You cause the grass to grow for the cattle
and plants for people to cultivate,
to bring forth food from the earth
(Psalm 104.14 NRSV)
There’s a grasslands party in Topeka this April 25-26, and you’re invited!
The party is the Inaugural Gathering of the Episcopal Grasslands Network. If you or your parish have land and you’d like to meet with others who are trying to be better stewards of their land, you might want to join us.
So what’s this all about?
First, here’s some background from the last few General Conventions:
In 2022, Resolution A087 urged all dioceses to work towards wasting less energy and taking better care of all our neighbors and all of creation. Among other things, the Resolution requested the diocesan bishops of every diocese
“to begin to build networks of landowners and creation trustees in each diocese who will devote portions of their land to reforestation, prairie restoration, wetland and coastland preservation; adopt and share regenerative agricultural and ranching practices; collaborate with neighboring dioceses for best water practices to protect our watersheds; collaborate on creative means of distributing food; and pray for future generations dependent on the land and water we steward”
Last year in Louisville, it was further resolved that
“the 81st General Convention urge and equip bishops and dioceses to work together in this triennium to form three new regional networks, to be called “Eco-Region Creation Networks”, based on shared ecosystems and watersheds. The Eco-Region Creation Networks link people, projects and properties dedicated to nature-based solutions to slow climate change through preserving and restoring plant communities appropriate to their bioregion; modeling transformative agriculture and food systems; and tackling issues of water quality and supply, and are to include the pilot Episcopal Grasslands Network (which includes the dioceses of Kansas, Western Kansas, Nebraska, Northwest Texas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana)”
Now the Bishop of Kansas has done just that, and all of us in this “Eco-Region Creation Network” are invited to gather so we can work together to care for this place.
Who should attend?
Anyone who has land, or who is part of a parish that has land, and who wants to meet with others to learn how to be better stewards of that land and to heal the harms we’ve done to the land.
Is there funding?
Yes. Mind you, there’s not a lot of funding, but there is some funding to help defray costs for this event. If you’re looking for funding for bigger projects, you might check out this link: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/?s=grants
Is there a Zoom option for those who can’t travel?
That’s the plan right now, yes. Details are forthcoming. If you’re interested in the Zoom option, click here and let the Diocese of Kansas know you’d like that option. You can also email the Rev. Caroline Howard at choward@episcopal-ks.org
What if I want to know more?
For more information about the Gathering, or to register, click here
Are there resources in the Diocese of South Dakota to help us with land stewardship, food forests, church gardens, and regenerative practices?
Yes! All three of us (Raghav, Mia, and Dave) are available to talk on the phone or zoom. We are volunteers with full time jobs, so please be patient if we are slow to reply. The best way to reach us is by email. Our emails are below.
· Dave O’Hara is Professor of Environmental Studies and Christian Values at Augustana University. He is married to the Rev. Dr. Christina O’Hara and helps manage their church’s food forest. His email is ohara@augie.edu
· Raghav Sriram Yogeeswari works for SD Game, Fish, and Parks as an environmental and outdoors educator. He serves on the Vestry at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Sioux Falls. His email is rsriramyogeeswari20@ole.augie.edu
· Mia Werger is a soil scientist who specializes in prairie restoration and regenerative agriculture, based in Brookings. She also loves bogs. Her email is mariawerger1@gmail.com
If you have questions about grasslands stewardship in the Diocese of South Dakota or about the Gathering, please send an email to both Dave and Raghav. This is a new venture, so we might not have all the answers, but we’re glad to hear from you. (Dave’s email is easier to spell, but he’s often working in remote rainforests and is a lot slower to reply!)
All three of us (Raghav, Dave, and Mia) are also glad to talk with local congregations about creation care and stewardship in our diocese.
Why should I care about grasslands?
Great question! This is something we’d be glad to talk to any congregation about, but the short version is that the Creator made this place and we want to be good stewards of this creation and to show neighborly love for all our relatives.
Also, the land is groaning a bit lately, because we haven’t always known how to treat it well. We’d like to help one another care for it well enough that future generations will be glad for what they inherit from us. Loving our neighbors as ourselves also means trying to be good ancestors.
Some more information and links:
Episcopal Grasslands Gathering, Topeka, Kansas, April 25-26 2025
https://episcopal-ks.org/grasslands-gathering-april-25-26-2025/
Episcopal Church Creation Care
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/
Episcopal News Service: Bishops Pass 3 Creation Care Resolutions
https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2024/06/23/bishops-pass-3-creation-care-resolutions/