ABOUT APRIL

pronouns: they/them

April (a.k.a Petey) is a queer artist and writer of mixed European ancestry (Hungarian, Scottish, Irish, and English) born to Vancouver Island, BC as a 3rd generation settler. April is dedicated to the coastal ecosystems and communities they live within and are supported by; raised in Wei Wai Kum First Nation territory (Campbell River) and for the past many years in Ḵwiḵwa̱sut'inux̱w Ha̱xwa'mis First Nation territory (Gilford Island).

April engages in wildlife advocacy through visual storytelling, writing, and collaborative projects that centre the dynamic relationships between people, wildlife, and place with a focus on watershed ecology.

Salmon are a focus of April's work and life. For five years they served as a creekwalker, monitoring salmon populations and their habitat with a local non-profit called M.E.S.S.S., taking the pulse of 20 rivers and creeks on a weekly basis during the fall spawn. They also lead the fieldwork aspect of the Ḵwiḵwa̱sut'inux̱w Ha̱xwa'mis Bear Research Project - a 3-year project monitoring grizzly bear population relationship with the Alalco/Wakeman watershed in the heart of Ḵwiḵwa̱sut'inux̱w Ha̱xwa'mis First Nation territory.

April currently is in deep study of traditional medicines in a 5-year Doctor of Chinese Medicine program in lək̓ʷəŋən territory (Victoria, BC) at Pacific Rim College, as well as a student of Nèijīng Nature-Based Medicine mentorship program through The Apricot Grove. After their studies, April intends to return to their home communities on northern Vancouver Island in ʼNa̱mǥis territory to serve the community as a Nèijīng Nature-Based Chinese Medicine practitioner and artist/writer.

Their work continues to be devoted to nurturing the inherently interconnected nature of personal and planetary healing.

Living for the simple joys of sweet, slow days enjoying the good company of their cat Kiki and dog River, witnessing the cyclical unfolding of the seasons, April is ultimately a lover of the natural world, the interconnectedness of all things, and smitten with the everyday magic of being alive.