Beth Waukechon, 37, who grew up with ties to both the reservation and the german culture of her mother's side of the family, felt more pulled towards the Menominee traditions. “There’s a sense you get when you cross the reservation line, and I don’t know how to explain it, completely. Like I’m allowed to breathe.” The Menominee in northern Wisconsin are preparing for the ways in which climate change could affect their forest in the future, in which invasive species could impact the life cycle of trees in the area. 95 percent of the land is occupied by trees here, and the forest is so dense that the reservation’s sharp outline is visible from space. The land owned by the neighboring community of Shawano County is recognizable by the sudden and stark division of forest and open fields.
Photo by Lauren Justice
