FULL BELLY FORAGING

I've been eating wild things for thirty years. I grew up exploring the sandhill country of central South Carolina. There was a vast tract of forest across the road from my house where me and a tribe of little boys dug kaolin clay from creek banks, followed deer tracks in the sand and played war games hiding in the bracken. I began leading plant walks 19 years ago along the rivers in Columbia, SC. Since then I've had the opportunity to introduce thousands of people around SC and beyond to this way of seeing and connecting with the natural world.

THE PRIMITIVE ARTS

Andrew Lee is a professional educator with over two decades of teaching experience. His fascination with history began by finding Native American artifacts in Northwest Georgia as a young boy. He credits this time in his life as crucial in developing a deep interest in understanding past cultures.

While at the University of Georgia, Andrew met master primitive skills instructor Scott Jones. After taking Jones' flintknapping class, the fuse was officially lit.

More than twenty years later, through teaching in elementary and middle schools as well as in the correctional setting, the constant passion in Andrew's educational life has been pursuing history, including learning more about primitive skills.

His hands-on workshops and the bark baskets & stone-bladed knives that he creates are ways that he expresses this love of history and nature.

ARCHERY INSTRUCTOR

At 14 years of age, Lauren dug a rusty old bow out of storage, not knowing this would lead to a lifelong passion. She was inspired to start shooting by the Hunger Games but ironically hid her new hobby for a few weeks, worried it was too much of a “boy sport”.

Once Lauren started going to college, she signed up for the college archery club at Augusta University. At a state tournament, she was recruited by Coach Estrada for a scholarship at Emmanuel College.

Eventually, she switched to Olympic recurve to prepare for her Level 4 Coach course in California. When she passed the class, Lauren knew she wanted to give back to the sport by teaching others the sport of archery.

Since graduating, Lauren has done numerous introductory camps and private lessons. Her biggest passion is introducing people to a rewarding and fun sport that is for all ages. In her personal time, Lauren enjoys shooting her Turkish Asiatic bow, or “horsebow”, and riding horses. She is currently breaking into mounted archery; another lifelong dream.

THE PRIMITIVE NATURALIST

Jeff’s mission is to interpret ecology and foster nature connection for students of all ages through survival skills and traditional arts. He believes this is best accomplished by leading students through guided hands-on experiences. This could be done while tracking animals, making fire from available forest materials, watching wildlife, making baskets from wild collected vines, preparing and tasting wild edible plants or learning to process one’s own meat animals from forest or farm to table.

An important piece of this task is to mentor adults who are seeking to learn a deeper connection between themselves and the living Earth. Jeff invites applicants interested in informal internships in these skills and life ways. He prioritizes communication and community collaboration.