Dr. Joe Stahlman, director of the Seneca Nation’s Seneca-Iroquois National Museum-Onohsagwe:de’ Culture Center and Tribal Historic Preservation Office, is the speaker at Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday on Jan. 7, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Stahlman will talk about “First Peoples and the Natural World”: the enduring relationship between First Peoples and their continued reliance on the natural world.

The discussion details the long-held belief system that entwines people to creation with their own existence. Stahlman believes by doing so we can maintain a bond between all life in the Anthropocene. Their existence has to be elevated to the level given to human beings, which remains integral to First Peoples’ worldview.

A scholar and researcher of Tuscarora descent, Stahlman has over 20 years of research experience with First Peoples. His work focuses on culture and history, as well as ongoing socio-economic and health- and wellness-related endeavors with Native communities. He takes an active role in addressing the space Native peoples occupy in North American archaeology and cultural resource management.

Stahlman regularly talks on the need to promote equity among all peoples in North American society through a number of reconciliatory processes which are inclusive for all and empower people to express agency through creative and intellectual endeavors.

At First Friday, chairs are set up in a socially distant manner. Participants who come together may sit together. Face coverings are required.

The fee is $6 for Nature Center members, $8 for non-members.

Reservations are requested by Thursday, Jan. 6. They can be made by calling 569-2345 or going to AudubonCNC.org and clicking through “Register for a Program.” Walk-ins are welcome.

Audubon takes into consideration regional data from both Chautauqua and Warren counties to make COVID-19 related decisions and to follow CDC recommendations at minimum. To review ACNC’s most up-to-date COVID-19 requirements, which include information on face coverings and gathering limitations, visit AudubonCNC.org and read the COVID-19 Notice at the top of the page.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. View the grounds, with its six miles of trails, and Liberty, Audubon’s non-releasable Bald Eagle, dawn to dusk daily, free of charge.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the new Hellbender exhibit, winners of the 2021 Nature Photography Contest, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members enjoy free building admission daily, and building admission is free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members as well.

The building will be closed on New Year’s Day.

To learn more about Audubon and its programs, call 569-2345, visit AudubonCNC.org, or find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook.