William Wildcat Coakee is the founder and Executive Director of Mother Tree Food & Forest, drawing upon a rich background that began in the Oklahoma Seminole Nation. His lifelong commitment to organic gardening since childhood, followed by extensive experience in organic farming and a decade of dedicated work in regenerative horticulture, food forestry, and wildland restoration, has provided him with a comprehensive foundation.
Coakee's expertise encompasses a wide range of fields, including Western science disciplines such as soil biology, mycology, botany, ecology, and zoology. He also delves into ecological anthropology, history, ethnobotany, herbalism, and the intricate realms of plant and fungi medicine. In addition, his knowledge extends to conventional regenerative agriculture, ancient Indigenous agroecology, and traditional ecological wisdom. He is well-versed in practices like landscape water retention, wetland restoration, syntropic agroforestry, food forestry, desert reforestation, Miyawaki reforestation, and ecology/climate physics.
Coakee's remarkable ability lies in his skillful integration of these diverse studies and systems of knowledge, creating a cohesive vision of humanity's relationship with the Earth as responsible stewards. He resides within the Mimbres River watershed on the unceded lands of the Tci-he-nde band of the Chiricahua peoples, where he honors the Brown Bear, Jaguar, Beaver, and the Forests and Wetlands that vanished with colonization.
Garrett Menghini, is the owner of Down to Earth Composting, a rapidly growing, hands-on composting service that picks up people's food scraps and returns...
Basil Camu is the co-owner of a local tree care company called Leaf & Limb located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Basil is also the...
Kim Rios has a strong passion for environmental activism and education. She obtained her degree in environmental policy at the University of Nevada, Reno,...