Webinar

Is a River Alive? A conversation with Robert Macfarlane

June 2025

Around the world, rivers and other bodies of water are being impacted by pollution, drought, damming, tanker traffic, and more. But a movement is also underway to recognize the rights of rivers and other bodies of water, and to re-imagine our relationships with them.

Join us for an online event featuring author Robert Macfarlane and the launch of his new book ‘Is a River Alive?’, which explores the idea that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings, who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law.

This event was moderated by Sierra Club BC Lead Organizer Flossie Baker, who led a conversation with Robert Macfarlane followed by a discussion with special guests Linda Nowlan, an environmental lawyer specializing in freshwater and marine law, and SCBC Executive Director Hannah Askew, and featured an introduction from Grace Vickers, a co-founder and member of the Lax’yip Firekeepers, also known as the Youth of the Gitxsan Laxyip.

This event was held at Upstart & Crow, a not-for-profit bookstore focused on climate solutions, poetry, civic dialogue, translated literature, community and skills building.

Explore resources from the webinar

Learn more about the Lax’Yip Firekeepers.
Learn more about the Muteshekau-shipu/Magpie River.
Learn more about Upstart & Crow.
Support local bookstores and purchase a copy of Robert Macfarlane’s ‘Is a River Alive?’
Please consider making a donation to support our free webinars and to help protect the places we love. Even a gift as small as $10 can make a huge difference. Donate here.

Meet the Speakers

Robert Macfarlane

Robert Macfarlane is the bestselling author of an award-winning trilogy of books about landscape and the human heart: Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places, and The Old Ways. He is also the author of Landmarks and Holloway. His work has been translated into a dozen languages and is published in more than 20 countries, and his books have been widely adapted for TV, film, and radio by the BBC, among others. Macfarlane has contributed to Harper’s Magazine, Granta, The Observer (London), the Times Literary Supplement (London), and the London Review of Books. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2012, and is currently a Fellow in English of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Grace Vickers

Grace Vickers is a co-founder and member of the Lax’yip Firekeepers, also known as the Youth of the Gitxsan Laxyip—a collective of Indigenous youth and allies on the Gitxsan Lax’yip which spans along the Skeena and Kispiox Rivers. The Firekeepers are dedicated to protecting their ancestral lands, waters, and ways of life. Rooted in the laws, stories, and teachings passed down through generations, the group works to uphold Gitxsan sovereignty and cultural resurgence. Through land defense, legal advocacy, community education, and youth organizing, they challenge extractive industries and colonial systems that threaten the Gitxsan Lax’yip. Their work fosters solidarity, strengthens Indigenous self-determination, and safeguards the land for generations to come.

Flossie Baker

Flossie Baker is a climate justice organizer. Her passion is supporting different communities to engage in building a new story about the future we face. With a background in journalism and communications, Flossie is interested in how the narratives we create shape our imagination for action.

Linda Nowlan

Linda Nowlan is a lawyer who has spent her career advocating for stronger laws to protect rivers and other marine bodies. She has also led a number of key environmental protection organizations including West Coast Environmental Law and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Hannah Askew

Hannah Askew is a lawyer and practiced public interest environmental law prior to joining Sierra Club BC as Executive Director. Her work focused on addressing the cumulative impacts of industrial development on ecosystems, and advocating for proactive and inclusive planning processes for the land and water.