NEWS For immediate release CONTACT: Omari Washington, (845) 256-9830 omari@wildearth.org Press Release Kingston, NY, has been selected as one of just 19 U.S. communities to join…
Community Update: We wanted to share some important information with our community regarding mosquito and insect safety, particularly in light of a recent confirmed case of Eastern…
Navigating Challenges and Cultivating Resilience When Wild Earth (or Red Fox Friends) began in 2004 we were, and still are, serving youth from Generation Z (born between…
Wild Earth is seeking land for our future monthly, fall-spring weekend programs. Due to the unusual rattlesnake activity and behavior we have observed at our land in…
On April 29th, 2023, around 300 members of our Wild Earth community: current and past participants, parents, partners, donors, staff, and board members gathered at the Andy…
Wild Earth & Wild Med invite you to participate in a 21-day Challenge in 2023! Through this CPR & First Aid course, you can get certified…
In this interview with Nyack News and Views, Wild Earth Program Director, Esperanza Gonzalez, explains the deeper intentions of our programs. Some people know us as the folks who teach kids to build fires or the summer camp organization. While that captures some of what we offer, Esperanza shares that the heart of our work is more about how we engage with participants to support social and emotional growth through a deeper connection with nature. Continue reading
As many families were deciding how to best support their children this school year, it was clear that in many communities across the country, including the Hudson Valley, a greater number of participants were interested in deeper engagement in wilderness education and exploration. Continue reading
Reading Resmaa Menakem’s book, My Grandmother’s Hands, has provided an important framing I’d like to share about our collective experience so far in 2020, especially as we observe how this experience affects our children. Continue reading
According to recent research, early humans were creating cordage at least 40,000 years ago, using it to make baskets, bags, nets and so much more. Today, the significance and many purposes of cordage have hardly changed. We still need rope and cord for so many essential tasks. Continue reading
Drop stick works well as a group activity under a wide variety of circumstances, yet it really shines as a pick-up activity in those in-between spaces. Continue reading
Keeper of the Keys reinforces trust, raises self-esteem, increases listening skills, and encourages positive communication. Not to mention, it’s just downright fun! Continue reading
Dear Community, Not one of us can ignore the fact that racism is alive and well in this country. Institutionalized systemic racism is a pervasive thread in…
As an educator, I’ve seen firsthand that edible weeds hold such potential to unlock in children a passion for both nature and cooking. An adaptable recipe like garlic mustard pesto is ripe to become a family or classroom tradition, creating scaffolding for a lifetime of learning. Continue reading
Seemingly no matter the scene, whether we’re sitting on a pine forest floor in the summer heat or gathered around a picnic table afterschool, weaving activities with children unfold in a familiar way. Continue reading
Playing shapeshifter feels a little like planning a practical joke where we’re all in on the joke! Continue reading
In this blindfolded awareness game we tap into our bat-senses! Kids love to try and sneak around the blindfolded “bat” often suppressing giggles as they dive and crawl just out of reach. Continue reading
Children are naturally drawn to shadows and often amused by a simple question, “Can your shadow do this…?” Continue reading
My awareness and interest in all of the flower, plant, bird and animal activity this spring has grown enormously, and I am so grateful for it. Yet, I wonder if our plant and animal relatives are happier than ever as they get a much needed break from our human business. Continue reading
Gratitude can be anything from the counting of small blessings, to a full remembering and naming of all the forms of life that connect us. At Wild Earth, we encourage children to share gratitude from their hearts, for whatever feels authentic to them. Continue reading
For as long as I can remember and before I had a name for it, some version of sit spot was a part of my life. At times I lived in cities where my sit spot was at my doorstep, watching grackles nest in my buildings’ gutters. I once lived on a farm with a pond, where I’d see beavers swim in circles and smack their tails on the water each morning. Continue reading
What is it that COVID-19 is bringing us that may be in service to our greatest good, individually, as a human species, and as a planet? Continue reading
We are so grateful for your solidarity and patience during this tender time for all of us! We will continue to be here for you as we…
As most of you are doing, Wild Earth is staying connected to the latest COVID-19 guidance from local, state, and federal sources. In addition, we are coming…
We hope you and your families are healthy and well and remain so over the upcoming weeks! As we all receive more information about how COVID-19 is…
Dear Wild Earth Program Participants, Families, Staff and Community, With the rapid developments of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which resulted in the declaration of a national…
Earlier this fall, I was in the Tamaya Pueblo of New Mexico, at the base of the Sandia Mountain range on the shores of the Rio Grande….
In early November, as the early winter weather began to really arrive, more than sixty 9-13 year-old Artemis Moon Girls and Atlatl Boys spent their Fall overnight…
2019 marked the 16th year of Wild Earth’s summer camp! More than 420 children enjoyed camps at our 4 sites this summer, with ¾ of those campers…
History of Humanity, Simplified and Generalized (mostly quoted and/or excerpted from Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari) For 2.5mm years, humans fed themselves by gathering plants and hunting…
After a successful summer with camps in New Paltz, High Falls, Kingston, and on our new land in Kerhonkson, we are gearing up for year-round weekend programs…
This fall we’re excited to be back in the woods and in the schools with the 5th, 6th, and 7th graders from Kingston’s Bailey and Miller Middle…
As many of you know, Ulster County recently passed a new law eliminating the use of religious exemptions from vaccinations for participants and staff of summer camps….
I’m the Finance and Operations Director at Wild Earth. I’m not the one splashing around in the mud or working on friction fire or building shelters in…
Acknowledging that the land, as well as many of the practices that we draw from in our programming, have been forcefully taken from First Nations peoples, many…
Our enduring home for Wild Earth is coming to life! We are humbled and inspired. In the summer of 2018 we became the stewards of 135 acres…
750 Rondout students, 640 Ellenville students, 1,100 Kingston students: throughout the Hudson Valley students in public schools are building social and emotional wellness with Wild Earth. This…
Sitting down with the Ropes staff a couple weeks ago to brainstorm and plan what our January two-night overnight would look like, it became abundantly clear to…
This past weekend Wild Earth’s Apprentices were out in the snow exploring the joys of campfire cooking! Our staff was onsite extra early, lighting a fire at…
This is an exciting time for Wild Earth! We are creating our enduring 135-acre home land, expanding our programs for schools, and committing to equity and inclusivity…
Waypanachena nekeech Atchwechteed, (Good morning my relatives) Basket making has been a tradition for hundreds if not thousands of years in my tribe and my family. Since…
As Wild Earth is serving a more racially, ethnically, and economically diverse community, we are beginning to understand our responsibility to support racial and gender equity, address…
Here at Wild Earth, we believe in the many benefits people receive from nature, both children… and adults. We also believe that no person should be kept…
Earlier this October, twelve teens ventured into the wildness for a four day and three night rite of passage. This was the culmination of 8-months of preparation…
The results are in from the first year of the Benjamin Center’s independent study on our four-year Nature Connection & Experiential Education Project in the Kingston City…
What happens when 6-13 year olds are given license to create a video about their experience out in the woods at Wild Earth’s Art Camp? Big thanks…
We are so pleased to announce that the Dyson Foundation recently awarded a Management Assistance Program (MAP) mini-grant in the amount of $9,300 to support racial equity…
This past April, Wild Earth’s Ropes Wilderness Program for High School students set out for a special canoeing and wilderness camping expedition. The weekend brought us lots…
I still remember the first day of Wild Earth for my kids, Oscar and Ruby, 10 years ago this summer. I drop them off in a random…
Ashton Kutcher’s news network, A Plus, recently featured Wild Earth as an A Plus Hero. Big thanks to Flicker Filmworks and A Plus for telling our story!…
Dear Wild Earth Community – As many of you may already be aware, a troubling situation arose last week related to the NY19 Congressional campaign for November’s…
It was such a treat to celebrate fifteen years of Wild Earth with so many of our friends! What a blast! We were blessed with such a…
After leading our character and confidence building nature immersion programs for 15 years on borrowed and leased land, the time has come for Wild Earth to enter…
I’m so incredibly grateful to the rains! Huddled around fires, with flawlessly tied tarps as our roof top, singing songs and sharing in closing ceremonies kept us…
Every 5th and 6th grade student in both of the Kingston City middle schools was treated to 20 days of Wild Earth experiences. We’ve just wrapped up…
On an unseasonably chilly day in April, Jonathan Gonzalez and I had the opportunity to work with the residents and staff of the Youth Shelter of Westchester….
Wild Earth’s “sit spot” is such a wonderful way for our kids to be present with nature, and my hope for the 3rd annual Art Camp film…
Ticks are a very real hazard when spending time outside in the Hudson Valley. We encounter moving and attached ticks regularly at Wild Earth. Reducing the risk…
Chronogram recently featured a write up about our recent collaboration on a Conscious Eldering Through Relational Wisdom Retreat. Wild Earth, Good Work Institute, SageArts, and Conscious Elders…
The Chronogram Magazine recently ran an article on “8 Reasons to Choose a Wilderness Summer Camp for Your Kids” featuring Wild Earth. With the final leg of…
We want to take a moment to give thanks for all that makes Wild Earth possible. The experience children have in the woods is achievable only through…
What an amazing campout for the Artemis Moon Girls! All three of our girls groups — Red Squirrels, White Tailed Deer and Grey Wolves — spent the…
This September every sixth grade student in the Kingston Middle Schools joined Wild Earth for a day of firemaking, campfire cooking, wild edibles, awareness games, wilderness handicraft,…
You may have noticed that each morning and afternoon this summer, there is a school bus out in front of Wallkill View Farm. This year, the Ferrante…
Below is a story from our our Ropes Teen program back in February. Each teen was met by an instructor as they arrived in the darkness of…
Below is a story from our our Ropes Teen program back in February. Fire and crafting were the themes for the evening, with a break later on…
I want to offer you a quick update on our growing work in the Kingston City School District. This spring, we ran a pilot of our “Wild…
This May, a group of 12 young men living in an alternative to incarceration group home outside of NYC, spent a day in the woods with Wild Earth. Below…
Our morning circle is a special time where we come together and give thanks, sharing gratitude for the most of important things that give us joy and…
The following note was sent to Wild Earth’s six core-staff (together referred to as the White Tail Deer Circle) after a recent Instructor Circle*: At our last…
Dina joined Wild Earth’s Board of Directors in the fall of 2011 and over the past 5+ years she has watched the organization grow. She has seen…
Below is a story from the Artemis Moon Girls program for 9-14 year old girls: It’s been a few weeks since our last day out in the…
Below is an excerpt from an email one of our staff sent to participants from our Mothers & Daughters program for 9-12 year old girls and their…
During the first week of April we will be moving into our new office on Lucas Turnpike in High Falls. Our new office just across from the…
Work that mimics patterns in nature has the potential drive local and global change; honoring our humanness and the natural world, creating more connection and collaboration. Venturing…
Below is a story from the Artemis Moon Girls program for 9-14 year old girls back in February: What a gorgeous snowy day we had at the…
AT&T presents a generous contribution to Wild Earth in support of transformative nature immersion experiences for Boys & Girls Club of Newburgh’s teens. Pictured above (from left…
Below is a story from the first day of our Artemis Moon Girls program for 9-14 year old girls back in October: We had an amazing first…
The snow covered Saturday was just the kind of day our instructors and Atlatl boys hope for all year. The cold and the snow ignites our survival…
With the windchill, the temperatures were in the negatives at night and not much warmer during the days! But we didn’t hear a single complaint about the…
Dear Wild Earth Community, On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff and volunteers of Wild Earth, I want to wish you a new year filled with…
Dear Mystwood Families, We had another fabulous Saturday this weekend at Mystwood! In the morning we found a letter left for us by a wizard named Sileus…
In all aspects of his life, Micah is grounded in community – as co-owner of CIXdesigns, a yoga teacher, a board member of the Center for Creative…
What a fantastic first day at Mystwood! Your children are sweet, imaginative, creative and full of magic! I hope they had as much fun as the instructors…
In August of this year, Wild Earth and Wellness Embodied brought together an inspiring circle of 22 wellness and healing professionals for a full day of intentional…
It is hard to believe the session is already over! It went by so quickly, yet was packed with adventures and plenty of laughter. We continued many…
Below is a story from this past spring’s Mystwood overnight where seventeen 6-10 year olds slept out in the forest. Mystwood is a Wild Earth nature connection…
In 13 years of offering Wild Earth, nobody has ever been turned away for lack of funds. This summer, our organization gave away more than $40,000 in…
A growing group of individuals, foundations and businesses is partnering with our organization to ensure that people from all walks of life are able to explore, learn and play…
As I have expressed in the past, one of my greatest intentions for all of my Screech Owls is for them to feel at home in the…
Eighteen years ago, my wife Jerilyn and I met Kim Payne for the first time (there would be several more). We were so inspired by his simple…
We had an excellent first day of Kestrel Spring Discovery! Here is the story of our day. The weather was near perfect, not too hot and not…
Wild Earth is a 501c3 non-profit, based in New Paltz, NY. Our mission is to ensure that every person has the opportunity to play, explore and learn…
Imagine your child coming home and telling you that they want to drop everything and go live in the wild and be one with the earth-after one…
We had an extraordinary experience with 48 young ones over the course of our three days together. Each day began with our morning circle, during which we…
It was such a gift to spend another beautiful day in the wild woods of William’s Lake with your children! Our day started with an adventurous tale…
She asks us to form a circle at the edge of the meadow. We look over our shoulders and squint into the woods. Our children linger in…
Each leaf dying is like a newfound spring, etching colorful patterns resembling decaying lace. In November, at the Apprenticeship Program, I was not only inspired by the…
“The indigenous soul lives close to the ground, to moss, river and loon. It moves in springs and wind, is close to the breath of coyotes. It…
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