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About the Program
Green Sprouting Plants

Resource Guide

About the Program

Dubuque County Reads (DCR) brings our community together through shared reading and action. In 2026, we explore themes of environmental stewardship, family legacy, and Indigenous identity with two powerful titles:

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  • Adult Title: The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

  • Youth Companion Title: Berry Song by Michaela Goade

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Free copies of both books will be distributed across Dubuque County (while supplies last). 

 

This resource guide is your gateway to sustainability activities, local organizations, and educational materials.

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Resource guide materials were printed with grant support from Sustainable Dubuque. 

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DCr 2026

Sustainability and The

Environment

Our 2026 theme, “Sustainability and the Environment,” invites us to explore how caring for the earth is deeply connected to cultural wisdom and community resilience. Indigenous knowledge offers time-honored practices of reciprocity and stewardship—values beautifully illustrated in Diane Wilson’s The Seed Keeper and Michaela Goade's Berry Song. These works remind us that sustainability is not only about preserving resources but about honoring relationships: with the land, with each other, and with future generations. Through stories of seeds, berries, and the cycles of nature, we learn that environmental care is inseparable from cultural continuity and collective well-being.

Get to Know Authors

Diane Wilson

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Michaela Goade

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Diane Wilson (Dakota)

Diane Wilson is the author the the 2026 Dubuque County Reads pick The Seed Keeper. Diane is a writer, educator, and bog steward who has published five award-winning books as well as essays in numerous publications. Learn more.

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Author Talk: Diane Wilson

Date: March 24 at Steeple Square
Event: Join us for an engaging conversation with award‑winning author Diane Wilson, known for The Seed Keeper and other works exploring Indigenous identity, history, and resilience.

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Watch: Diane Wilson's author talk for the 2024 All Iowa Reads.

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Listen: Listen to Iowa Public Radio’s podcast Understanding Ourselves through Seeds in Diane Wilson’s Novel and dive deeper into the themes of The Seed Keeper. 

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Read: Pick up a free print copy of The Seed Keeper at a nearby library*,  purchase a copy online through Milkweed Editions, or purchase a copy in person at River Lights Bookstore in downtown Dubuque. 

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*At participating libraries while supplies last. Audiobook and eBook formats are also available at some libraries.

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Michaela Goade

Michaela Goade is the author and illustrator of the Dubuque County Reads title Berry Song. Michaela is a Caldecott Medalist and #1 New York Times Bestselling illustrator of “We Are Water Protectors,” also a 2020 Kirkus Prize Finalist. Other books include the New York Times Bestselling “I Sang You Down from the Stars,” “Encounter” and “Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy,” winner of the 2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Picture Book.

Over the last few years, Michaela’s work has focused on Indigenous KidLit. She is honored to work with Indigenous authors and tribal organizations in the creation of beautiful and much-needed books. An enrolled member of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Michaela’s Tlingit name is Sheit.een and she is of the Kiks.ádi Clan (Raven/Frog) from Sheet’ká.

​Learn more: https://www.michaelagoade.com/about

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Attend Berry Song events at Dubuque Area Public Libraries. 

Events will be held from March 11 to March 28 at JKPL, C-SPL, Cascade, and DCLD. Check your local public library's event page for more information.​

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Get to Know the Speakers

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Speaker Panel @ DUMA on February 28

TInker Schuman

Mildred A. Schuman is a member of the Ojibwe Nation of Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin. Mildred is a free verse poet whose work is established in Native American heritage, but is related and relevant to all walks of life - the pathways of travel on Mother Earth. She is a creative writing graduate (AFA degree) from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Learn more: https://www.sacredwisdomsacredearth.org/mildred-tinker-schuman-1 

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Rubina Martini

Rubina Martini is an Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska tribal citizen committed to both my Baxoje and ᏣᎳᎩ (Cherokee Nation) communities. Rubina is Bear Clan, (Fee, Banks) and Omaha descent (Barada).

Rubina currently serve on the ITKN Powwow Committee and is President for the Village of Nelsonville. Rubina also serves as President for the TRCCS Parent Circle (PTO).

Learn more: https://rubinamartini.com/

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Jessica Engelking

​Jessica Engelking (she/her) is a descendant of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. She has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota, Morris and a master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Iowa. Her research interests included the philosophy of fiction, metaphysics, and logic.

While in Iowa, she became involved in the efforts to protect the land and water. She continues to work with Great Plains Action Society from her residence in Minnesota. Jessica is the author of "Peggy Flanagan: Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor" as part of the Minnesota Native American Lives series.

Learn more: https://www.greatplainsaction.org/jessica

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Eric Anglada (Panel Moderator)

Eric Anglada is a writer, co-founder of Saint Isidore Catholic Worker Farm, and the Ecological Programming Coordinator for Sinsinawa Mound. He lives in Wisconsin. 

Learn more: https://www.landjusticefutures.org/our-people

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Resources and Activities

Indigenous Americans often promote the "Four Rs" Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility. Engaging kids in environmental activities that promote these values can help children learn about nature while fostering an awareness of indigenous culture and history. 

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  • Read Indigenous Authors: Visit your local library and look for books by indigenous authors. 

  • Listen to Oral Histories: Incorporate primary sources like speeches, songs, and stories from Indigenous people. The Native Museum of the American Indian provides storytelling resources and oral traditions for various age groups. (https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360). 

  • Connect with Community: Invite local elders or community members to share their knowledge. You can do this by contacting a nearby reservation, museum, cultural group or academic who specializes in indigenous history. ​

  • Explore Indigenous Art & Music: Engage with contemporary music and art. Native Land Digital provides maps and resources to identify indigenous lands (https://native-land.ca/).

  • Learn about Native Land Sovereignty:  Indigenous Nations have their own ways of governing.

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Here are five practical ways to promote sustainability and respect for the environment:

 

1. Start a Mini Pollinator Garden
Plant native flowers to support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Use reused or repurposed containers to highlight the value of reducing waste and giving materials a second life.

2. Try a “Zero‑Waste” Challenge
Set a personal or household goal to produce as little trash as possible for a day or a week. Swap disposables for reusables—such as water bottles, bags, or cloth napkins—to see how small changes can make a big impact.

3. Make DIY Bird Feeders from Recycled Materials
Create simple feeders using items like empty toilet paper rolls, nut butter, and birdseed. Hang them outside and spend time observing the local bird activity at any age.

4. Nature Scavenger Hunt with an Eco Twist
Look for interesting natural features—such as leaves, rocks, or tracks—and add optional tasks like identifying pollinators or native plants. Encourage participants to enjoy nature responsibly and leave everything as they found it.

5. Upcycle Art Project
Gather clean recyclable or reusable materials—like bottle caps, cardboard, or fabric scraps—and turn them into a creative art piece. Use this time to reflect on how reusing materials helps reduce waste and spark creativity.

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Check out these Local resources:

Connect with Native American Communities and Histories

  • Be where people are. Go to the reservation and Native community organizations. Visit your local Native cultural center. Learn about the culture and history. 

  • Visit nearby Native sites such as archeological and geological preserves and museums. 

  • Support Native artists and businesses by buying Native. Buy art, jewelry, clothing, and other items made by Native people and communities

    • Emerald YellowRobe Rommelt creates wearable art and has led jewelry making workshops in Dubuque.  

  • Understand that there are over 550 tribal affiliations in the US. They are extremely diverse and have different languages and cultural customs.

    • Tribes in Iowa's History & Present:

      • Ioway (Iowa Tribe): The state is named after them. They were early inhabitants, but today's Ioway are federally recognized in Oklahoma and Kansas/Nebraska.

      • Meskwaki (Sac & Fox): Iowa's only federally recognized tribe with land in the state (Meskwaki Settlement near Tama).

      • Omaha, Ponca, Winnebago (Ho-Chunk): These tribes have deep roots in Iowa but are federally recognized in neighboring Nebraska and have reservations there.

      • Other Historic Tribes: The land also hosted or was visited by the Dakota (Sioux), Potawatomi, Oto, Missouria, and Kickapoo, among others, during different eras.

  • Learn more about historical indigenous lands.

    • Native Land is resource to learn more about Indigenous territories, languages, lands, and ways of life. The Canadian non-profit's mission is to uplift Indigenous ways of knowing, and build understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples - through tools like our interactive map, Teacher’s Guide, and Land & Waters Acknowledgement Guide.

    • Historic Indian Location Database (HILD) contains more than 1,000 mapped locations in Iowa, spanning nearly 500 years, from the earliest European trade contacts with natives to lands owned by tribes today. These locations illuminate some of the broader trends of population movement during the periods of Euro-American exploration and American settlement. The data are varied; they include archaeological sites as well as native accounts gleaned from digital archives such as local histories and newspapers.

Indigenous History in Iowa

Historical Overview: Indigenous Presence in the Dubuque Region

The Dubuque tri-state area (Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin) rests within a landscape shaped by millennia of Indigenous stewardship. Archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence reveals continuous habitation dating back thousands of years, with distinct cultural phases and living communities that remain active today. This region reflects a deep history of Native American settlement, from early Woodland traditions to historic and contemporary Tribal nations.

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One of the most striking features of this heritage is the mound-building tradition. Northeast Iowa and adjacent parts of Wisconsin and Illinois preserve one of North America’s most significant concentrations of earthworks. Effigy Mounds National Monument, for example, contains more than 200 prehistoric mounds—about 30 of them in animal forms such as bears and birds—constructed primarily during the Late Woodland period (approximately 500–1300 CE). These mounds are considered sacred by culturally affiliated Tribes. The monument, established in 1949, now protects over 2,500 acres of Mississippi River bluffs and valleys.

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Closer to Dubuque, the Little Maquoketa River Mounds State Preserve safeguards a 42-acre ridge with 32 conical and linear burial mounds dating from roughly 700–1200 CE. This site was planned in consultation with more than fifteen Tribal nations and is managed with careful attention to both its archaeological significance and the unique geology of the Driftless Area. Across the river near Galena, Illinois, Casper Bluff Land & Water Reserve features the Aiken Mound Group, documented in 1900, which includes an intact thunderbird effigy. This remarkable earthwork connects the site to the broader Effigy Mound traditions found throughout Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.

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Indigenous presence in Iowa is not only historical but living. The Meskwaki Nation—the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa—remains the state’s only federally recognized Tribe. The Meskwaki Settlement near Tama serves as a center of cultural continuity and stewardship. Visitors to the Meskwaki Cultural Center & Museum encounter exhibits on history, lifeways, language, and artifacts, offering an essential perspective on living Indigenous heritage.

Contemporary cultural programming further underscores this continuity. Regional institutions regularly host Indigenous artists, speakers, and storytellers. For instance, Ojibwe storytelling programs led by culture bearers such as Tinker Schuman have been presented by the Wisconsin Historical Society and university partners, highlighting oral traditions and ecological ethics embedded in Indigenous knowledge systems.

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The region also plays an important role in food sovereignty and seed stewardship. The Indigenous Seed Keepers Network coordinates efforts to rematriate seeds and uphold seed ethics, ensuring that traditional agricultural knowledge thrives. In Decorah, Seed Savers Exchange conserves thousands of heirloom varieties and collaborates with Tribal partners to return seeds and provide educational opportunities, reinforcing the interconnectedness of cultural heritage and ecological sustainability.

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References

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Local Library Resources

MOre to Explore

Visit your local public or academic library to find additional books that will enhance your understanding of the DCR 2026 themes.

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The Dubuque County Library District (DCLD) offers Native American resources through its extensive catalog, including books on history, culture, fiction, and biographies, with specific collections for various tribes and topics like cooking and daily life.

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The Carnegie-Stout Public Library (C-SPL) offers extensive resources on Native Americans, featuring specific book lists for Native American Heritage Month with contemporary authors like Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Joy Harjo, alongside historical works, documentaries, and juvenile series, accessible through their online catalog and blog posts that highlight indigenous voices, history, and culture.

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Each Tri-State academic library also has a wide-range of sources about indigenous history and culture. Most academic libraries allow visitors to read books on site, and some even allow checkouts.

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Book Lists

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River

Community Support

Thank you to our generous donors for making Dubuque County Reads possible. Your support brings books, conversations, and community connections to life!

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