Resources:

The whole purpose of this presentation is to get you started down the primitive skills trail. What follows are resources that I have found very helpful. This page is merely full of my opinions and I only hope that they can be helpful to you too.

Schools

ROOTS - Reclaiming Our Origins Through Traditional Skills - I put this one first because it is my favorite and the one I have spent the most time at. The schools offers many of the same course types that Tracker offers but it is in Vermont. Which means a much easier drive for people in New England. But what really makes the school special is that class sizes tend to be somewhat smaller and workshop time far outweighs lecture time. Like Tracker, the instructors ar ROOTS really know their stuff. They teach by example and having spent a number of years teaching, they know how to get students past the common barriers and roadblocks that tend to interfere with the learning path. I can't say enough good stuff about ROOTs and their programs. I wouldl recommend this place to anyone.

Roots School LLC
PO Box 932
Montpelier, VT 05601
http://www.rootsvt.com/
info@RootsVT.com

Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School - Probably one of the best known survival and primitive skills schools anywhere. Tom Brown has a slew of books to go along with the teachings at the school. The teaching style they refer to as "Coyote Teaching" is as much about teaching you how to learn as it is passing on information. I would recomend the Standard Class to anyone. There is no way taking this class won't forever change your life and your perception of the world around you. If you go, bring an open mind, and at least a couple of notebooks and a package of pens. The Standard Class is a lot of lecture and a little bit (but still a lot) of workshop. Once you take the Standard Class you can take other great classes like Advanced Tracking and Awareness and the Advanced Standard. Recently, the Philosophy workshops were opened up to those who hadn't yet taked the Standard Class. Most classes are in the New Jersey pine barrens (although, they are offered at least once a year in California too) which are amazingly beautiful but also has one of the highest concentrations of deer ticks in the country. Two of the schools head instructors, Matt and Carmen Corradino also teach their own workshops which are top notch. Finally Bill Marple, the Tracking instructor at Tracker does a fine job with his workshops and on-line classes. There is also a children's program called Children of the Earth Foundation.

Tracker School
928 Main St, 
Manahawkin NJ 08050
http://www.trackerschool.com/
info@trackerschool.com

Maine Primitive Skills School - I can't speak from personal experience about this school although I do have plans to attend someday. I just know that they have a great reputation and the instructors at the above mentioned schools speak highly of them which is good enough for me. They are local to New England and occasionally team up with the Delta Institute in Connecticut to put on a class.

716 Church Hill Road
Augusta, Maine  04330
(207) 623-7298
staff@primitiveskills.com

Books:

My library of Nature Books is a little excessive. However, these books can be looked at as our elders, full of knowledge and information. Just take that information with a grain of salt. I once heard Tom Brown Jr. say that of the 20 wild edibles books on the market, 10 of them have information that can kill you. Be safe, always double and triple check your sources before chowing down. I put these books in order of my most favorite to least. All the books here are great books.

Tracking:

Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking by Tom Brown 

 

Plants / Foraging:

 

Newcomb's Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb and Gordon Morrison

Primitive Skills:

Deerskins into Buckskins: How to Tan with Brains, Soap or Eggs; 2nd Edition by Matt Richards and Richards Matt

The Art of Flint Knapping by D.C. Waldorf and Valerie Waldorf 

Self Study Courses:

The Kamana Program:
http://wildernessawareness.org/kamana/

Natureskills E-Courses:
http://www.natureskills.com/ecourse/

Websites:

Wildwood Survival:
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/index.html

Primitive Archer:
http://www.primitivearcher.com/

Nature Skills:
http://www.natureskills.com/

Wilderness Survival Skills:
http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/

Alans Factory Outlet (A great page of articles suggested by a young survivalist from Pennsylvania):
http://store.alansfactoryoutlet.com/Building-Shelter-and-Other-Survival-Tips-s/1871.htm