Robin W.

KimmererDistinguished Teaching
Professor and Director, Center for Native Peoples and the
Environment

351 Illick Hall

1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY 13210
315-470-6785 | 315-470-6760
rkimmer@esf.edu

Inquiries regarding speaking engagements

For inquiries regarding speaking engagements, please contact Christie Hinrichs
at Authors Unbound 

christie@authorsunbound.com

Biographical Sketch
 Dr. Kimmerer is a mother, plant ecologist, writer and SUNY Distinguished
Teaching Professor at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in
Syracuse, New York. She serves as the founding Director of the Center for Native
Peoples and the Environment whose mission is to create programs which draw on
the wisdom of both indigenous and scientific knowledge for our shared goals of
sustainability. Her research interests include the role of traditional ecological
knowledge in ecological restoration and the ecology of mosses. In collaboration
with tribal partners, she and her students have an active research program in the
ecology and restoration of plants of cultural significance to Native people. She is
active in efforts to broaden access to environmental science education for Native
students, and to create new models for integration of indigenous philosophy and
scientific tools on behalf of land and culture. She is engaged in programs which
introduce the benefits of traditional ecological knowledge to the scientific
community, in a way that respects and protects indigenous knowledge.

Dr. Kimmerer has taught courses in botany, ecology, ethnobotany, indigenous

environmental issues as well as a seminar in application of traditional ecological
knowledge to conservation. She is the co-founder and past president of the
Traditional Ecological Knowledge section of the Ecological Society of America.  Dr.
Kimmerer serves as a Senior Fellow for the Center for Nature and Humans. Of
European and Anishinaabe ancestry, Robin is an enrolled member of the Citizen
Potawatomi Nation.

As a writer and a scientist, her interests in restoration include not only restoration
of ecological communities, but restoration of our relationships to land. Dr.
Kimmerer is the author of numerous scientific papers on the ecology of mosses and
restoration ecology and on the contributions of traditional ecological knowledge to
our understanding of the natural world. She is also active in literary biology. Her
essays appear in Whole Terrain, Adirondack Life, Orion and several anthologies.
She is the author of “Gathering Moss” which incorporates both traditional
indigenous knowledge and scientific perspectives and was awarded the prestigious
John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing in 2005. Her latest book “Braiding
Sweetgrass: indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants”
was released in 2013 and was awarded the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award.
She has served as writer in residence at the Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue
Mountain Center, the Sitka Center and the Mesa Refuge. 
She holds a BS in Botany from SUNY ESF, an MS and PhD in Botany from the
University of Wisconsin and is the author of numerous scientific papers on plant
ecology, bryophyte ecology, traditional knowledge and restoration ecology. As a
writer and a scientist, her interests in restoration include not only restoration of
ecological communities, but restoration of our relationships to land. She lives on an
old farm in upstate New York, tending gardens both cultivated and wild.

Links to Video, Speeches,Programs

 TED talk TEDx Sitka: Reclaiming the Honorable Harvest)
 Bioneers 2014 Keynote Address: Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of
Grass  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumEQcRMY3c
 What Does the Earth Ask of Us? Center for Humans and Nature  Questions for a Resilient
Future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4nUobJEEWQ
 Address to the United Nations in Commemoration of International Mother Earth
Day http://harmonywithnatureun.org/content/documents/302Correcta.kimmererpresentationHw
N.pdf
 Commencement Address: Northland College http://www.northland.edu/commencement2015
 Profiles of Ecologists at Ecological Society of
America http://www.esa.org/education/ecologists_profile/EcologistsProfileDirectory/
 SACNAS Biography Project   http://64.171.10.183/biography/Biography.asp?
mem=133&type=2
 Authors Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/braidingsweetgrass?ref=bookmarks
 Center for Native Peoples and the Environment

Teaching
 EFB 446/646 Ecology of Mosses (3 credit hours). Two hour lecture and one three hour
laboratory or field trip. A study of taxonomic diversity, ecological adaptations and the roles of
bryophytes in ecosystems.
 EFB 305/605 Indigenous Issues and the Environment  (3 credit hours). This integrative
course examines the management of natural resources and environmental problem- solving
from a Native American perspective. The goal of the course is to provide students with a basis
for comparing Native and Western cultural patterns of natural resource utilization. Natural
resource use on Native lands is considered in a cultural and historical context. The course will
first introduce students to fundamental ideas concerning Native American history, religions,
political organization and traditional economies. Tribal sovereignty, as well as Federal Indian
Law are described as the framework in which tribes make decisions about environmental
issues. The contrasting perspectives of indigenous environmental knowledge and western
scientific knowledge are examined. Case studies are used to analyze Native resource
management strategies, within the context of the larger American society. Case studies will
include Ojibwa fishing rights controversy, Menominee forest management philosophy and
practice, ecological restoration initiatives, environmental toxins in traditional subsistence
patterns, energy development on Native lands and others. The course is designed to introduce
students to the unique cultural context of natural resource management on Indian lands and
provides an opportunity for students to integrate in-depth scientific knowledge, resource
 management policy and cross cultural perspectives. Experimental, interdisciplinary, or special
coursework in biology for undergraduate students. 
 EFB 337  Field Ethnobotany (3 credit hour). A field-based introduction to the identification
and traditional cultural uses of plants in the Adirondack region for food, medicine and fiber.
Topics include plant identification, traditional ecological knowledge and use of ecological and
ethnobotanical methods. Satisfies elective field study requirement in Environmental and Forest
Biology. Appropriate for upper and lower division undergraduate students. Two hours of lecture,
and eight hours of field work and discussion each day for two weeks. Summer; Cranberry Lake
Biological Station.
 EFB 496 Plants and Culture The goal of the course is to provide students with an
opportunity to explore the interactions between plants and people, in aspects of both material
and non-material culture. This sophomore level survey course draws upon multiple disciplines
including botany, ecology, genetics, evolution, anthropology, chemistry, religion, history and
economics to survey the breadth of economic, socio-cultural and ecological interactions with
plants. Students will be introduced to basic botany and ethnobotany through a survey of plants
which are used in both traditional and contemporary cultures. Examples are drawn from a
range of biomes and peoples, with a primary focus on the plants which are cultural keystone
species for indigenous peoples of the Great Lakes. We will examine topics from traditional
aboriginal subsistence patterns to issues of plant biotechnology to highlight diverse ecological
and cultural patterns. The course is intended as a broad survey of ethnobotanical topics
appropriate for sophomore level students who have completed general biology or equivalent.

Research Interests
 Ecology of mosses;
 Restoration of culturally significant plants to Native American communities;
 Environmental partnerships with Native American communities;
 Traditional Ecological Knowledge;
 Disturbance ecology;
 Recovery of epiphytic communities after commercial moss harvest in Oregon

Projects and Programs

 Founding Director, Center for Native Peoples and the Environment
 Director, Native Earth Environmental Youth Camp in collaboration with the Haudenosaunee
Environmental Task Force
 Co-PI: Helping Forests Walk:Building resilience for climate change adaptation through forest
stewardship in Haudenosaunee communities, in collaboration with the Haudenosaunee
Environmenttal Task Force
 Co-PI: Learning from the Land: cross-cultural forest stewardship education for climate
change adaptation in the northern forest, in collaboration with the College of the Menominee
Nation
 Director: USDA Multicultural Scholars Program: Indigenous environmental leaders for the
future
  Steering Committee, NSF Research Coordination Network FIRST: Facilitating Indigenous
Research, Science and Technology http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/cfirst/first/
 Project director: Onondaga Lake Restoration: Growing Plants, Growing Knowledge with
indigenous youth in the Onondaga Lake watershed
 Curriculum Development: Development of Traditional Ecological Knowledge curriculum for
General Ecology classes
 past Chair, Traditional Ecological Knowledge Section, Ecological Society of
America www.esa.org/tek

Publications
Books
Kimmerer, R.W. 2003. Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses.
Oregon State University Press. Winner of the 2005 John Burroughs Medal

Kimmerer,R.W. 2013. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific

Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants . Milkweed Editions October 2013.

Invited Book Chapters

Kimmerer, R.W, 2015 (in review)“Mishkos Kenomagwen: Lessons of Grass,
restoring reciprocity with the good green earth in "Keepers of the Green World:
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Sustainability," for Cambridge University
Press. M.K. Nelson, D.B. Schilling, eds.

Kimmerer, RW 2013 The Fortress, the River and the Garden: a new metaphor for
cultivating mutualistic relationship between scientific and traditional ecological
knowledge. in, “Contemporary Studies in Environmental and Indigenous
Pedagogies”  (Sense Publishers) edited by Kelley Young and Dan Longboat.

Kimmerer, R. W. 2011 “Restoration and Reciprocity: The Contributions of

Traditional Ecological Knowledge to the Philosophy and Practice of Ecological
Restoration.” in “Human Dimensions of Ecological Restoration” edited by David
Egan. Island Press.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2013 The Fortress, the River and the Garden: a new metaphor for
cultivating mutualistic relationship between scientific and traditional ecological
knowledge.
Scientific Articles
Kimmerer, R.W. 2012 Searching for Synergy: integrating traditional and scientific
ecological knowledge in environmental science education. Journal of
Environmental Studies and Sciences 2(4):317-323

Robinson, S., Raynal, D.J. and R.W. Kimmerer 2010. A 23 year assessment of
vegetation composition and change in the Adirondack alpine zone, New York State.
Rhodora 112: 43-51.

Muir, P.S., T.R. Rambo, R.W. Kimmerer, D.B. Keon. 2006 Influence of overstory
removal on growth of epiphytic mosses and lichens in western Oregon. Ecological
Applications Vol. 16 (3):1207-1221.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2005 The role of dispersal limitation in community structure of

bryophytes colonizing treefall mounds. The Bryologist 108(3):391-401.

Shebitz ,D.J. and R.W. Kimmerer 2005. Re-establishing roots of a Mohawk

community and restoring a culturally significant plant. Restoration Ecology
13(2):256-263

McGee, G.G. and Kimmerer, R.W. 2004 Environmental variation with maturing Acer
saccharum bark does not influence epiphytic bryophyte growth in Adirondack
northern hardwood forests: evidence from transplants. The Bryologist 107:302-311

Shebitz, D.J. and Kimmerer, R.W. 2004 Population trends and habitat
characteristics of sweetgrass, Hierochloe odorata: Integration of traditional and
scientific ecological knowledge . Journal of Ethnobiology. 24 (1):345-352

Kimmerer, R.W. 2002. Weaving traditional ecological knowledge into biological

education: a call to action. BioScience 52:432-438.

McGee, G.G. and Kimmerer, R.W. 2002. Forest age and management effects on
epiphytic bryophyte communities in Adirondack northern hardwood forests. NY,
USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 32: 1562-1576.

DeLach, A.B. and R.W. Kimmerer 2002. Bryophyte facilitation of vegetation

establishment on iron mine tailings in the Adirondack Mountains . The Bryologist
105:249-255.
Balunas,M.J. and Kimmerer R.W. 2002 The restoration potential of goldthread, an
Iroquois medicinal plant. Ecological Restoration 20:59-60.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2003. The role of dispersal limitation in bryophyte communities

colonizing treefall mounds in northern hardwood forests. Submitted to The
Bryologist

Kimmerer, R.W. and F.K. Lake 2001. Maintaining the Mosaic: The role of
indigenous burning in land management. Journal of Forestry 99: 36-41.

Faust, B., C. Kyrou, K. Ettenger, A. Drew, R. Kimmerer, N. Richards, B.

Nordenstam, J. Ransom and R. Smardon 2001. Human ecology Literacy: The role
of traditional indigenous and scientific knowledge in community environmental
work. Occasional Paper No. 16. Randolph G. Pack Environmental Institute. SUNY
College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Kimmerer, R.W. and M.J.L. Driscoll 2001. Moss species richness on insular boulder
habitats: the effect of area, isolation and microsite diversity. The Bryologist
103(4):748-756

Kimmerer, R. W. 2000. Native Knowledge for Native Ecosystems. Journal of

Forestry. 98(8):4-9

Kimmerer, R.W. 1998. Intellectual Diversity: bringing the Native perspective into
Natural Resources Education. Winds of Change. Summer. 14-18.

Kimmerer, R.W. and C.C. Young (1996) Effect of gap size and regeneration niche
on species coexistence in bryophyte communities. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical
Club 123:16-24.

Kimmerer, R.W. and C.C. Young (1995) The role of slugs in dispersal of the
asexual propagules of Dicranum flagellare. The Bryologist 98:149-153.

Kimmerer, R.W. (1994) Ecological Consequences of Sexual vs. Asexual

reproduction in Dicranum flagellare. The Bryologist 97:20-25.

Kimmerer, R.W. 1993. Disturbance and Dominance in Tetraphis pellucida: a model

of disturbance frequency and reproductive mode. The Bryologist 96(1)73-79.

Kimmerer, R.W. (1991) Reproductive Ecology of Tetraphis pellucida: Differential

fitness of sexual and asexual propagules. The Bryologist 94(3):284-288.
Kimmerer, R.W. (1991) Reproductive Ecology of Tetraphis pellucida: Population
density and reproductive mode. The Bryologist 94(3):255-260.

Kimmerer, R.W. (1989) Environmental Determinants of Spatial Pattern in the

Vegetation of Abandoned Lead-Zinc Mines. American Midland Naturalist. 121:134-
143.

Kimmerer, R.W. (1984) Vegetation Development on a Dated Series of Abandoned

Lead-Zinc Mines in Southwestern Wisconsin. American Midland Naturalist.
111:332-341.

Kimmerer, R.W. (1982) A Quantitative Analysis of the Flora of Abandoned Lead-

Zinc Mines in Southwestern Wisconsin. The Michigan Botanist. 21:185-193.

Kimmerer, R.W. and T.F.H. Allen (1982) The Role of Disturbance in the Pattern of
Riparian Bryophyte Community. American Midland Naturalist 107:37

Kimmerer, R.W. (1981) Natural Revegetation of Abandoned Lead and Zinc Mines.
Restoration and Management Notes, 1:20.

Literary Publications
Kimmerer,R.W. 2104 “Returning the Gift” in Minding Nature:Vol.8. No.1. Center for
Humans and Nature

Kimmerer, R.W, 2014. “Am I paying enough attention to the incredible things
around me?” “Twenty Questions Every Woman Should Ask Herself” invited feature
in Oprah Magazine 2014

Kimmerer, R.W. 2013 Where the Land is the Teacher Adirondack Life Vol. XLIV no
4 p. 36–41

Kimmerer, R.W. 2013: Staying Alive :how plants survive the Adirondack winter .
Adirondack Life Vol. XLIV no 8 p. 18–22

Kimmerer, R. W. 2013 “What does the Earth Ask of Us?” Center for Humans and
Nature, Questions for a Resilient Future. http://www.humansandnature.org/earth-
ethic---robin-kimmerer response-80.php

Kimmerer, R.W. 2012 ”On the Verge” Plank Road Magazine. Summer 2012

Kimmerer, R.W. 2011. “ World in Miniature” . Adirondack Life. Annual Guide. P 43

Kimmerer, R.W. 2011 “Witness to the Rain” in “The way of Natural History” edited
by T.P. Fleischner, Trinity University Press

Kimmerer, R.W. 2011. “Learning the Grammar of Animacy” in The Colors of Nature,
culture, identity and the natural world. Edited by L. Savoy, A. Deming. Milkweed
Editions.

Kimmerer, R. W. 2010 “ The Giveaway” in “Moral Ground: ethical action for a planet
in peril” edited by Kathleen Moore and Michael Nelson. Trinity University Press.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2008 . “The Rights of the Land”. Orion. November/December 59-
63.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2008. “North Country for Old Men”. Adirondack Life. Vol. 39:4
pp.50-56.

Kimmerer, R. W. 2008. “On the Ridge” in “In the Blast Zone” edited by K.Moore, C.
Goodrich, Oregon State University Press.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2008. “Nightfall” in “Let there be night” edited by Paul Bogard,
University of Nevada Press.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2007 “The Sacred and the Superfund” Stone Canoe. Syracuse
University. Volume 1 pp 1-17.

Kimmerer, R.W. 2005 “Offerings” Whole Terrain. 14:28-31

Kimmerer, R.W. 2005 “The Giving Tree” Adirondack Life Nov/Dec. Vol. 36:4 p
1017-1021

Kimmerer, R.W. 2004 “Interview with a watershed” LTER Forest Log. Spring Creek
Project

Kimmerer, R.W. 2004 “Listening to water” LTER Forest Log. Spring Creek Project