Spring 2024 Program Updates
Happy Spring from Wolf Tree! As the migrating birds return and so many critters emerge from the earth, our spring session of programs is blooming as well. Below you'll see pictures from our youth programs, our recent bowmaking workshop, and a welcome to two new staff members.
Roots
Roots has been getting up to endless adventures in the woods at Brooks Bend. Finding dens and snakes, identifying trees, catching minnows, leatherwork, blindfolded bowdrill practice, making plaster casts of animal tracks, crafting birch oil; the tales go on! At the April overnight, the group spruced up the village area by spreading wood chips around the fire circle and on the path, and beautified the village for the evening family potluck. After dark, David and Grace led a night game where participants had to sneak to retrieve items of varying value. An egg successfully carried away on two sticks, for example, scored more points than an easier claim. If a sneaking person was caught, they were given a challenge like naming 20 native trees or coming up with an improvised haiku about a worm. It has been a great year at Roots!
Rootlets
Rootlets has been having an absolute blast this spring. Pictured above, the kids learn to crack and feast upon shagbark hickory nuts and black walnuts! There is always a good amount of singing and wandering and fire building at Rootlets. The group has been practicing some beloved songs, the favorite being ¨I am grateful to be". On a recent day, Rootlets trekked down to a beaver pond on the land and constructed the most epic fireboat and sent it out on the pond! It has been exciting for the group to see the animals come out as the spring warms. They were especially excited to find their first garter snake last week!
Wild Coyotes
At Wild Coyotes, they've been observing and adapting to the beginning of spring! Some rainy days have seen the group taking shelter and communing around the fire, while other days have been filled with fire challenges, cooking, awareness games and exercises, tracking, carving, and basket weaving. Maple trees were tapped during sugaring season. The main village has been tended to this spring, with new bench logs being brought in, the fire pit being excavated, and a nature museum being built! They've explored porcupine dens, watched beavers re-engineer the nearby stream, seen trout and crayfish, and all manner of birds. Every day is a special one at Wild Coyotes!
Rivers
Rivers has finally - and we mean finally - had an overnight with decent weather! The group embarked in April on their four day overnight. Endless crafts and games (especially night games) filled the weekend, along with many a wander. The teens have been practicing archery and friction fire making, observing snakes and other spring creatures, and working on a long-term leather-craft project: sheaths for their carving knives!
Red Foxes
Red Foxes had the most wonderful overnight this past weekend. The group only has one overnight in the fall and one in the spring, so it is a long awaited event! Pictured above, Erica and some of the girls adorn the ancestor chair to honor those who have come before us, and to brighten the village for a family potluck. Even with some rain in the night, the group had a great time playing night games and camping out. During the day, the girls have been making creative baskets and pouches with bark, among myriad other projects like friction fire making, coal burning spoons, and making cordage. Hard to believe there are only two program days left for Red Foxes this year!
April Camp
The April Camp group had great week in the woods during April school vacation week! There was pine bark basket making, maple candy, net making, and endless games. It was a gift to be in the forest at this time of year with flowers blooming and birds resounding their calls in the trees. While playing a classic game of yeehaw, the group came across a beautiful patch of mayflowers and got to smell the incredible scent of our state flower. On Friday, the group created one of the most epic cookouts of all time. Shad, trout, shrimp, and spring green scallion pancakes were some of the stars of the show. We look forward to seeing a lot of faces back for Summer Camp!
Bowmaking
We had a great 4-day bowmaking workshop with Tejas Moses at the end of March. Neill sat in with the class, and worked on crafting his own bow using only stone tools. Participants crafted some absolutely stunning bows, and got to practice with arrows by the end of the weekend.
Welcoming our New Staff
We are so lucky to have two new faces on our Red Foxes team this spring! Catherine Tween and Kaitlyn Cronin are nature enthusiasts local to Montague who are richly inspired by the cycles of the earth. Cat has been inspired this spring by ephemeral flowers and is excited to bring her inspiration to Red Foxes! Cat's extensive knowledge of regional plants, birds, and many other natural things is a gift to have in our program. Like many of us at Wolf Tree, Kaitlyn is enamored by mushrooms and brings a wealth of knowledge in the mycelial realm, among many other areas of interest like the behavior patterns of animals in our region. Cat and Kaitlyn are both visual artists whose illustrations and paintings are richly and directly inspired by nature. They have been such a gift to have at our girls program this spring. Welcome, Cat and Kaitlyn!