Welcome back to Faith & Joy, a weekly newsletter that makes you smile no matter how hard you try not to!

Hey everyone,

Happy Friday!!! The weekend is just about here and we’re sure there are many backyard BBQ plans in the works. Of course, that means some berry-licious sides, too. With that in mind, you’ll love this farmer’s secret to keeping your berries fresh for weeks, rather than days.

Berry season aside, there’s been so much good news this week that it’s been hard to keep up! From Madagascar’s discovery of a new deep-sea creature to Belize’s announcement that they’re officially malaria-free (and everything in between), it’s been a big win this week for all of us “hopium” addicts out here and we’re loving it. Our favorite developments, though, involve the beautiful coming together of humans, culture, and nature- and exploring the mutual benefits of each. Enjoy! ❤️

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Today's Enjoyment:

• Quote: “In every walk with nature…”

• Video Reel: This tiny frog was in desperate need of help…

• Trending Loveable Stories:

  • Nuns and Natives Heal Polluted NY Water

  • Wild Buffalo Return to Tribal Land

Quote of the Day 💭

Reel of the Day 📽️

This is how you make friends with a frog! 🥹🐸

Trending Stories 📰

OPTIMISM

Nuns and Natives Heal Polluted NY Water

A group of nuns and women from the Shinnecock, a local Indigenous tribe in Long Island, New York, have collaborated to start a kelp farm with the aim of cleaning up the pollution in their shared environment. The kelp seedlings are expected to absorb carbon and nitrogen that have been polluting the waters of Shinnecock Bay.

This initiative also represents an effort to combat the tribe’s disenfranchisement.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation is a maritime tribe that has depended on the bay for its survival. Over the past 40 years, overdevelopment in the Hamptons, coupled with fertilizer runoff, has increased nitrogen levels in the bay, threatening marine life that the tribe depends on.

In response, six Shinnecock women formed a kelp farming collective in 2019. To do it, they struck a partnership with the Sisters of St Joseph. The Sisters happily obliged the women with some of their bayside property as well as a cottage to use as a “hatchery”, of sorts.

Their efforts are proving to be well worth it.

Over the last two farming seasons, there has been an increase in scallops, clams, sea horses, and other species in their kelp lines. The Shinnecock Kelp Farm, launched in 2021, has planted 20 lines of kelp in the bay and expanded its hatchery tenfold this season. The farm is currently developing products from the seaweed for future commercial use and was awarded $75,000 in March to expand its operations.

Despite facing ecological threats and the possibility of having to relocate due to super storms and hurricanes, the Shinnecock are driven by their commitment to preserving their way of life for future generations. As tribal attorney Tela Troge states,

“As Shinnecock, we are taught to preserve our life for the next seven generations... It’s what drives us to take action to protect the water now.”

Just as inspiring as the return of life to the seashores is the partnership unfolding between the Sisters and the women of the Shinnecock, who’ve graciously agreed that any profit made from the endeavor will go directly to the women of the Shinnecock tribe.

(Click here to read the full story)

ANIMALS

Wild Buffalo Return to Tribal Land

A bold bison calf took its first steps off the livestock trailer near Chief Mountain. It stood alone for a moment, uncertain in the ancestral homeland that hasn’t seen wild buffalo for 150 years. Soon, two dozen more sure-footed bison joined the calf, humps heaving against the wild backdrop of the horizon.

The release of the bison marks a historic homecoming for the Blackfeet Nation, whose cultural and ecological memories have been scarred by the absence of these majestic creatures. Helen Augare, leader of the Blackfeet Community College's Native Science Field Center, expressed the significance of the calf's emergence.

"It's fitting that the first one that jumped out was a calf because this is our future. This is forever. This is how we rebuild. This is how we restore. This is how we heal."

Ervin Carlson Sr., the Director of the Blackfeet Nation Buffalo Program, stood nearby, clasping a bit of chestnut hair. The descendants of a remnant herd saved from slaughter in 1873 had truly returned.

“It’s like bringing them back to where they belong, bringing them home. They took care of us for thousands of years. The best way we can take care of them now is by releasing them to their homeland where they originated from,” Carlson declared in a voice that threatened to crack with emotion.

The Blackfeet Tribe have worked tirelessly to restore free-roaming bison to their landscape.

In 2016, 88 young bison were brought from Elk Island National Park in Canada to serve as the core of a herd that would eventually roam freely on their native land. The tribal leaders collaborated with neighboring ranchers and retired grazing leases to secure a 24,000-acre area known as the Chief Mountain Wilderness Unit.

Last month, the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council passed a resolution for the release of 20 mature buffalo and five calves into the Chief Mountain area.

The restoration of bison is not only expected to heal the grassland habitats but also symbolizes the tribe's sovereignty.

(Click here to read the full story)

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