Hummingbird Collective
The Hummingbird Collective began as a mentorship program for emerging artists, scientists, and communicators to develop their creative processes and professional skills. Over time, it has evolved into a collaborative initiative where established professionals share their experience, resources, knowledge, and networks. This partnership creates opportunities for individuals to work creatively within a distributed leadership model.
Hummingbird Collective is co-designing a series of resources and curricula to convey the climate benefits of healthy, diverse, intact forests and the climate risks of unsustainable forestry practices through the lens of forest carbon accounting. The purpose is to inspire public advocacy, strengthen local stewardship initiatives, and inform political decision-making.
British Columbia’s forest ecosystems are globally important safeguards of carbon and biodiversity. However, decades of forest mismanagement have led to devastating impacts on both, and consequently, the wellbeing and resilience of BC communities.
Local communities transitioning from industrial dependencies to a more resilient stewardship economy are asking for better data and resources around forest carbon accounting. The Hummingbird Collective is working with local learning hubs to best communicate core principles that inform local decision-making in forest management.
The Team
Hannah Carpendale
Data-Driven Storyteller
Hannah Carpendale is a PhD student in the Imaginative Methods Lab at SFU’s School for Interactive Arts and Technology, exploring critical data literacies around biodiversity loss and climate change. Her work takes a creative storytelling-based approach to co-designing public resources for community engagement on forest and climate policy.
Emily Clark
Ecologist & Illustrator
Emily Clark is a PhD student in Forest & Conservation Science at UBC, researching the historical ecology of Garry oak ecosystems in the Salish Sea. She combines archival research, Indigenous knowledge, and field techniques to support traditional stewardship practices. Emily is a painter and illustrator focusing on ecological and botanical subjects.
Dr. Robin June Hood
Strategic Advisor
Robin is an educator, activist scholar, and changemaker with over 40 years of experience in Canada and internationally. She has facilitated community development in Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, and British Columbia and serves as a strategic advisor and coach, helping organizations catalyze and scale innovation for regeneration.
Sachia Kron
Project Manager, Production, Design
Sachia Kron specializes in visual communication, marketing and design. She was the founding member of three health and wellness tech startups. Sachia currently works with social profits with a focus on regenerative forest stewardship.
Dr. Allen Larocque
Scientific Advisor
Dr. Allen Larocque is an interdisciplinary forest ecologist and systems thinker. His research spans biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the interconnection of terrestrial and marine systems. He is currently working on forest degradation research and regenerative forestry practices.
Liljana Martin
Web Designer, Artist & Writer
Liljana Mead Martin is an artist and researcher based in Vancouver and Salt Spring Island. She specializes in translating ecological research into writing and design to support environmental literacy and inspire action. She creates artworks, videos, essays and websites which explore the future of our climate.
Dr. Briony Penn
Lead Advisor
Dr. Briony Penn is an environmental educator, journalist, author, and illustrator with over 30 years of experience working on biodiversity, climate, and forest carbon literacy. She collaborates with rural communities, First Nations, and policymakers, focusing on pathways to a regenerative economy including conservation and forest carbon financing.
Anneke Rosch
Illustrator, Animator & Storyteller
Anneke Rosch is an illustrator who uses comics and ink drawings to convey complex ideas with humour and precision. Her work focuses on simplifying forest-related data and communicating scientific concepts through concise visual storytelling.
View our Work
See examples of our science communication graphics and illustrated works! Hummingbird GalleryFirst Nations Carbon ToolkitHummingbird Gallery
Here we highlight recent art and design work by Collective members, showcasing diverse approaches and styles to visualizing ecological processes, interpreting ecosystem data, and studying wildlife. Enjoy our offerings!
Nature Creative Commons artworks are free to use for educational purposes with full credit, logo, and licensing. Attribution expands access to these resources, helps share vital knowledge, upholds accuracy, and ensures ecological information is presented in impactful and visually compelling ways.
Our Terms of Use & Nature Creative Commons Licenses can be linked to any online use along with logo and attribution.
Coastal Dougles-fir. Briony Penn.
Anneke Rosch
As a B.C.-based graphic illustrator specializing in visual storytelling for environmental science, Rosch adeptly translates complex ecological concepts—like forest carbon and fire resilience—into accessible, funny and engaging illustrations that connect policy, science, and the public.
Hannah Carpendale
Forest Carbon Matters is a comic series work in progress! Featured are some snippets of the project, stay tuned for the full publication of this fun and informative illustrated story.
Sachia Kron
Sachia Kron’s layered graphics demonstrate the dynamic processes in changing forest ecosystems. Each graphic includes the significant undestory, soil and mycelium details, connected to forest carbon cycles.
Briony Penn
Briony Penn’s work is a result of decades of cumulative study and time spent walking through coastal and forest ecosystems in BC. Published examples of her expertise can be seen in published works like A Year on the Wild Side, A West Coast Naturalist’s Almanac.
Emily Clark
Emily Clark’s carefully rendered illustrations and paintings are detailed depictions of flora and fauna subjects. Emily’s PhD research on Garry-oak ecosystems often comes through in the symbiotic species she observes.
Collaborations
Illustrations in this gallery were created in collaboration with the First Nations Carbon Toolkit, and for Naure Creative Commons’ Video: Old Forests the Real Climate Heroes. All Images created by Nature Creative Commons. Free to Use with Full Credit, Logo & Licensing. See Terms of Use & Nature Creative Commons Licenses.
Connect with our Team
Love our work and want to connect about a project for your organization, group or community? Get in touch! We would love to hear form you.
- Hooker’s Onion. Briony Penn. To use, follow our Terms & Licensing Agreement.