The Whole Field • Volume 5 • No. 16 • Full Moon • August 28, 2026
The Ballad of Captain Blackheart
Honoring the great Bob Russell, who passed away 13 years ago, and to commemorate the outstanding Neahtawanta Inn and Neahtawanta Research and Education Center, and all the elders in this place who have stewarded the good work for so long.
Starting from and Staying with the Nature of Place
by Stephanie Mills
Now. It is right and necessary always to acknowledge that this land, these watersheds, are located on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg, who today are represented by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. Since time immemorial, these nations have lived, honored, worked in, and respected this place. Migwech.
Land acknowledgement and water protection count as core bioregional practices. They direct us to respect and honor the living earth and to learn from the people who have dwelled in these forests and along these shores for time out of mind, and who live here now.
In The Accidental Reef, what Lynn Healey wrote of the Bkejwanong and Aamjiwnaang First Nations down on the St. Clair River might also be said of the Anishinaabeg up north: "perhaps their most powerful storying, their most radical act of resistance and renewal was this: "They stayed."
Thus, and again, starting from and staying with the nature of place.
Author Richard Nelson's Koyukon hunting mentor in interior Alaska told him "everything out there knows way more than you do." Most living creatures have been at their infinitely varied and intertwined ways of being a lot longer than our young species. Therefore respect and humility in the presence of Others are always appropriate.
Likewise, every one of you, in this room full of lived experience, curiosity, and concern for our world knows something more than I do. Whatever brought you here tonight, I imagine that alive in you is some heartfelt concern for this life place--this bioregion--and for its waters--essential, real, and sacred. What an awesome gift and responsibility it is to dwell by these inland seas and among the many beings that swim, swoop, trot, hop, crawl, nest, and ply their predator-prey business in this place!
The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration
|| 1 || Stephanie Mills' talk was accompanied by a concise list of resources. You can find the complete list at the bottom of the talk on Substack but here's an excerpt: Four Essential Websites
Planet Drum Foundation: the primary online destination for learning about bioregionalism— https://planetdrum.org/
Resilience: an invaluable source of articles, analysis, and essays towards community thriving in the post-fossil fuel future— https://www.resilience.org/
Local Futures: advocates for what the name implies—decentralized, grassroots economies and cultures— https://www.localfutures.org/
Center for Biological Diversity’s Population and Sustainability Program: connects the dots, with justice and equity in mind— https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/
|| 2 || I've been reading Shakespeare's King Lear, which recently reminded me of Life Is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition by Wendell Berry. This really is Berry at his best, making a strident-yet-patient case against the arrogance of science über alles—science as the only way of knowing that matters—and using the power of literature (Lear, of course, but also William Blake, Dante, Tennyson, the Bible...) to say—well, here he says it better than I can:
I am not of course proposing an end to science and other intellectual disciplines, but rather a change of standards and goals. The standards of our behavior must be derived, not from the capability of technology, but from the nature of places and communities. We must shift the priority from production to local adaptation, from
innovation to familiarity, from power to elegance, from costliness to thrift. We must learn to think about propriety in scale and design, as determined by human and ecological health. By such changes we might again make our work an answer to despair.
|| 3 || Speaking of writers both local and locally-minded, if you are not yet aware of two amazing bookstores in our humble little town of Traverse City, be sure to check them out. They could surely use your business!
Artemis Books and Goods was founded by four women who met while working at the now closed Brilliant Books. They've built an open, light-filled, community-friendly space at 144 Hall Street near Water Bearer Coffee
The Folded Leaf (Foundation) lives right downstairs from the Alluvion, and is a tiny nook of a shop overflowing with great programs, coffee, and of course books.
These are not sponsors—just rad people doing amazing work who could use your support!
|| 4 || Speaking of rad people, I was also glad to meet the multi-generational farmers at Rolling View Farm at their weekly coffee break last weekend. Like so many of the small-farm folks in our region, they are piecing together a way of living that connects the food they grow to their relationships with neighbors, local artists, community health, and local economy. Annie also offers some heartfelt, thoughtful critique of rural gentrification worth listening to. They'll be visiting us at the Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference—come say hello!
The Weft — News and Events
We’re heartened by a wide-range of expressions of resilient communities and gatherings. Here’s a smattering of regional events and happenings that reflect that diversity, collected for your consideration. Choose your own adventure!
|| 1 || Growing a Stronger Food System for All: Through the Seed Awards, Michigan Good Food Fund’s Stakeholder Board awards seed grants ranging from $5,000-$20,000 to eligible businesses in the food and farm sector.
Applications for the next round of funding open on September 7, 2026. Sign up for the email newsletter to stay up-to-date on this round of funding. For more information regarding the Seed awards and application process visit https://migoodfoodfund.org/support-for-entrepreneurs/seed-awards/#info
|| 2 || Ship Yard is on its way back! A program of Crosshatch at The Alluvion, Ship Yard is a way to support upcoming songwriters in our region. The application is free, and accepted artists receive
a high-quality audio and video recording (including files for later mastering) of your performance
professional head shots from photographer Tyler Franz
a high-quality space to perform
a generous and attentive audience
lots of technical support
a $50 /musician stipend (capped at $250/band)
|| 3 || Mark your Calendars! The 2026 Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference is coming to downtown Bellaire, Oct. 4th-6th. Find more on the theme, Culture Keepers, and the conference here.
|| 4 || Water is Life Festival, Saturday, September 5th, noon-9pm, Petoskey. A unique celebration of Water and our connection to it, with art, food, music, and more. Check out the website to learn more here.
sponsored by:
Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors is a mission-driven, fee-only wealth management company with a simple purpose: to generate exceptional value for the individuals, families, small business owners, and non-profit organizations they serve. Desmond Liggett Wealth Advisors believe in and adhere to triple-bottom-line analysis for portfolio investments, ensuring that they review how a company’s environmental and social values impact its long-term resilience and, consequently, value.
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