Earl Hatley

Artist Statement

Earl is an environmental activist and organizer, who is also a story teller. His stories are about his visions, dreams and experiences.

This is the story of Quechee Bear and how I was accepted into the mountain where I live and met the Chief of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi and became a tribal member

Bio

Mr. Hatley is a co-founder of LEAD Agency, Inc., a grassroots organization in northeastern Oklahoma, and serves as the Board President. LEAD Agency is predominantly of Native American membership. LEAD Agency is a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, and from 2003-2021, Mr. Hatley served as the Grand Riverkeeper, patrolling the Grand River and feeder streams of the upper Grand River watershed. Earl currently serves as board member for Vermont Healthy Soils Coalition, Building a Local Economy (BALE) and Rural Vermont. He is currently a member of the VT Environmental Justice Network Advisory Committee and President of the board for Ottauquechee Water Protectors Association in Quechee, VT. Mr. Hatley currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Western Mining Action Network, including their Indigenous Caucus. WMAN serves organizations dealing with the impacts of hard rock mining in the US and Canada. In Nov. 2020, Mr. Hatley was elected Co-Chair of WMAN and Chair of WMAN’s Indigenous Caucus. His degrees include: ABD: Environmental Science Ph.D. Program, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, M.A.: Political Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, and B.A.: Human Development, Flaming Rainbow University/Westminister College, Fulton, MO and Tahlequah, OK. Mr. Hatley is an enrolled citizen of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi with Cherokee/Shawnee heritage