Guardians of Life
2025 Livable Future Forum pulses with heart, stories, ideas
When photographer Kiliii Yüyan arrives in Bend on December 4, he'll provide a beautiful crescendo to a thought-provoking event series.
From the moment he started talking, Chuck Sams captivated the crowd at our Livable Future Forum kickoff in October. Sams regaled the audience, eliciting audible gasps, big smiles, and room-filling peals of laughter. From an inside look at what it's like when the White House is one of the properties in your portfolio to insights into what the Tribal co-management of public lands could and should look like, Sams shared his life experience generously.
In November, in a warm, inviting way, Michelle Nijhuis reminded her audience of the slow power books have, providing the deep context that helps us understand daily headlines. As she offered 32 book recommendations across ten categories, attendees scribbled notes, nodded in approval, and offered up their own suggestions.
Tough acts to follow, both, but, if anyone is up to the task, it's Kiliii Yüyan.
Of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé descent, Yüyan is an award-winning photojournalist who works through a cross-cultural lens, exploring how humanity—inseparable from nature—lives in relationship with land and sea. His globe-spanning fieldwork has granted him no shortage of adventures, from facing a stalking polar bear to diving among sea snakes.
You've seen his photography on the cover of National Geographic. On Thursday, December 4, you can hear his stories and insights.
GUARDIANS OF LIFE
INDIGINOUS PRACTICES FOR A THRIVING EARTH
DEC 4, 2025 | 3 pm & 7 pm
TOWER THEATRE, BEND
Photographer, filmmaker, and National Geographic Explorer Kiliii Yüyan will share breathtaking stories of survival, Indigenous resilience, and ecological kinship.
$30 General, $15 Student
Tribal Members Free
Known for his joyful grin, photographer Kiliii Yuyan is best is a storyteller who seeks to understand the world from many human perspectives.
His publication credits include TIME, Vogue, and WIRED. He has been honored by awards from Pictures of the Year International, Leica Oscar-Barnack, PDN and ASMP and, in 2023, Kiliii received one of National Geographic's highest honors, the Eliza Scidmore Award for Outstanding Storytelling. Kiliii is currently on a speaking tour with National Geographic Live. His book, Guardians of Life, will be published in spring 2026.
He is based out of traditional Duwamish lands (Seattle), but usually found beneath the sea or floating on Arctic ice.
Bonus: All ticket purchases will count toward LandWatch’s Roots of Resilience Challenge Match and will be matched by a generous collective of donors.
