Earthskills Rendezvous Staff & Instructors

This is only a partial list of staff and instructors. The actual roll of teachers is much more extensive.

Leadership Council Members

Allison Cerruli has been an avid environmental activist and educator for 12 years, focusing on creative, positive solutions for change. A skilled natural builder, organic gardener, and fermenter; she practices many skills for living simply. She loves working with fibers, natural dyes, and textiles. Ali is a professional fire dancer and permaculture designer.

Steven 'Snow Bear' Taylor has been an environmental educator for more than 30 years. He's embarked upon a life-long pursuit of knowledge with an emphasis in living skills, medicinal and edible plants, utilitarian uses of plants, and world rhythms. He's studied with elders from the Cherokee, Creek, Lakota, Seminole, and Ojibway tribes. He has been involved with the founding of several environmental education organizations in the Southeast, including Earthskills Rendezvous.

Lene Church is your newest elected leadership council member, and an earthy artist looking forward with excitement.

Reid Blackwelder is a family physician, who directs the Kingsport Family Medicine Residency program, and teaches at the James H Quillen College of Medicine. He has been a member of the Rivercane community for over 16 years. For many years he was the "unofficial" community doc, but now he fills that role officially, helping create a safe environment for folks learning new skills, like sharpening knives! He and his wife, Alex, a nurse, massage therapist and yoga instructor, value their time each year reconnecting with friends and family.

Judy Langston is a mother, wife, caterer and youth spiritual leader. She teaches Sunday school, does various charity work and conducts spiritual leadership camps for teenagers. Her hope is to bring people together from all walks of life to remember "mitakuye oyasin," (we are all related).

Christina Gordon co-owned and operated Whitestone Farm, a U.S.D.A. Certified Organic farm specializing in wild foods, sustainable farming practices and humane animal husbandry practices for 5 years. She has been involved with primitive skills and outdoor education since 2003 and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Earthskills Rendezvous' Inc. Christina is a skilled brain-tanner and has taught and demonstrated hide tanning and animal use for public schools, numerous festivals, federal parks, primitive skills events, living history events and private classes throughout the United States.

Nate Olive

Coordinators

Seamus Trostle has been interested in outdoor skills all his life and was introduced to organizations of other like minded people about 10 years ago by Russell Cutts who has become a good friend and mentor. He is the former curator of Oxbow Meadows Envirnomental Learning Center and since moving to the Raleigh area has been teaching and demonstrating primitive skills full time.

Clint Corley is the Founder and Director of Forest Floor Wilderness Programs, working to reconnect both youth and adults to the natural world. He is also a Certified Wilderness Guide through Teaching Drum Outdoor School in Wisconsin, having completed a year-long primitive living wilderness immersion program.

Staff

Alex Killgore is a long-time rendezvous-er and is the ultimate man behind-the-scenes... an excellent carpenter, efficient-emergency-resolver, and jack-of-all-trades! Thanks to Alex, we have a camp to house our community!

Alice Craig is responsible for your delicious dining experience while at rendezvous. Thanks Alice!

Rich Wells is the assistant cook and resident songwriter and entertainer. He takes himself very seriously! (ha ha...)

Jill Gottesman appears on this wall as the new Bookkeeper for Earthskills Rendezvous. What she is most excited about at Rivercane this week is helping to build our community and learning EVERYONE's names, so please say hello and introduce yourself!

Jane Gordon lives in Marble Hill Georgia and currently works for a family owned irrigation company in Alpharetta Georgia. She has helped with the Earthskills Rendezvous registration and mailings for the past several years and has a wealth of administrative skills. Jane enjoys gardening, african drumming, camping and any other outdoor fun!

Jimmy Cooley is one of Rendezvous' true hidden gems! this man keeps camp running smothly... It's all about the little details! And he knows more about plants than just about anyone you'll meet!

Emily Jernigan has worked tirelessly to organize our fantastic work-trade crew! Thanks Emily!

Instructors

Snow Bear has been an environmental educator for more than 30 years. He's embarked upon a life-long pursuit of knowledge with an emphasis in living skills, medicinal and edible plants, utilitarian uses of plants, and world rhythms. He's studied with elders from the Cherokee, Creek, Lakota, Seminole, and Ojibway tribes. He has been involved with the founding of several environmental education organizations in the Southeast, including Earthskills Rendezvous.

Jeff Gottlieb has been an interpretive naturalist since 1980, and has specialized in primitive skills since 1987. He has taught people of all ages, and will share Nature and Primitive Skills with anybody who will hold still!

Denton Bragg is a master woodworker and furniture maker... a skilled bow maker and old-timey folk musician.

Doug Elliott Whether he's singing about catfish, pontificating on possums, extolling the virtues of dandelions, telling Elliott will take you on an unforgettable, multifaceted cultural tour of North America's back country.

Chuck & Peggy Patrick are a blacksmith, a basket maker, a fiddler, a guitarist, and that doesn't even come close to describing the skill or talents of this Appalachian couple!

Colbert Sturgeon No words describe this man of the southern Georgia swamps! You've got to experience it to believe it!

Buck Windsor is a master when it comes to stone-age cooking and transforming bamboo into a variety of usable tools, as well as being extremely skilled with bone and stone tools. He is one of the founders of the "Ways of the Ancestors Primitive Skills Program" and is a regular instructor at Earthskills Rendezvous.

Camper Bob Jarrell will teach you everything you need to know about tumplines and stone carving.

Frank Chambless is from the mountains of NE Alabama, his lifelong interest is the exploration of natural and cultural worlds. This interest has carried him all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Central America, and North America. The places, people and traditional musical instruments of these adventures have served as the inspiration for his music.

Fuz Sanderson is a drum beating, didg blowing, bird calling Rendezvous original! Fuz has worked for over 20 years as a wilderness instructor, naturalist, and research biologist for organizations such as 4H, National Wildlife Federation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, US Forest Service, US Park Service, and the Green River Preserve. Currently he is serving the State of NC in the Biological Services Unit of the Dept. of Transportation.

Hawk Hurst has offered his lively storytelling performances and musical instrument-making residencies at schools and festivals all across the country for nearly two decades. He is serving as the 2008 President for the SC Storytelling Network, and is a long standing member of the NC Storytelling Guild, the SC Artist Roster, the Southern Artistry Roster, and the SC Native American Flute Circle.

Kaleb wallace loves to make things rot. He is a composter, gardener, herbalist, educator and gastronaut extraordinaire who loves sharing info about human health, traditional diets, nutrition, & fermentative transformations of every shape & size.

Wren Shoumate has been traveling around the southeast building wigwams and teaching educational programs focusing on primitive earthskills and sustainable living. She's taught kids' programs for many years, and will be helping our youngsters at Rendezvous.

Keith Grenoble leaves home a week before Rendezvous begins so he can stop at every rock out-crop along the way to load up his car with goodies! He is an excellent potter and flint knapper, and is also skilled at cordage, bone working, hide tanning, and basketry.

Seth Gaddis began blacksmithing at the John Campbell Folk School through their youth program when he was 12 years old. He continued to practice the craft, and took another class with Rendezvous instructor Chuck Patrick when he was 18. He has been blacksmithing ever since, and now enjoys teaching and sharing the craft.

White Eagle is a long-time rendezvous instructor specializing in rivercane flutes and blow guns.

Mary Brown is a gourmet wiz in the stone-age kitchen! Bring the kids... cook a feast... go home with a satisfied belly!

Michael Stuckey is a master potter, painter, and wood carver. His Rendezvous specialty is primitive pottery, so come hang out by the fire, get your hands dirty, and learn a lot! Come early... stay late!

Natalie Bogwalker is an herbalist, crafts-master, basket maker, chef, the list goes on... a true woods-lady!

Oren Kleinberger will tell you anything you've ever wanted to know about converting your diesel to run on used veggie oil. Help reduce our dependence on foreign oil!

Tim Rhoten is a figment of your imagination.

Robin Blankenship is the Founder of EarthKnack, School of stone age living skills. Robin owns and operates Earth Knack and has been working in the outdoor field since 1978 when she began leading horse packing trips into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. Her energy and liveliness brings inspiration to the Earthskills community.

Russell Cutts is the founder of Native Earth, Inc. and The Wyldecraft Company. He has 20+ years of professional experience teaching earth skills, American Indian history/prehistory, and outdoor education. Russell will be teaching his passion, fire!

Scott Jones is a Master flint knapper and craftsman, Scott has made a life-long study of natural and cultural history, and the interconnectedness of the two. Scott is the President of the Society of Primitive Technology (based in Rexburg, ID), and is a member of the Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists, the Society for Georgia Archaeology and is a life member of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference.

Christina Gordon co-owned and operated Whitestone Farm, a U.S.D.A. Certified Organic farm specializing in wild foods, sustainable farming practices and humane animal husbandry practices for 5 years. She has been involved with primitive skills and outdoor education since 2003 and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Earthskills Rendezvous' Inc. Christina is a skilled brain-tanner and has taught and demonstrated hide tanning and animal use for public schools, numerous festivals, federal parks, primitive skills events, living history events and private classes throughout the United States.

Catherine Stinson has been practicing "earth skills" since she was a child!  her current endeavour is Concentric Rings : a center where these skills are taught in an intimate small group setting.  for a schedule of workshops visit the website at concentricrings.net.

Mac Maness is The founder of Skills Alive, an organization of Primitive Living Skills instructors. He knows a lot about a lot!

Katrina Tobin will teach you valuable wilderness first aid skills... and she's one of our camp medics.

Dean Smith is an amazing photographer and Outdoor educator. There's no telling which wonderful skills he'll teach at the next rendezvous!

Chris Maness enjoys teaching primitive skills and connecting people with a new way of life... getcha' outta that box!

Nancy Basket knows how to make just about anything out of kudzu... paper, soap, preserves.... and baskets!!!

Orea VanDoren is a talented flute-maker and bagpipe player of shared Cherokee and Scottish descent. He is also a chop stick maven.

Jerry Two Bears Blalock offers terrific programs for all ages! Bull Roarers, kites, and other exciting games!

Vicki Blalock will teach you fun and creative crafts... shell wind chimes, net bags, and much more!

Evan McGown's passion is in creating a culture of mentoring. With nature-mentoring visionary Jon Young, Evan co-authored "Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature". He runs his own outfit for nature connection year-round in Athens, GA, the Institute for Wild Intelligence (link = www.wildintelligence.org), including a year-round training program for adults.

Jeff Moore is a 26 year teacher of environmental and natural history education. He is a Colonial history re-enactor, musician and storyteller. His love of nature, history and indigenous cultures led him to explore primitive skills for the last 15 years. Jeff shares his knowledge of ancestral skills at various gatherings from Maine to Georgia. Jeff is the coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Group works as a Naturalist for Killens Pond State Park in Felton, DE.