2024 Bullitt Prize winners weave culture and conservation together for environmental justice

||| FROM WASHINGTON CONSERVATION ACTION |||

SEATTLE, WA – Washington Conservation Action announces Free Borsey and Raven Borsey, of the Lummi Nation, as the winners of its 18th annual $100,000 Bullitt Prize. They dedicate themselves to nurturing and passing on traditional ecological knowledge, to resisting projects that damage the natural environment, and to telling those stories to a wider world. 

The 2024 Bullitt Prize Selection Committee selected brothers, Free and Raven, for the $100,000 Bullitt Prize because of their powerful story of perseverance and their commitment to their community and culture. Committee members recognized their passion—combining traditional ecological knowledge, youth empowerment, and conservation and environmental justice into a plan with tangible impacts for their community and the Pacific Northwest. 

The twin brothers, 27 years old, plan to use funds from the prize to revive the Lummi Youth Canoe Family, reinvigorating an institution that centers Tribal tradition, supports youth at risk, and serves as a year-round conservation non-profit.

Free and Raven have grown into cultural leaders and conservation activists, but in their early life Raven and Free had to overcome one barrier after another. The boys entered foster care at age two. Joining the canoe family as young teens formed a crucial turning point: Despite being encouraged by teachers and community members, the two reflected that they never felt like they were enough. Pulling with the canoe family taught them to truly believe in themselves, they say.

“We were pulled out of a harmful environment and given a healthy outlet. We saw early what destructive forces looked like. We learned how to take a stand. We learned the importance of helping individuals reconnect with their heritage,” the brothers explained in their Bullitt Prize application. “Our belief is that embracing a path forward for the environment starts with bringing people together in community with culture, one paddle at a time. One song and dance at a time. One Nation at a time.”

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