The Wilderness and Wellness Podcast

In this episode we talk with Nathan Donnelly, permaculture practitioner, Youth Conservation Corp. crew coordinator, nature awareness and survival skills instructor, and contestant on the Alone Show, season 6. In our discussion we get into a lot of topics, namely how humans can live with the natural fire cycle, Nathan’s work with the Youth Conservation Corp., the healing aspects of nature that Nathan has experienced, especially while on the Alone show, permaculture and our role as stewards of the land, hunting and conservation, Talequah and the plight of Southern Resident Orcas, and the importance of community.

Nathan’s Instagram Page

Nathan’s Facebook Page

Nathan’s Website

San Juan County Orca Protection Initiative - The nonprofit dedicated to protecting the Orca Pod in the Salish Sea area

Book Recommendations:

What the Robin Knows

Anything by Jon Young

Permaculture Books

The Spell of the Sensuous

Braiding Sweetgrass (My recommendation)

In this episode I speak with ancestral skills practitioner and instructor, and participant on season 6 of the History Channel’s Alone show, Woniya Thibeault. In our discussion we talk about Woniya’s journey into Ancestral skills and the visceral familiarity and remembering that happens when we reconnect with those skills, and especially when we encounter and handle buckskin. Woniya expounds on the idea of nature connection as a survival skill, offering examples of the practical connection activities in which she engaged while on the Alone show. We talk at length about the importance of developing relationships with other beings and as part of our discussion on connection as a survival skill. We also talk about the effortless ability of kids to connect with other beings and the importance of recultivating that practice as adults. Woniya offers advice on multiple ways we can reconnect with the natural world and teaches us specifically about the practice of making offerings to ancestors. We talk about the current situation with the COVID-19 virus and the importance of fostering community for helping us overcome such situations as we are dealing with now, in contrast to the common “prepper” perspective of obtaining a great amount of materials then worrying about trying to keep them from others. Woniya then discusses her current focus with her company Buckskin Revolution and how the meaning of the name feeds into the mission of her work to reconnect humans with ancestral skills.
Woniya’s Coronavirus Resources Page (videos, links, etc.)

Contact Woniya:

Woniya’s Buckskin Revolution Website

Woniya’s Patreon

Woniya’s Facebook Pages

Alone

Buckskin Revolution

Alone Show Website

Woniya’s Buckskin Revolution YouTube Channel

Woniya’s Buckskin Revolution Instagram Page

Book Recommendations:

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Bushcraft: by Mors Kochanski

Buckskin Revolution (Volumes 1 & 2) – Stay Tuned for Woniya’s books in the near future

Discussion with environmental educator and author Dan Kriesberg about how everyday people can maintain their nature connection and raise nature connected kids amidst the hustle and bustle of living a fast-paced modern existence. We discuss ideas for navigating the desire and need to get out for long or short-term trips and still maintain peace at home with one’s spouse. We also talk about philosophies and practices for building nature connected kids, the importance of allowing kids to take the lead and meshing our outdoor activities to suit them, and how the outdoors provides opportunities for kids (and all people really) to develop mental toughness and resilience. We also riff a bit on the life lessons that kids can gain while interacting directly with little wild creatures. We finish the discussion talking about the importance of maintaining daily nature connection routines to maintain wellness and also talk about the struggle of being good environmental stewards while living a modern existence with all the trappings of society.

Connect With Dan:

Witness to the Wild Website

Dan’s Books:

A Sense of Place: Teaching Children About the Environment with Picture Books

Think Green, Take Action: Books and Activities for Kids

Book Recommendations:

The Path: A One-Mile Walk Through the Universe

Seeing Nature: Deliberate Encounters with the Visible World

Resources:

Children and Nature Network

Kitty O’Meara Poem “And the People Stayed Home”

“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.”

Interview with Josh Lane, deep nature connection mentor and author of the book “Conscious Nature: The Art and Neuroscience of Meditating in Nature”. In this discussion Josh enlightens us on the meaning of “deep nature connection”, the qualities that people can develop when they practice deep nature connection, and the profound way that nature immediately benefits our mental well-being, even if we don’t feel like we are enjoying our time out. Josh explains the complementary pathway of meditation and awareness skills such as tracking and bird language. He also goes more in depth on the actual practice of meditation, the difference between turning inward and turning outward, the various brainwave patterns that we experience and what they represent, and how to quiet our monkey mind through an active style of meditation. Finally, Josh offers tips for beginning and maintaining a sit spot and meditation practice. At the end, we are treated to a 10 minute guided sensory meditation that one can return to as often as they’d like.

Contact for Josh

www.Consciousnature.net

Conscious Nature Facebook Page

Conscious Nature Coach Instagram Page

8 Shields Website

Josh’s Book and Free Audio Program

Conscious Nature: The Art and Neuroscience of Meditating In Nature

“Rewilding Our Ecology of the Imagination” A free audio program with guidebook from Josh

Book Recommendations

Cultures of Habitat

Relaxation Revolution

In this eighth episode of my tracking series I had the fortune to catch up with avid hunter, tracker, and CyberTracker evaluator Brian McConnell. In our discussion we cover a lot of ground (pun intended). Brian fills us in on his background as a young man being taught by his dad how to hunt in the Arkansas woods, then learning intuitively to trail deer, and finally, later in life, connecting with a class offering formal training in tracking techniques which helped him refine his craft to the point of earning a specialist level on his second ever trailing evaluation, then becoming an evaluator shortly after. Brian shares his knowledge on:

· How a trailing evaluation unfolds and what the evaluator is scoring the tracker on

· How he uses tracking to inform and support his hunting activities, especially for deer and elk

· Tells us some hunting stories, showcasing how 90% of the elk he takes are done so by trailing right to the animal

· Gives us some practical tips on how to begin learning the art of trailing, especially for hunting purposes

Connect with Brian

https://trackercertification.com/evaluators/

Book Recommendations

Dersu the Trapper, by: V.K. Arseniev

The Jim Corbett Omnibus, by: Jim Corbett (Includes “Man-eaters of Kumaon”, “The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon”, and “The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag”)