Nature inspires hope for Environment & Sustainability alum Tyson Atleo

Learn more about the Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication. 

It’s not hard to find hope when awe-inspiring beauty surrounds us.  

Tyson ?ikaatius Atleo, alum of the Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication and at Royal Roads University, shared this perspective while visiting as an alumni orator for the Fall 2025 Convocation ceremonies.  

Pointing to a fly, Atleo explains: “I think of the complexity of that individual creature and the hairs on its legs, the way its eyes are structured. I go deep into biodiversity, which surrounds us always, and I never lose inspiration.” 

“Each tree, each blade of grass, each fly buzzing around is its own act of resilience against the threat that we carry,” he adds.  

As a hereditary chief in-line of the Ahousaht First Nation and Senior Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Atleo was selected as Alumni Orator at the Fall 2025 Convocation. He spoke to graduating RRU students about his passions – leadership, conservation, community, and above all, hope. 

 Atleo says he finds hope in all living things, even as humanity presents a constant threat to the natural world. In his speech to graduates, he shared his belief in respecting the lessons and natural laws we observe in plants and animals.  

“...The salmon that selflessly gives of themselves to support others they never get to meet, the cedar trees that breathe life into our atmosphere for all to benefit, the wolves and whales that remind us of balance and interconnection, the soil microbiomes show us the true meaning of cooperation, or the raven that teaches humility,” he says.  

He says his deep respect for all living things was instilled from a young age as part of his Ahousaht upbringing, but he says it was the MAEEC program that deepened his connection to the world around him.  

“The experience at Royal Roads completely changed my orientation to post-secondary education,” says Atleo. “It provided the right container and the right circumstance for me to really value the academy as a space dedicated to intellectual dialogue and debate and a safe space to test our own thinking and share with others.” 

Meditation in nature – now a part of his daily routine – was one practice from the program that resonated with him. “[Meditation] is an underrated opportunity to really allow for the learning and the experience to settle into your whole being,” he adds. “Because of how I think of this [practice], I don’t have to go far. I can go onto my balcony and look at the birds flying by and it doesn’t wane for me.”  

Atleo admits his experience at Royal Roads sparked a desire to continue his higher education journey, but for now, his attention is fully devoted to his work.  

 “Everything I know from my Indigenous culture – which I am a student of for this lifetime... indicates the necessity of maintaining good reciprocal protocols with the life-giving forces of this world,” shares Atleo. “The protocol is to take care of those things that give us life: clean air, fresh water, food to eat... I feel a serious obligation to help remind people of what sustains us and how to manage those relationships.”  

“And I think conservation is the most critical mission on this planet.” 

Learn more about the Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication program.