Who We Are . . .
In
the forest we are taken directly to the place of being human. By
expanding our awareness, engaging our senses, practicing the skills
that connect us directly to the land, laughing and playing we learn to
know ourselves. Through sharing stories and experiences, working as a
group, and providing for our own basic needs, we learn to communicate,
trust and honor our selves within a community. In thanksgiving and by
practicing mindfulness we become caretakers of the land, seeking a
sustainable way of life.
In
our modern times, there is a growing interest in simplifying our lives
and living in more direct relation with the cycles of nature. Primitive Pursuits strives
to equip people with the knowledge and skills to do this. We offer a
variety of programs to meet our communities' diverse needs - from youth
development programs and teen environmental leadership programs, to
community gatherings and adult apprenticeships and workshops.
Our
experienced staff practice what we preach. Collectively, we have
dedicated over 10,000 hours to practicing and teaching all of the
wilderness skills we present.
Meet the staff and instructors of Primitive Pursuits:
Heidi Bardy 2 Years with Primitive Pursuits
After studying at Houghton College (NY), and in London and Tanzania, Heidi followed her love of animals and nature to become a horseback riding instructor and trainer in PA. Then, after taking courses at Tom Brown’s Tracker School in 2004, she began another journey of learning that led to Naropa University (CO), Teaching Drum Outdoor School (WI), the Vermont Wilderness School (VT), the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute (NY), and finally to the Primitive Pursuits Wilderness Awareness Apprenticeship in Ithaca, NY. Heidi now lives in a yurt in the woods outside of Ithaca. Her goals are to never stop learning, and to integrate primitive skills, permaculture, and empathy for all beings into daily life.
Akiva Silver - 3 Years with Primitive Pursuits
Akiva began studying primitive skills with Tom Brown Jr. at the internationally renowned Tracker School. He has traveled extensively from Alaska to Mexico and overseas, following his curiosity and enjoying the adventure. After traveling, Akiva lived at Hawk Circle's Wilderness Education Center, participating in an instructor training intensive. His big interests are planting, growing, and studying trees, hide tanning, primitive archery, and wilderness survival. In addition to being a lead field instructor for Primitive Pursuits in Ithaca N.Y. Akiva owns and operates Apples & Acorns where he passionately grows and sells trees.
Corinne Eisenman - First year with Primitive Pursuits
Corinne has been following the call of the woods and streams since she was a kid growing up in Western New York. She counts herself lucky to come from a rich background in innovative educational settings that encouraged curiosity and wonder, working with extraordinary staff and students of all ages. She has been a teacher and administrator in these programs for the past 20 years, including helping to found and lead Shackleton School, an expedition-based high school in Massachusetts. Her passion for wilderness education has been shaped by family adventures, work with Girl and Boy Scout and YMCA camps, a graduate degree in Environmental Education from the Audubon Expedition Institute, travels in Thailand, Europe, Central America, Canada and the United States, and adventures with learners from ages 8 to 80 in a variety of settings. Corinne also has a strong background in curriculum development and community building. She is delighted to explore changing seasons and primitive skills with others as we play, discover, and celebrate each other and this planet we call home.
Benjamin George-Hinnant - 4 years with Primitive Pursuits
Benjamin has been involved with Primitive Pursuits for several years and enjoys both leading fast paced adventures and methodically spreading the interdependent skills and wisdom of nature. One of his strengths and joys is his ability to draw in children to whom our program is new. His current weakness is a propensity to lose young participants on long wilderness treks (just kidding, moms). Benjamin's experience includes helping to run community environmental and outdoor clubs, studying a plethora of college level sciences and apprenticing with several of the coolest and smartest naturalists in the area. Benjamin brings energy and a unique athleticism to the things he does and hopes your clothes are dirty at the end of the day.
Lily Glidden – 9 years with Primitive Pursuits
Lily grew up locally and was introduced into the world of Primitive Pursuits at the age of eleven. After being mentored in the program for four years, she was offered employment as a youth instructor. From pushing her wilderness skills on a personal level to developing her skills as an instructor Lily has continued on this path for over 9 years. From time spent at the Vermont Wilderness School to a nine month naturalist training course at the Wilderness Awareness School in Washington St. Back on the East Coast, Lily is attending Tufts University in Boston where she studies biology and is exploring plans to attend vet school someday. She is the captain of one of the Ultimate Frisbee teams on campus and president of the outdoor club. After seeing flying squirrels, skunks, opossums, cooper's hawks and the occasional Merlin in the heart of Boston, she is currently fascinated by the lives of urban animals.
Mollie Farnham - First year with Primitive Pursuits
Mollie is a native to Ithaca with a childhood appreciation and love of nature that led her to work in experiential education. For Mollie the patterns and creatures of ecosystems have proven to be a vital source of inspiration for personal growth. Since her undergraduate studies 9 years ago in Human Development, Mollie has worked with youth from varying backgrounds in nature and experiential settings to build awareness of their surroundings and themselves. Mollie has worked as a teacher in several public and private primary schools, as well as community organizations dedicated to Positive Youth Development. Her latest adventure took her to Alaska for two years as a field guide in a wilderness therapy program leading 7 week emersions in the back country. Sleeping inside now, although warmer, feels like sleeping in a shoebox. With the good fortune to study primitive skills with Jason Hamilton at IC and a ferocious love of learning, Mollie is excited to join the Primitive Pursuits community!
Tim Drake- 9 years with Primitive Pursuits
Since Tim could crawl he has had his hands in the dirt and his focus on nature. Tim has studied with some of the leading teachers of both Wilderness Survival Skills and Nature Awareness and Community Building including Tom Brown Jr., Jon Young, Mark Morey and Ricardo Sierra at schools such as The Tracker School, The institute for natural learning and The Wilderness Awareness School. Tim’s passion for learning is surpassed only by his love of sharing these skills with others. Currently Tim Drake is the Co-Director of Primitive Pursuits in Ithaca N.Y. and serves as a Lecturer for the Environmental Studies Department at Ithaca College co-teaching a foundation class he designed with Jed Jordan and Jason Hamilton. Tim is also staff for the Institute of Natural Learning in Brattleboro VT and is developing a wilderness survival instructional DVD series with Survival Works.
Dave Hall – 10 years with Primitive Pursuits
Wanting to share his love for native survival skills, Dave began Primitive Pursuits as an after school program in the Town of Dryden in 1999 through the Rural Youth Services Department at Cooperative Extension. Practicing what he preaches Dave constantly pushes the limits of his skills. With years of knowledge he has become an expert not only on the topic of wilderness survival but winter survival, having spent many nights in self made snow shelters without the aid of fire or blankets. Dave has spent time learning from nationally recognized instructors and schools such as Tom Brown Jr., Jon Young, Paul Rezendes, Hawk Circle, Barry Keegan as well as Jed Jordan and Tim Drake.
Dave has taught for the Adirondack Mountain Club, Cornell Outdoor Education program, Ithaca College Adventure Recreation Degree Program, SUNY Cortland, Rune Hill Earth Awareness Center, Manice Education Center, Fairview Lake Environmental Education Center, Lime Hollow Center for Environment and Culture as well as Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups.
Beth Bannister – 9 years with Primitive Pursuits
Beth’s early Primitives Instructors were the woods, fields, farms and waters in Western NY, along with the cool adults who brought her there. She has also taken classes at Tom Brown's Wilderness School, learned tracking with Sue Morse and Paul Rezendes and studied the Art of Mentoring and Kamana with Jon Young at the Wilderness Awareness School. Beth Bannister started her Primitive Pursuits career helping Dave Hall in the early years of Primitives. Since then she has led Primitive Pursuits as part of the Enfield Youth Programs along with several of the other incredible Primitives Instructors. Along with all things outdoors Beth especially likes birds and the songs they share. Following this passion Beth also works with Lang Elliot, a renowned wildlife recording artist.
Matt Yaeger – 4 years with Primitive Pursuits
Matt, a Tompkins County native, first became involved with Primitive Pursuits in the fall of 2006 as a field work student studying outdoor education/recreation management at Ithaca College. As a field work student/intern Matt received a wealth of experience being mentored in coyote teaching and nature awareness as he clocked hundreds of volunteer hours both behind the scenes and in the field. Matt was also an apprentice in the very first Mentor in Training Program led by Tim Drake and Jed Jordan in 2007. Matt enjoys being immersed in the natural beauty of the surrounding area and sharing the strong connection he feels to this land where he grew up with others. As well as instructing for Primitive Pursuits Matt is program manager for the 4-H urban outreach program at Cornell Cooperative Extension. As the saying goes “If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime” For those of us who need to learn how to fish we call Matt.
Jed Jordan – 9 years with Primitive Pursuits
Jed Jordan is an Environmental Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development. He is the co-founder and senior Administrator of Primitive Pursuits, a 10 year old nature awareness immersion program for youth & adults. Jed’s expertise includes 4000+ field hours teaching aidless wilderness survival skills, utilizing plant resources and animal tracking in the context of new ecological perspectives.
Jason Hamilton – 3 years with Primitive Pursuits
Jason is an Associate Professor of Biology and core faculty member of the Environmental Studies Program at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. He received a Ph.D. in computational quantum mechanics and a second Ph.D. in plant ecology from U.C. Santa Barbara. He did post-doctoral research in ecophysiology, global change biology, and plant-insect interactions at the University of Illinois before joining the faculty at IC in 2001. In addition to teaching and research, Jason is the co-chair of Ithaca College Natual Lands and faculty manager of the Natural Reserves. He is co-founder of the Ithaca College Sustainability Group and advisory board member and instructor for Ithaca Wilderness Mentoring Guild/Primitive Pursuits. He is also co-founder and chairman of the board of Trustees of New Roots Charter High School, the first school in the U.S. to be designed for sustainability education from the ground up.
Estelle Waterman -6 years with primitive pursuits
In 8th grade, Estelle began her wilderness journey as a student in the Dryden Primitive Pursuits Afterschool Program. She instantly fell in love with the people and the attitude associated with the program and soon began to lead as a Youth Instructor. Ever since, she has spent her summers teaching the ways of the scout in programs with Urban 4-H and Cooperative Extension. Currently, she is extending the roots of Primitive Pursuits to The College of SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, co-directing with fellow student, Justin Sutera. Each day she is amazed at how much Primitive Pursuits has positively influenced her life and is excited for what each sunrise will bring.
