The Art of Nature Awareness

MONDAY, JUNE 15

The Value of Reconnecting with the Natural World
9pm

During this brief program introduction we’ll learn about the legacy our ancestors gifted to us in the forms of tracking and awareness, survival skills, and complex and effective social structures. We’ll have a nature display to evoke questions and conversation. This will be educational and fun for the entire family.

TUESDAY, JUNE 16

The Five Voices of the Birds
7:30am

Do birds really talk? Consider that birds have been on the planet for approximately eighty million years and that they possess enhanced vocal and auditory apparatus. Here we will learn not only who is vocalizing but reach into the question of why, and, just as important, what this can teach us about ourselves and our relations with the natural world. 1 mile, easy pace, all are welcome.

Discovering the Species Around You
11am

Plant blindness has become a large problem in our society, with most people no longer able to tell the difference between oak and maple trees. Join Dr. Jackie Schnurr for a nature walk around Mohonk Lake, where we will discover the most common species that are flowering and learn to appreciate the identities of our plant neighbors.

Tomahawk Throwing
2:30pm

We’ll learn the fundamentals of safe and effective tomahawk throwing and how to adapt to changing conditions. Don’t be fooled—this skill is an effective tool for enhanced brain wiring and concentration, attributes that help us in all aspects of our lives.

*Note: Ages 13 and up. Closed-toe shoes required. All participants must go through a 15 minute safety protocol at the beginning of the session. This cannot be repeated if missed.

Dave Darwin: One Man Sideshow
8:30pm

Dave presents a laugh-a-minute show of juggling with original comedy and music. Dave will keep you entertained with the silliness of juggling three balls while playing the harmonica, the danger of eating and manipulating real fire, or the bizarre sounds of bare feet walking across broken glass!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17

Edible and Medicinal Plants
7:30am

Long-term survival would be difficult at best without a firm knowledge of plants. They are the base of the food chain and humans can barely live in a habitat without reasonable plant diversity. With foundational plant knowledge, we essentially have access to food and medicine wherever we go. Here we will cover 20-25 edible and medicinal plants and learn their uses. 1 mile, easy pace, all are welcome.

The Gift of Trees— Our Great Benefactors
11am

Trees are one of the most important resources on Earth. They fix nutrients in and cool the soil, prevent erosion, bank carbon dioxide, and so much more. On this casual walk through the forest we’ll cover approximately 20-25 species of tree, learn how they grow and where, and learn their uses and their teaching role in native lore. 2 miles, easy pace, all are welcome.

Natural History Workshop
2:30pm

The Shawangunk Ridge, where the Mohonk Mountain House is located, is one of the most biodiverse places in the northeastern United States. Join Dr. Jackie Schnurr in this hands-on workshop to learn to identify the common species of plants, animals, fungi and lichens that surround us and to use our new found skills to explore a section of Eagle Cliff Trail.

Old Fashioned Barn Dance
8:30pm

Join dance callers and musicians John Kirk and Trish Miller from Saratoga Springs, NY. Singles and couples, experienced and new-comers are all welcome to a program of folk dances where having friendly fun is what it’s about! Live music is the key to making this an especially energetic and timeless activity.

Night Hike to Copes Lookout
9pm

Moving deftly and silently and tapping into our night vision. Be on the lookout for creatures and events of the night—owls, insects, coyotes, stars, and satellites. We’ll tap into our deep sensory awareness to take in as much information as possible. Approximately 1 mile, all are welcome.

THURSDAY, JUNE 18

Mindfulness Walk: The Way of our Ancestors
7:30am

Learn how moving efficiently in nature helps to pattern our brains for expanded awareness and our bodies for balance, agility, and strength. Shifting from an urban or suburban gait to our ancestral gait makes us instantly quieter in the woods and enables a more intimate perspective into the natural world. 1 mile, easy pace, all are welcome.

The Art of Primitive Fire-Making
11am

Fire is an essential element for our long-term survival. The ability to make fire with only materials found at hand is a skill that our ancestors possessed for thousands of generations. Participants will learn one method of fire-by-friction and apply their new-found knowledge on their own bow-drill kit. 1 mile, easy pace, all are welcome.

The Gift of Water: Hike to Mossy Brook Spring
2:30pm

All life on Earth depends on water. Since the dawn of our species and beyond, we drank water from the surface of the earth. This of course has become a much rarer event as our culture has tainted much of this vital resource. However, there are still plenty of places to find fresh, healthy surface water; all we need to know is how to read the landscape. On this beautiful path we will also learn about waterborne pathogens and how to purify water when necessary. Strenuous 2 miles, all are welcome.

The Future of our Climate
9pm

Join PBS host Alexander Heffner and Anthony Leiserowitz, Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC), for a conversation on climate change. Afterward, Alexander Heffner will be signing copies of his new coauthored book, A Documentary History of the United States.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19

Tracking: Reading the Stories in the Earth
7:30am

We have been tracking as long as we’ve been human. Some anthropologists and neuroscientists propose that tracking is what has allowed our brains to develop into the immensely complex logical and creative tools they are today. We’ll begin with some clear print identification and move into tracking of situations, moments in time, and even ourselves. 1 mile, easy pace, all are welcome

PROGRAM LEADERS

Michael Ridolfo

Michael Ridolfo is the Naturalist at Mohonk Mountain House. After 20 years of rock climbing, ice climbing, mountain biking, skiing, winter mountaineering, nature photography, writing, and music, he began practicing the art of tracking, wilderness survival, and the native mentoring model. This journey has evolved into teaching children and adults how to deepen their relationship with the natural world. In 1999, he founded Wilderness Mind (now The Earthtime Project), a school dedicated to preserving the ancient arts of tracking and nature awareness.”

Dr. Jackie Schnurr

Dr. Jackie Schnurr is a Professor of Biology and Environmental Science at Wells College, a small liberal arts college located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. She has been working with plants for over 25 years, and her research mostly looks at the roles that biotic factors, such as small mammals, and abiotic factors, such as light and nutrients, have on dictating plant distributions..

Alexander Heffner

Alexander Heffner is host of “The Open Mind” on PBS, a weekly excursion into the world of ideas, across science, technology, politics, the arts and all realms of civic life. His work has been profiled by Variety, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, New Hampshire Magazine and on CNN, C-SPAN, NY1, HuffPost Live and BBC, among other media outlets. His essays, reviews and op-eds have appeared in Reuters, RealClearPolitics, Fortune, The New York Times, Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and The Root, among other publications.

Anthony Leiserowitz

Anthony Leiserowitz is a Senior Research Scientist and Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. He is an expert on public opinion and public engagement with the issues of climate change and the environment. His research investigates the psychological, cultural, and political factors that influence environmental beliefs, attitudes, policy support, and behavior.