TOUTI Connects with National Geographic Explorers at the 2026 Explorers Festival

Written By Owen Watkins

The 2026 National Geographic Society Explorers Festival in Washington, D.C. offered a meaningful opportunity for the Our-Trees Initiative to connect with National Geographic Explorers whose work centers on trees, forests, and the many ways people relate to the natural world.

The gathering took place at For Five Coffee Roasters, just steps from National Geographic’s newly opened Museum of Exploration. Around the table were 15 Explorers, members of the TOUTI leadership team, and National Geographic Society staff. Together, the group began imagining how TOUTI and the Explorer community might work together to expand and strengthen relationships between people and trees.

TOUTI’s mission is to connect people and trees through science, story, culture, art, spirituality, health, and community engagement. During the meeting, the team shared the initiative’s four main elements:

  1. A Resource Hub with stories, research, and materials from many sources and ways of knowing

  2. Node Curators who connect TOUTI with specific communities and focal groups

  3. National Geographic Explorers whose work involves trees and forests

  4. Collaborative projects and actions with partner organizations and communities

As each Explorer introduced themselves and shared their work, the richness of the group quickly became clear. Even within this small gathering, the range of experience was remarkable. The Explorers represented work across continents, disciplines, and landscapes, from polar regions to tropical forests and from living forests to fossil forests.

National Geographic staff from Explorer Engagement, Explorer Elevation, and Storytelling also joined the conversation. They expressed interest in learning how TOUTI might support National Geographic’s broader goals and how their teams could help connect and elevate the work of Explorers involved in tree and forest-related projects.

The conversation soon moved from introductions to possibilities. Ideas included creating a communications network or directory for Explorers interested in trees and forests, exploring a potential “Tree Hub” within the National Geographic Explorer community, collaborating on media projects focused on hope and positive action, and connecting Explorers with community venues through TOUTI’s Node Curators.

The group also discussed the value of sharing resources across TOUTI nodes, encouraging more cross-pollination among projects, and developing evaluation tools to understand the impact of TOUTI activities better. These ideas reflected the collaborative spirit of the meeting and the many ways TOUTI could help connect people, stories, research, and action.

Overall, the gathering was creative, encouraging, and full of possibilities. There was a clear sense of shared interest and momentum, along with many ideas for future collaboration. While 15 Explorers were able to attend in person, about 30 additional Explorers have also expressed interest in TOUTI and will be invited to share their thoughts in the weeks ahead.

This meeting marked an exciting early step in building relationships between TOUTI, National Geographic Explorers, and NGS staff. We look forward to seeing how these connections grow and how they may support new stories, projects, and actions that deepen the bonds between people and trees.

Owen Watkins