Healing Hemlocks: Maritimes Exploration

April 8-13, 2025

Maritimes Explorations are based in Nova Scotia. Throughout the program, we will travel through the traditional territories of the Mi’kmaq People.

Healing Hemlocks is a 7-day Howl Exploration developed by Howl in partnership with Ulnooweg Education Centre. Open to youth aged 17 to 35, Healing Hemlocks is a journey of community-led conservation and land-based learning, offering a unique experience to work alongside Indigenous knowledge holders, researchers, and community members to participate in an Indigenous-led treatment of one of the last remaining old-growth Hemlock forests in Nova Scotia, which is under threat due to the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid. 

In a cohort of eighteen, your exploration will begin at Asitu’lisk (ah-see-dew-lisk), a lodge and gathering place surrounded by 200-acres of ancient forest and waterways, located in Mi’kma’ki on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. The last three days of the Exploration will take place on the lakes, beaches and trails of Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, just an hour down the road

Applications for Healing Hemlocks 2025 will open soon. To be notified, please join the waiting list by completing the form below. This page contains a description of the 2024 program and itinerary. The 2025 program is currently in development and will be announced soon!

Join the waitlist.

Sign up below to be the first to know about program details and application opening for Healing Hemlocks 2025 in the Maritimes.

What you’ll experience

With an approach rooted in the Mi’kmaw concept of Etuaptmumk, or “two-eyed seeing”, you’ll deliver life-saving treatments to the Hemlocks, while also learning about the land and taking part in ceremony guided by local Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders. Though you’ll be sleeping inside, the majority of this program will take place outside, around the campfire, on the lake and in the forest, offering the perfect opportunity to slow down, step out of your routines, and reconnect with land and self.

Itinerary (2024)

Itinerary for 2025 is currently in development and will have similarities to the 2024 itinerary below.

Day 1: Afternoon arrival to Asitu’lisk - First supper and opening campfire circle
Day 2: Healing Hemlock Treatment (Day 1)
Day 3: Healing Hemlock Treatment (Day 2)
Day 4: Connecting with the land, self, and community through sweat and sauna with Circulate Community
Day 5: Travel to Kejimkujik - Check in to the oTENTik village
Day 6: Exploring Kejimkujik - Closing campfire circle
Day 7: Morning departure after breakfast

This program is intentionally filled with opportunities to build community, connect with the land and water, and develop your creativity and leadership. Please note that the itinerary of this program is not set in stone; it will continue to evolve based on contributions from local community members, the shifting seasons, and the input of participants. That’s the beauty of community-based learning!

Where you’ll be staying

Accommodations during the program will be shared and rustic. At Asitu’lisk, you’ll sleep in small communal suites in the main lodge of Asitu’lisk, situated in a beautiful natural setting where you’ll have access to rivers, a lake, and old growth forest trails. 

During our two nights at Kejimkujik you’ll be staying in an oTENTik, a spacious blend of tent and rustic cabin equipped with beds on a raised floor nestled within a lush Wabanaki/Acadian forest near the shoreline of Kejimkujik Lake. 

No gear? No problem. We will work with you to make sure you’ve got everything you need to participate in the program. No outdoor skills or experience are required to participate in this program. Meals provided throughout the program will be mostly vegetarian with a strong focus on local, seasonal ingredients. Most dietary restrictions and preferences can be accommodated. 

Learn more about our venues here: Asitu’lisk | Kejimkujik

“The Howl experience evokes something deep within all of us – an awareness of our interconnectedness, the understanding that we can make a difference to the lives of all our relations and the recognition of our individual and collective voices. I can say with certainty that it brings newfound understanding of our place in this world, a stronger connection to self, and a heightened sense of belonging within our communities, a deeper appreciation for the environment and how we walk on this earth.”


Ahlena, Maritimes Exploration (2024)

Meet the Program Leaders.

  • Howl Programmer by day, Singer Songwriter by night, Partner and Father 24/7. George Woodhouse (he/him) is happiest when his worlds are colliding in the form of sing-alongs in the woods. He comes to Howl from a decade of public service with Parks Canada where he helped form the Agency’s first youth engagement team. George has since worked with hundreds of families and newcomers to Canada as a Learn-to Camp coordinator in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. In 2019, he expanded his horizons and became the Visitor Experience Coordinator for Sable Island National Park Reserve where he witnessed the wild power of a shapeshifting sandbar, helping people from around the world connect with its stories, ecology and general magic. In 2023, George joined the Howl team to co-design and co-deliver transformative experiences for youth in Atlantic Canada. He approaches his work, music and relationships with the belief that when we allow ourselves to create, we inspire, we heal, we connect. Full disclosure, he wrote this bio in the third person, and he wants you to know that he would love to hear from you! Drop him a line anytime at george@experiencehowl.com

  • Leah Morris hails from Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland) and proudly embraces her Mi’kmaw and Inuit heritage. She currently resides in Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia), where she serves as the Site Coordinator at Asitu'lisk. In this role, Leah applies her diverse skills and deep cultural knowledge to her work.

    Leah’s journey is marked by a profound commitment to community and heritage. For years, she was one of the few active Indigenous Doulas in the Kjipuktuk (Halifax) region, where she supported families and contributed to the community with her expertise. Alongside her doula work, Leah volunteered extensively and used her spare time to enhance her practical skills and deepen her understanding of traditional Mi’kmaw customs.

    Leah is passionate about foraging, traditional cooking, and saving the hemlocks. These interests not only enrich her personal life but also reflect her commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices. As a mother of two wonderful daughters, she balances her professional and family life with grace and dedication.

    Today, Leah is deeply invested in imparting wisdom and fostering learning among youth and communities throughout Mi’kma’ki. Her work and interests converge to support and uplift her community, blending cultural heritage with practical skills and a forward-thinking approach.

  • Megan Caplin is a Mi’kmaq woman from Listuguj First Nation located in Gespe’gewa’gi (“The Last Land”), the seventh and largest district of Mi’kma’ki. She currently resides in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and works as the Program Coordinator for Asitu’lisk, a site owned and operated by Ulnooweg Education Centre.

    Megan came into her role at Asitu’lisk in November 2023, after working as Volunteer Program Coordinator for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) hosted in Kjipuktuk in the summer of 2023. During her time at NAIG, Megan helped develop and support culturally responsive programs for Indigenous youth, which furthered her passion and commitment to uplifting Indigenous voices, talents, and potential. In her current role, Megan is helping lead and develop engagement and use of Asitu’lisk as a site for learning, healing, and ceremony for all peoples.

    In her free time, Megan enjoys reading, video games, and exercising. She is also the cat mom to a mischievous kitten named Blue who is the unofficial mascot for Asitu’lisk.

    Leah’s journey is marked by a profound commitment to community and heritage. For years, she was one of the few active Indigenous Doulas in the Kjipuktuk (Halifax) region, where she supported families and contributed to the community with her expertise. Alongside her doula work, Leah volunteered extensively and used her spare time to enhance her practical skills and deepen her understanding of traditional Mi’kmaw customs.

    Leah is passionate about foraging, traditional cooking, and saving the hemlocks. These interests not only enrich her personal life but also reflect her commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices. As a mother of two wonderful daughters, she balances her professional and family life with grace and dedication.

    Today, Leah is deeply invested in imparting wisdom and fostering learning among youth and communities throughout Mi’kma’ki. Her work and interests converge to support and uplift her community, blending cultural heritage with practical skills and a forward-thinking approach.