The Elizabeth River Project is bringing 200+ year old wetlands back to the river
Each Seed Keeper outing begins with a song.
As volunteers gather along a shoreline of the Elizabeth River, ready to harvest seeds from native wetland plants, group leader Luísa Black Ellis recites a few verses that request permission from the land.
“When we collect seeds, we ask for permission before taking them, and then we do it with a song,” said Black Ellis, director of resilience and community engagement at the Elizabeth River Project (ERP).
The practice is inspired by the Indigenous concept of an Honorable Harvest. Made popular by the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, the concept emphasizes sustainability, showing gratitude for the land and not taking more than what you need.
“It’s about creating a relationship and reciprocity with the land,” Black Ellis said.
