When we define our places using the Earth as the frame of reference, taking into account flora, fauna, landforms, climate, and so on, we are talking in terms of bioregions. Bioregions are living systems where every being is connected to, and interdependent with every other; bioregions are not by property lines, states, or nations, but by rock, soil, weather, water, terrain, plants, animals, human cultures and human settlements.

The eleventh Turtle Island Bioregional Congress builds on five decades of bioregional organizing and ten earlier continental congresses in North America (1984–2009). This 2026 gathering rekindles a tradition of learning in place, celebrating our cultures, and coordinating for long-term regeneration.