News Archive Item
Traditional Ecological Knowledge Conference at U of New Hampshire
Description:
In September of 2011 I attended the TEK conference to present a workshop on how to teach in the field. Many of the participants were elders or knowledge keepers from the New England area; their knowledge, love and understanding of the forest was profound. Because I felt I had little to offer them about the plants they already know, I thought it would be helpful to call upon my years of experience as a naturalist and give some pointers on how to manage a group in the field. Our short hike was the last event of the conference; everyone was relieved to spend some time outdoors. I shared with the group simple pointers such as always facing into the sun so participants don’t have to squint, and the importance of pre-hiking an area to look for dangers and scout for teachable moments. I invited participants to share their own knowledge about plants, promoting an exchange of information. We ended on a funny note — a snapping turtle fiercely guarding the path to our cars!
