By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A new fellowship program is underway to give Indigenous women across Canada the opportunity to lead conservation efforts and capitalize on their longstanding role in land and water stewardship. The First Nations Women Transforming Conservation Fellowship will be awarded to two women this year. It is designed to address the historical and ongoing underrepresentation of Indigenous women in environmental leadership. “The system they work within isn’t always designed with their needs in mind. It’s often a patriarchal, colonial framework,” said Valérie Courtois, Executive Director of Indigenous Leadership Initiative, which partnered with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada on the project. “But the reality is, Indigenous women have been the backbone of conservation in their communities.” The program will provide training and mentorship

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