[UNLOCKED] Skye Augustine // Diving deeper into Sea Gardens

February 4, 2025·47 min·3 clips

Skye Augustine reframes ecological balance as an active verb — and argues Western science has been studying 'pristine' nature in ancient village sites.

The conversation begins as an unlocked bonus feed exchange. Mendel sets it beside episode 6.2, where sea gardens had already opened into science, history, and culture. Skye Augustine holds the center with care. She treats clam gardens as living places, not simple food systems. Their comfort is practical: old structures may help some species handle changing ocean conditions at local scales. Shell hash is not treated as a settled climate fix. It is a promising question. Its properties can help young clams find a good place to live, support sediment pore size, keep water moving through the beach, and sustain food availability. Skye clarifies that ancient technologies can confer resilience locally, especially for vulnerable species under ocean pressure. The 2021 heat dome stays close to the conversation. Clam gardens may buffer temperature extremes and reduce stress on clams in moments like that. But the episode does not stop with clams. It moves from food security into sovereignty, self-determination, climate adaptation, and the ethics of public excitement. Mendel worries about loving places too hard. Skye sits with that carefully, because inheritance can include beauty and damaged systems at the same time. The episode does not turn sea gardens into a simple fix. It asks who should be involved, whether everybody can get involved, and what kinds of relationships the beach can hold. People are only one character here. Skye points toward octopus, urchins, moon snails, and other missing presences that belong at the table, or at least at the shore. The mood stays quiet and reverent. By the end, sea gardens feel like a social and ecological gathering place. Everyone has a home.

As heard by us

A careful, hopeful conversation about sea gardens, Indigenous-led resilience, and the many lives gathered at the shoreline.

Future Ecologies returns to sea gardens through a patient conversation with Skye Augustine, whose work connects clam gardens to Indigenous sovereignty, food security, and climate adaptation.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when you want ecology that feels practical, ancestral, and quietly radical.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Future Ecologies