Beyond rivers, lakes, forests, and wetlands from around the world, these vital ecosystems were also invited to the second key moment of the International of Rivers on November 16 at Le Lieu Unique in Nantes. Their voice was carried by Kai Huschke, Executive and Development Director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF).
Since 2008, Kai has worked with community rights advocacy groups in the western United States. He was a key member of Envision Spokane, which introduced the first-ever Community Bill of Rights in 2009, as well as subsequent campaigns for the Worker Bill of Rights and the Voter Bill of Rights. Kai is a lecturer at CELDF’s Democracy School and a board member of the Oregon Community Rights Network. He lives near the confluence of Hangman Creek and the Spokane River, a traditional home and fishing site for Indigenous peoples for over 11,000 years, including the Spokane bands and the Coeur d'Alene, Nez Perce, and Palouse tribes.
