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Visit our friends at Earth Skills Rendezvous

What: by popular demand... PARENT/CHILD day! Hands-on primitive naturalist training: Experience nature by learning ancient skills at the Roots Farm. Local wilderness skills experts help you unlock the secrets of the Piedmont forests. Learn skills and crafts –like two-stick fire making and wild plant harvesting-- that reveal a whole new side to the backyard woods. Also learn wilderness awareness skills through fun games. A portion of proceeds go to the Roots Farm Community Supported Agriculture program.

Who: this course is especially for, but not limited to, parents and their children. For all ages and every person welcome, children under 16 must be accompanied by guardian. Please be aware that we have bee hives on our farm, although they are not near our wild skills trail. Everyone will be expected to sign a release, parents or guardians must sign for those under 18.

Where: Roots Farm, a 13-acre organic community farm in Winterville, GA (web map)

When: February 24th, 10am-4pm, 2007 (rain or shine; please bring a lunch)

How Much*: (payment holds your spot; 100% refundable up to one week prior, then 50% refundable)

      EARLY Roots Skills Fall Workshop: Sign up by Feb. 20, 2007 for only $25 per adult, $10 per kid!

      Day of Roots Skills Fall Workshop: Pay on the day for $35 per person, $15 per kid!

or come for free with a Virgin Islands Bush Skills deposit: see the bottom of this page for more...

                  *payment covers all materials, professional instruction, & preparation costs. At least 10% goes directly to the Roots Farm community garden.

Location/Directions:
           Roots Farm; 46 Beaver Trail, Winterville, GA 30683 map

Registration: (Class size is limited and often fills quickly)
Pre-registration required by calling Nate Olive at 706-534-5033. Please leave your name, phone number, and the number of people in your party.

 

Past and Future Workshops

Fall 2006 Wildskills Workshop Description (Nov. 11th) :

From the Piedmont to the Caribbean: Get ready to 'cast away', even in your own backyard! Scott Jones will be leading us in a fun-filled program drawing from his extensive cross-cultural ancient survival skills studies. Come ready to learn how to make and use natural fishing tools, how to cook fish naturally, and how to use shells and bamboo to make useful field implements.

• Fishing Tools
• Fish cooking methods
• Shell, rivercane & bamboo uses

 

 

 

Regular Course Descriptions (next round TBA for Winter 2007) :

Level 1 - Piedmont Natural Survival: Come ready to actively learn the basics about making bow drill fires, edible plant and water gathering, natural shelter building, and much more.

• Edible plants, water
• Intro to Bow-Drill fire-by-friction
• Natural shelter building

Level 2 - Piedmont Natural Survival Part 2: This is open to people who have minimal experience with the skills outlined above in Level 1 courses. This course will take the level 1 topics further, expanding the functionality of them so that each student has guided instruction on using the previously introduced topics on their own in the woods. New topics include cordage (making rope out of natural materials) enhanced awareness techniques, primitive navigation, and more. This course will prepare students to maximize learning for level 3, the next week.

• Awareness Skills
• Primitive Navigation
• Cordage
• Bow-Drill part II

Level 3- Roots Skills Primitive Campout: A full two-day one night course with Bill Burt, Scott Jones, and other special guests. As a southerner born and raised in the backwoods of Georgia, Bills extensive knowledge on Appalachian and Piedmont life, geography, and culture is astounding. He is guaranteed to help you enhance your connections with nature, hiking, and camping on many levels. In his class, the "Five Essentials", Bill teaches:

• Intro to Flint knapping
• Edible/Medicinal/Utilitarian Plant Harvesting
• Medicinal Oil and Salve making
• Hand Drill Fire-by-Friction
• Bowl Burning
• Harvest Basket Weaving
• Fireside Story Telling

Bring to all classes:

1. sharp fixed or locking knife
2. snack and drinking water
3. proper clothes for outside conditions
4. a light lunch or other meals
5. note taking materials

 

Thank you:

This would not be possible without the support of Sandy Creek Park & Nature Center. Thanks to Walt Cook, Mike Wharton, Rick, and Carly Robinson.

Special thanks to those who passed the skills onto us: Tom Brown, Ray and Jenny Jardine, Bill Burt, Scott Jones, and everyone at Earth Skills.

Our workshop assistants help support an excellent teacher/student ratio, and they are: Sarah Callaway, Derek Furgeson, and Kevin "Proteous" Yates.

Contact:

For additional info, contact Nate Olive at 706-534-5033 or at wookiebackpacking@yahoo.com.

 

 

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Coming February 2008...

Earthskills International and the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute Presents:

Earth Skills - Caribbean Style!

Photos from December Bush Skills at VISFI  

Summary:  Seven day wilderness and survival skills course on the subtropical island of St. Croix, on a 200 acre sustainable farm. We will do daily workshops (see below description) on the farm, on beautiful beach areas, and visit culturally significant sites.

Lodging: VISFI has 18 beautiful hardwood Cabana spots open for the event and there will also be plently of room available for camping.

Food: There will be three farm-fresh organic meals prepared by local "bush chefs" including plently of delicious examples of Caribbean cuisine. There will be plently of amazing vegetatian options, and also local beef, seafood, wild pig, our own talapia, and perhaps the day's catch.

Cost: There will be options so that we can accomodate everyone who has a sincere interest in joining us. Limited work trade will be an option. We are currently looking for experts in marketing willing to work now.

Description:

Join a tremendous group of instructors in the Virgin Islands for a week of wilderness skills workshops with an island flavor!

St. Croix, the largest and most remote of four US Virgin Islands, is the historic site of the first documented Native American resistance to European colonization. That was in 1493, when Columbus anchored off the bay of Salt River and Carib Indians were said to have shot a barrage of arrows which killed a Spanish soldier through his shield. The next morning, the Spanish took their revenge. This is said to be the first trade of life in the eventual war between the peoples of native America and Europe. To honor this site, the National Park Service has designated several historic village sites as National Monuments to be used for recreation, ecological preservation, and cultural appreciation.

Today, very little of the once-dominant native American culture survives on St. Croix. Yet still it continues to live on with certain key local figures and off-island people such as the remaining Tiano and Carib Indian tribal members (mostly on the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Dominica).

In this week of fun hands-on workshops, instructors from St. Croix and the States will join together to honor and continue the north American heritage by passing to others the skills of:

• wild forest, coast, and Caribbean sea foraging
• navigation
• fire making
• natural shelter building
• net making
• calabash canteen and craft making
• interpretive kayak tours by the guy with the biggest authentic Carib canoe in the Leewards
• elder story telling
• bamboo flutes
• bamboo cooking and other crafts
• coconut craft
• rope-making- different styles with natural fiber
• fox- walking- hiking to incredible spots
• much more...

Call to sign up early! or email nate

 

 

Contact:

For additional info, contact Nate Olive at 706-534-5033 or at wookiebackpacking@yahoo.com.

 

 

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