October 19-20, 2019 at Camp Curran near Tacoma WA
The Wolf Gathering is an annual meeting of Wolf Camp alumni designed as a weekend of camping and camaraderie at Camp Curran, 13220 50th Ave E, Puyallup WA 98446. The gathering is also a open to other nature lovers and survival enthusiasts who want to help the Conservation College transition Wolf Camp from its family-owned business model, into a non-profit organization guided by a board of directors. Birders and naturalists, herbalists and ethnobotanists, wildlife trackers and nature photographers, subsistence hunters and fishers, traditional craftmakers and artisans, organic farmers and sustainable builders, political conservationists and environmental educators, and those who love wolves are all welcome to become members.
2019 Schedule
Saturday, Oct 19 Wolf Gathering
5 PM – Set up tents for those camping overnight.
6 PM – Pot-Luck Campfire Dinner
7 PM – Campfire Stories from 22 Years of Wolf Camp
8 PM – Campfire Songs from 222 Years of Americana Music
Sunday, Oct 20 Annual Meeting
10 AM – Pot-Luck Brunch
11 AM – Conservation College 1st Annual Membership Meeting
1 PM – Lunch & Committee Break-Out Sessions
2 PM – Conservation College Board Member Retreat
4 PM – Camp Clean-Up & Check-Out
RSVP by sending us an email, and just show up for Saturday and/or Sunday thanks!
2020 Plans
We are hoping to invite the inspirational Gene Tagaban as a future keynote speaker:
Gene Tagaban performing llve with Dana Lyons
The Dalai Lama listening to Gene Tagaban at Key Arena
2018 Schedule Included:
Dana Lyons In Concert – Celebration of the American Environment
Best known for his global musical comedy hit Cows With Guns which went to #2 on Australia’s Country Charts and remained on Ireland’s Top 40 for six months, Dana is a singer, guitarist and recording artist who has toured the world for thirty years promoting environmental and social justice causes.
Dana Lyons performs at festivals ranging from Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, to the Harley Davidson Festival in Sturgis, South Dakota. His policy of “I’ll play anywhere once” has landed Dana gigs on a tropical island in the Great Barrier Reef, an Irish Pub in Beijing and the Hanford Nuclear Waste Dump in his home state of Washington.
Here at Wolf Camp and the Conservation College, Dana is best known for his enviro-spiritual songs including The Tree, about which he will relate the history of how the song came to be written by an old growth cedar threatened and then saved from logging near Mt Baker. He’s now touring as part of his Great Salish Sea tour.
Seating is on amphitheater benches. In case of rain, the concert will take place inside the lodge. Either way, bring a pad to sit on, and don’t forget marshmallows and s’mores for time with Dana after the show! Dana will also have music, t-shirts and other goodies for sale.
The complimentary full day schedule includes:
9-12 Enjoy the morning with Wolf Camp instructors doing archery, carving/practicing bow drill fire kits, birding and plant walks.
12-1 Lunch ($10/adult, $5/child with at least one hour advance notice)
1-2 PM Campfire Concert – Opening Act
2-4 PM Dana Lyons – Celebration of the American Environment Fundraising Concert for the Conservation College. RSVP Here or donate upon arrival.
4-5 PM Discussion with Dana Lyons at his merch table.
5-6 PM Dinner ($10/adult, $5/child with advanced notice by the end of lunchtime)
2017 Saturday Schedule:
9 AM Complimentary Breakfast with preview of Blue Skye Farm video produced by LPN Media
10 Informational Meeting for prospective Board Members and others interested in hearing Chris & Kim‘s vision for transitioning Wolf Camp to a non-profit outdoor institute.
12 Pot Luck Lunch with preview of summer camp photography produced by LPN Media
1 PM Earth Skills Rendezvous Session 1 – Choose:
3 PM Earth Skills Rendezvous Session 2 – Choose:
5 PM Salmon Bake & Fish Fry with Wild Chef Charlie Borrowman
7 PM Keynote Presentation with Tim Noah & Cyndi Soup
Tim Noah grew up in rural Neuwaukum in western Washington and from an early age, demonstrated a passion for art, music and theater. He is an Emmy award winning songwriter and producer, nationally acclaimed recording artist, and star of stage and screen. He has appeared on HBO, The Disney Channel and the BBC. In 1986, ABC invited Tim to New York for two performances at Lincoln Center and in 1987, he wrote and recorded the soundtrack and starred in Daredreamer, an independent feature film. In 1995, Tim received the Parents Choice award for Supertunes, an album released by A&M records. In 1998, he began co-producing a music magazine show for children entitled “How ‘Bout That!” In two seasons, How ‘Bout That won a dozen Emmy awards and critical acclaim.
In 1989, Tim moved back to the country, where he tapped into his rural roots and rediscovered a knack for storytelling. It was during this time that he wrote and recorded the album, Kaddywompas – still a favorite among his fans. In the year 2002, Tim and true love, Cyndi “Soup” Elliott met and began the transformation of a hundred-year-old church into Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater – “The Pacific Northwest’s Cozy Home for the Performing Arts” in Snohomish, northeast of Seattle. Tim and Cyndi co-produced “Cyndi Soup and the Critter Choir at the Imagine Inn”, an album of songs for the whole family recorded in Nashville. Tim also recorded One Fell Swoop, an album of original Americana recorded in Nashville and released in 2007.
Tim’s musical journeys have taken him to Lincoln Center in New York. Tim & Cyndi have also worked with teachers and students in the high Himalayan villages of Ladakh, India. They continue to perform concerts, visit schools, write songs, produce and direct shows. Now they have bought a property to start an environmental learning center they’re calling The Pond Beyond. Their keynote address will focus on the journey from a childhood outdoors, to how we can bring similar experiences to future generations.
With a Masters in Arts in Education, Cyndi “Soup” Elliott is a teacher, artist and performer who enjoys sharing her life-long love of Nature. Her dogs and horses have always been among her dearest friends. Cyndi Soup is currently the featured performer at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, WA. She and Tim recently bought 17 acres in rural Snohomish County to start an environmental learning center they’re calling The Pond Beyond. They will share their original musical composition of that title as part of their keynote address focusing on how we can keep future generations in touch with the music of nature and a life outdoors.
2017 Sunday Schedule:
• Wild Edible Plant Walk
• Making Fire by Friction
1 PM Earth Skills Rendezvous Session 4 – Choose:
3 PM Meeting to nominate board members for the new non-profit organization taking over management of Wolf Camp in 2018-19.
4 PM Thanksgiving Circle, Songs & Stories with Chris
5 PM Clean-Up
Recommended Contribution for Participants & Guests: $95 adults; $45 accompanied youth and children no matter the length of time you stay, and not including optional meals or tent accommodations – see below. Please register youth along with an enrolled parent or legal guardian. Just rsvp with an email to guarantee a seat or register at the door. Accommodations include on-site tent camping, near-by hotels, and daily commuting. Music and other louder activities are welcome if you put them on the schedule in advance, and quiet is paramount between the hours of 9 pm – 7 am. To schedule an activity of any kind, please register with a note about your activity.
Presenters, Skillshare Providers & Vendors: RSVP Now for complimentary attendance in exchange for offering one presentation/activity each day during Saturday-Sunday sessions and to be listed on the schedule in advance. Please write a short bio and one paragraph description of the activity you would like to offer, plus which session times you prefer; includes optional website listing and weblink. To add accommodations and meals, you can volunteer to help cook and serve, or see see below for monetery contribution level. If selling wares at the gathering, then contribute additional 10% per sale at end of weekend. Just rsvp with an email to guarantee your participation .
Choose Your Meals: (Optional)
• Add Saturday Breakfast: complimentary
• Add Saturday Lunch: $5 adults; $5 accompanied children
• Add Saturday Dinner by Wilderness Chef Charlie Borrowman: $15 adults; $10 accompanied children
• Add Sunday Breakfast: complimentary
• Add Sunday Lunch: $5 adults; $5 accompanied children
Choose Your Accommodations: (Optional)
• Add On-Site Tent Camping Saturday Night: $5 per each person, includes bathrooms but no showers
Other Accommodations: Reserve RV Site at Puyallup Fairgrounds (15 mins) or camping at Dash Point State Park (30 mins) or stay at a B&B or Hotel in Puyallup or Tacoma (10 mins).
2016 Keynote Speakers
• Becoming Wild with author and Wolf Camp veteran Nikki van Schyndel on her two year survival living experience!
• Wolves in Washington with special guest from Wolf Haven, International at this tenuous moment when another wolf pack faces state-sponsored extermination.
• The Living History of John Muir with storyteller and poet Bill Baroch in character performing his “Stories of Experience and Place” as forays into nature, mystery and magic.
2016 Skillshare Presentations
• Herbal Remedies with Hannah Hynes-Petty
• Fishing Rigs with Charlie Borrowman
• Wildlife Walk with Nikki van Schyndel
• Arrowheads with Torrey Burke-Weeks
• Wild Edible Plants with Sarah Inskeep
• Fire by Friction with Braden Ploger
• Kids Games & Skills with Wren Schmid
• Pine Needle Basketry with Lisa Powers (Comanche)
• “Stories of Experience and Place” – Nature Storytelling Skills with Bill Baroch is a foray into nature, mystery and magic. Your experiences have the power to carry that magic into mystery, to inspire, to connect, to share knowledge, wisdom, love, humor, and humility. Come explore how it might be done.
2016 Friday Schedule Included:
3:00-6:00 Set-Up & Check-In
5:00-5:30 Community Dinner (either bring your own, cook around central fire or use your own stove, or rsvp in advance and contribute $5 for dinner by Wilderness Chef Charlie Borrowman in the lodge; menu: loaded bake potato soup; vegan thai ginger sweet potato squash soup; bread; salad)
6:00-7:30 Friday Keynote Address on Wolves in Washington with special guest from Wolf Haven, International at this tenuous moment when another wolf pack faces state-sponsored extermination.
8:00-9:00 Friday Keynote Performance the “Living History of John Muir” by storyteller and poet-in-residence Bill Baroch
2016 Saturday Schedule Included:
8:00 Sunrise Potpourri with Wolf Camp Staff
8:30 Water Ceremony with Lisa Powers: Water Is Life (*see description below)
9:00-9:30 Community Breakfast (either bring your own, cook around central fire or use your own stove, or rsvp in advance and contribute $5 for the camp breakfast we serve in the lodge)
10:00-11:30 Session 1 (see above for confirmed skillshare presenters)
12:00-12:30 Community Lunch (either bring your own, cook around central fire or use your own stove, or rsvp in advance and contribute $5 for the camp lunch we serve in the lodge)
1:00-2:30 Session 2 (choices similar to Session 1; plus the first Legacy Transition meeting to hear from and give feedback to co-owners Kim & Chris Chisholm about “how we got here” and “where we want to go” with Wolf Camp and the Conservation College)
3:00-4:30 Session 3 (choices similar to Session 1; plus second Legacy Transition meeting to brainstorm about options for the future of Wolf Camp and the Conservation College, facilitated by lead Wolf Camp instructor and U-of-O conflict resolution master’s student Patrick Wiley)
5:00-5:30 Community Dinner (either bring your own, or rsvp in advance and contribute $15 adults, $10 kids for dinner by Wilderness Chef Charlie Borrowman in the lodge; menu: hearty chicken pot-pie soup; vegetarian tomato bisque soup; biscuits; salad; chocolate chili cream cups; butterscotch pudding with pinon chile brittle)
6:00-7:30 Saturday Keynote Address on Becoming Wild with Nikki van Schyndel, Wolf Camp Earth Skills Apprenticeship graduate and author of the book Becoming Wild about her 2 year survival living experience with fellow Wolf Camp apprenticeship graduate Micah Fay.
8:00-9:00 Friday Keynote Performance the “Living History of Ezra Meeker” with Wolf Camp founder Chris Chisholm
2016 Sunday Schedule Included:
8:00 Sunrise Potpourri with Wolf Camp Staff
8:30 Water Blessing with Lisa Powers: Water is Life (*see description below)
9:00-9:30 Breakfast Served (either bring your own, cook around central fire or use your own stove, or rsvp in advance and contribute $5 for the camp breakfast we serve in the lodge)
10:00-11:30 Session 4 (see above for confirmed skillshare presenters)
12:00-12:30 Lunch Served (either bring your own, cook around central fire or use your own stove, or rsvp in advance and contribute $5 for the camp lunch we serve in the lodge)
1:00-2:30 Session 5 (see above for choices similar to Saturday; plus third Legacy Transition meeting on the steps for development of a non-profit organization including the board of directors, if yesterday’s meetings go in that direction)
3:00-4:30 Session 6 (see above for choices similar to Saturday; plus fourth Legacy Transition meeting on developing a timeline and delegating tasks for the transition of Wolf Camp and/or the Conservation College into the future)
4:30-5:00 Closing Ceremony with Lisa Powers & Wolf Camp Staff
* Water Is Life with Lisa Powers (Comanche): Gather together to honor, respect and give thanks to the Waters of the World in a ceremony of prayer and singing the Anishinabe Water Song in respect of Josephine Mandamin, Elder who walked around the 5 great lakes with prayers in honor of the Water. Ceremony will include time to discuss what we can do individually and as a group to promote further honoring and protecting of our water.
2020 Keynote Speaker To Invite:
We would like to invite the inspirational Helen Thayer as a keynote speaker for the next Wolf Gathering. In the scope and significance of accomplishments achieved by women, Helen Thayer stands alone. Author of Three Among The Wolves, Polar Dream & Walking The Gobi, she travels without guides or support teams. At times she has overcome incredible obstacles to reach her goals through dedicated planning and problem solving. In a career that spans the planet north to south and east to west, her diversity and experience are without compare. Named one of the Great Explorers of the Twentieth Century by National Geographic and honored in a ceremony at the White House, Helen is truly “one-of-a-kind.” She uses her vast experience to convince young and old that all great triumphs are realized by total commitment to a goal, to planning for success and finally determination to reach the top. She explains, “I’ve been there and here’s how I did it.”