Extinction Witness

A creative spiritual practice

with attention to genocide and anthropogenic species extinction

Extinction Witness is a creative spiritual practice expressing and supporting varied human emotional responses to genocide and anthropogenic species extinction. With a primary aim to express and support the human emotional response to violation, Extinction Witness also encourages and supports practical creativity. The work has included leadership and participation in Lost Species Day, November 30th, and the current focus is publishing the poetry.

**Hummingbird Infinity Symbol**—2014/2023

To bear witness is to shed light on what is commonly and intentionally or unintentionally overlooked, denied, and/or hidden. Rooted in Quaker tenets and our traditionally action-oriented witness, Extinction Witness is led by fundamental optimism and was initiated winter 2011/2012 with an invitation to pause together in acceptance—the place of action. That is, belief in the essential goodness.

Humans can help revive biodiversity and possibly slow the rate of species extinction to normal background levels if we prioritize simplicity, socioeconomic equality, and quality process. As we strive, we can live well, “even beautifully” (Barry Lopez, personal correspondence).

Original Extinction Witness interview (Excerpt)

Conducted by Tree Ring Productions, November 2013

In this clip, Megan Hollingsworth speaks about the reason and invitation of Extinction Witness. The November 2013 interview was conducted by Tree Ring Productions among coast redwoods in Ohlone homeland. Please read "A Native History of East Bay Redwoods" by Dana Viloria at Save the Redwoods League. Please also see and celebrate the return of ‘O Rew, a 125-acre property located off U.S. Highway 101 at the base of Bald Hills Road, to the Yurok Tribe.

Vow 2 Act

on the Interrelated Global Heating and Biodiversity Crises

Published with a poem in Unpsychology Magazine’s Climate Minds Anthology ‘What can be done?’ section (2018), the Vow 2 Act was written in 2016 as a practice response to glaciologist Eric Rignot’s call for “a different level of communication” in response to the West Antarctic ice sheet’s rapid irreversible decline. The Vow 2 Act was revised in 2023 for presentation and discussion during Quaker Institute for the Future Summer Research Seminar.

Read the vow 2 act