Maija Hecht Email & Phone Number

Duluth, Mn, Us

Minnesota, United States

I cover stories concerning land and water rights, environmental stewardship, and citizen science efforts in northern Minnesota. My writing has been published in the Minnesota Women's Press and Barn Raiser Media.

Polynesia

Support undergraduate students of Ocean Policy: Marine Protected Areas program in onboard lab and deck watch rotations on a scientific research vessel in the South Pacific Ocean. Perform regular watch responsibilities including sail handling, navigation, biological and chemical sampling, and equipment maintenance.

Global

As a Watson Fellow I designed and completed an original research project titled Bodies of Water: Reimagining Water Stewardship Through Storytelling. Over fifteen months, I worked alongside and interviewed women activists, conservationists and community members in rural Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand, Ecuador, Thailand, Vietnam, Fiji & Samoa to learn how storytelling functions as a protector of traditional ecological knowledge, cultural memory, and catalyst of action in the face of climate change. The initial culmination of my research was presented in New York City in January, 2024.During my research, I:- Collected and analyzed over 100 interviews in English and Spanish.- Assisted with wetland, coral, and stream restoration projects. - Taught 20 classes in alternative photographic methods, including anthotype and film development.- Partnered, worked alongside, or volunteered with the Mekong River School, el Museo Arqueologico De Salango, the Galiano Island Conservancy, Conservación Marina Ecuador (CONMAR), Napo Ama La Vida, Mingas por el Mar, Sirenas del Surf, The Yellow House Art Center, the Tiapapata Art Center, and Le Amosa O Savavau Preparatory School.- Observed, inquired on, and documented the use of oral, performance and written storytelling, photography, craftsmanship, mural, and tatau as related to water and marine history.- Independently organized housing, accounts and travel logistics in multiple languages while living in primarily rural riverine and coastal communities.- Provided comprehensive quarterly reports, and financial documentation to Watson HQ.

Galiano Island, British Columbia, Canada

Worked alongside the Galiano Conservancy's Chrystal Creek restoration project by assisting bioswale design, invasive species remove and wetland reconstruction planning. Engaged with the wider island community by planning and teaching an environmentally-focused art class at our field station in partnership with the Yellow House Art Center.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Provided assistance and instruction for student use of wood working, welding, and other sculpture equipment including a band saw, miter saw and table saws, power drills, sanders, planer, laser engraver and metal forge. Monitored and performed safe use and maintenance of all equipment and studio space for on-shift woodworking projects as needed.

St Paul, Minnesota, United States

Directed by Professor and poet Michael Prior, author of 'Burning Provence', I researched WWII era Asian American artwork, specifically those works of photography, painting and sculpture that were produced from and during the Japanese Internment in Canada & the U.S.

Tower, Minnesota, United States

During my time with Harvest Nation, an aeroponic farm startup based on Minnesota's Iron Range, I learned from, collected, and captured stories about the farm's founders and their vision for a sustainable, healthy future. During the Internship, I filmed and edited four promotional videos, wrote multiple articles on food sovereignty, seed rematriation and indigenous intersectionality.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Motionpoems was a poetry-film production company who paired poets with filmmakers to create more accesible and artistically diverse adaptions of powerful poems. I helped plan and adapt Motionpoems' programming to COVID-safe interactions by planning live artists talks on Instagram & Zoom for poets such as Maggie Smith, Natalie Diaz, and Glenis Redmond, among others. In the summer of 2020, I assisted with the HOTHOUSE outdoor film festival in Minneapolis under the direction of Ryan Stopera. My regular efforts focused on digital media creation, curation, & scheduling with the goal of connecting to more communities worldwide.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Offered on-water safety instruction and canoe & kayak lessons for beginner paddlers across Minnesota. Completed weekly planning for rural trips up to four days long, and scouted rivers for safety hazards before workshops using GPS navigation. Regularly towed watercraft trailers while driving DNR company vehicles including twelve-passenger vans and trucks, monitoring river-levels and weather patterns, and communicated with DNR supervisors and workshop participants in advance of programming. Researched local ecology and environmental educational topics for teaching during programs.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Communicated with authors & publicists to organize events on the Wordplay Target Stage; Monitored the Target Stage during Wordplay, where authors including Stephen King, Edwidge Danticat, and Bill McKibben spoke. Organized data on more than 100 authors; wrote itineraries for authors and moderators and kept diligent track of communication through email to fix scheduling inconsistencies. Wrote & edited event descriptions for each event. Attended staff meetings to brainstorm the inaugural year of the Wordplay Festival.

Climate Oceanography

Performed daily hydro cast and neuston net deployments while at sea; used onboard lab equipment for spectrophotometry, biological.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Creative Writing

Activities and Societies: Undercurrent Arts Collective Co-Founder & Director. Open Call Cabaret Art Show Curator & Director. Mac Nest.