We offer our respect and our ongoing commitment to meaningful reconciliation work to the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples whose lived relationships with the land are time-honoured. As environmental scientists, we focus on the health of the lands and waters, and in doing so we strive to graciously work, learn, educate and conduct research on traditional territories and to honour these places, which are home to many Indigenous Peoples today. This honouring can only be achieved through concrete actions¹ that center Indigenous voices and knowledge systems, and by upholding our collective responsibility to the land and Indigenous peoples’ histories, rights, and presence.

We respectfully acknowledge that the School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, is situated on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We likewise acknowledge that the University of Guelph Ridgetown campus is situated on the treaty lands of the Odawa, Potawatami, and Ojibwe Peoples, and neighboring the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown. Additionally, various Guelph research stations, including the Elora Research Station, are situated within the Haldimand Tract, originally deeded to the Six Nations of the Grand River. We uphold the significance of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum and the continuing relationship our Indigenous neighbors have with this land.

This Land Acknowledgement is a living document that was last revised August 25, 2021. We welcome open discussion around our commitment to meaningful reconciliation and acknowledge that we are at the beginning of this challenging but essential journey. 

¹Recent concrete actions towards reconciliation in SES:

1. The creation of the Bachelor of Indigenous Ecological Science and Practice within SES in 2021.
2. Prioritization of Indigenous candidates for faculty positions, with two First Nations faculty hired in SES in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
3. Research collaboration and knowledge exchange with First Nations communities in Ontario and beyond that engages these communities, conducted by several SES faculty

• Dr. Ryan Prosser’s research group is partnering with First Nations to investigate the effects of contaminants on aquatic and terrestrial biota
• Dr. Neil Rooney’s research group has worked with First Nations on tackling the problem of multiple stressors on aquatic ecosystems