop.
Photo: CEPI Coordinator Shelley Porter shares a moment with UINR Executive Director Charlie Dennis and CEPI member Jason Naug, Oceans and Coastal Management Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.