McKaylin Peters of the Menominee Indian Tribe Named 2025-26 UNITY Earth Ambassador
UNITY is proud to recognize McKaylin Peters, a member of the Menominee Indian Tribe, as a 2025-26 UNITY Earth Ambassador representing the Midwest Region. A dedicated environmental advocate, cultural leader, and student of sustainable forestry, McKaylin brings a powerful intergenerational vision to her role—one rooted in Menominee teachings and a profound respect for the Earth.
“Being an Earth Ambassador means sharing the knowledge of our ancestors and helping people remember that the Earth is alive,” McKaylin shared in her personal statement. “It means listening, learning, and leading with love for our environment and all our relations.”
McKaylin’s passion for environmental stewardship is inseparable from her identity as a Menominee woman. The Menominee Nation has long been recognized for its model of sustainable forest management, and McKaylin is continuing that legacy—blending traditional ecological knowledge with science, policy, and youth empowerment.
Her nominators praised her hands-on involvement in tribal land restoration, youth education, and climate advocacy. “McKaylin leads with humility, but she doesn’t hesitate to step up and speak out when it’s time to protect our lands and waters,” one supporter wrote. “She carries our forest teachings in her heart and shares them with her peers in ways that inspire action.”
Over the past year, McKaylin has served as a youth representative for her tribe’s Environmental Services Department, participating in forest restoration events, water quality monitoring, and cultural plant gatherings. She also volunteers at the Menominee Tribal School and local Boys & Girls Club, where she hosts hands-on workshops on topics like seed-saving, composting, and native plant gardening for younger students.
“Our children deserve to know that taking care of the land is part of who we are,” she said. “They need to see that environmental work isn’t just science—it’s ceremony, it’s community, and it’s love.”
McKaylin also uses her voice through storytelling and writing. She regularly contributes to her tribal newsletter and recently published a digital zine highlighting Indigenous environmental movements across Turtle Island. “Stories are medicine,” she explained. “We heal when we remember who we are and how we are meant to live in relationship with the Earth.”
As a UNITY Earth Ambassador, McKaylin will launch a project called “Echoes of the Forest: Youth Voices for a Sustainable Future.” The initiative will engage Menominee youth in recording oral histories from elders about the tribe’s sustainable forestry practices, while also documenting their own stories and dreams for the future. These interviews will be transformed into short videos, podcasts, and educational materials shared across social media and with local schools.
“I want our youth to see themselves as caretakers of this Earth,” McKaylin said. “When they hear our elders talk about managing the forest for seven generations, it lights something in them. They realize that they’re part of that story—and they have a role to play.”
By connecting cultural heritage with modern media, McKaylin hopes to elevate Indigenous environmental leadership and show how Native knowledge systems can guide climate resilience efforts worldwide.
As she joins the 2025 UNITY Earth Ambassador cohort, McKaylin becomes part of a growing legacy of Indigenous youth stepping forward to defend, restore, and reimagine the relationship between people and the planet. Together, these ambassadors lead from their roots—bringing solutions that honor the past, uplift the present, and protect the future.
“I’m honored to walk with other Earth Ambassadors who understand that this is sacred work,” McKaylin said. “We are all caretakers of this Earth. And we are stronger when we walk together.”