Adult Naturalist Series - 2024-2025 CLASS SCHEDULE!
There is so much to learn about at Lime Hollow! We will offer classes and workshops to reveal the hidden gems that make up the natural elements and cultural history of the Lime Hollow area! Ever wonder what animals call Lime Hollow home, what birds are chatting about as they flitter and flap through the trees, or what was here before the trails and the Nature Center? This is your chance to find out! Our experienced staff or local experts from the community will lead classes throughout the year.
These programs are intended for individuals ages 13 and above. Participants aged 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult.
Location: 3277 Gracie Rd. Cortland NY 13045 (Lime Hollow Nature Center’s Environmental Education Campus) *
Price: We want to make our programs available to everyone. We will have a sliding scale based one what you can afford. Our full day programs will range $50-$80. And our shorter programs will typically range from $20-$40. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Times: Majority are 9am - 3pm, some programs vary in length and time.
Upcoming Topics
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Learn about knife safety, basic carving methods, and the ancient method of using hot coals to hollow out the 'bowl' portion of the spoon.
MEET YOUR LEAD INSTRUCTOR- ANTHONY VICENTE
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Embrace the holiday spirit as you make your own traditional holiday wreath at our Education Campus. Use fresh evergreen boughs and other natural materials to create a one-of-a-kind wreath to complement your holiday decor.
Please bring pruning shears (if you have a pair), work gloves, and ornamental additions. Class fee includes boughs, wire, ribbon and instruction.
This program is intended for individuals ages 13 and above. Participants aged 13-15 must be accompanied by an adult.
Meet Your Instructor
Tirzah-Jo Tucci loves Lime Hollow. After working many years at Summer Camp , she couldn’t stay away. She continued to support Lime Hollow by sending her kids to Lime Hollow programs. We’ve gotten the pleasure of watching them climb through our camp offerings. Tirzah returns every year to do our wreath making class. With her patience and creativity, you’re sure to walk away with a master piece.
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Learn to harness the magic of fire! Fire is a powerful tool. It calls us to gather around it in community, it provides heat for cooking and for warming our bodies, and it can be used to ward off the peskiest of mosquitos. This class will explore many elements of fire including:
Where to find and how to harvesting natural materials regardless of weather conditions
Single match fires using no artificial fuels
Friction Fire methods including bow drills and ferro rods
The best fire structures to use in specific circumstances i.e. cooking vs social situations
Proper ways to extinguish your fire when you are finished and more!
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
James Michael Ciesluk
James Michael Ciesluk is an educator and naturalist who is passionate about teaching others the art of tracking in nature and ancestral living skills. James Michael spends his time inspiring and teaching students to build stone tools, make fire by friction, track animals, and build shelters of all kinds.
Previously he led adult intensive classes in survival, tracking, and youth programs at Earth Native Wilderness School outside of Austin, TX. He studied wilderness skills and nature education full time at Alderleaf Wilderness College in Western Washington where he completed the school’s Wilderness Certification Program and the Alderleaf Instructor Apprenticeship. He attended Wilderness Awareness School’s Immersion program in Duvall, Washington where he further honed his naturalist, nature mentoring, wilderness skills, and volunteered as a team lead for Conservation Northwest Citizen Science Project. James Michael is certified Level III in Wildlife Track and Sign Identification and Level II in Wildlife Trailing through CyberTracker Conservation International, an international standard for evaluating the field skills of Wildlife Trackers, and is a wilderness first responder certified.
When he’s not sauntering around in the woods with students, James Michael enjoys following animal trails through the woods and honing his bushcrafting skills.
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For hundreds of thousands of years, fire has molded and shaped us into the humans we are today, and It did this through the food we cooked. In every living human’s ancestry, someone cooked with fire. Join your ancestors and learn to harness a campfire and to create delicious food using both primitive and modern techniques. The next time you go camping not only will you impress others with your cooking skills, but it will also give you the confidence to know that no matter what the situation is, your palate won’t suffer!
In this class you will be learning:
How to build fire structures
Tell the temperature of a fire through your tactile sense
Cook on coals, stones, and so much more!
Build utensils to cook with
Make desserts
How to utilize different parts and stages of the fire
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REGISTER SOON
Have you ever wondered how mountain men and ancient humans survived long periods of time in the wild with very little? They knew how to use a knife! The knife has been a tool used by us and our ancestors for over 3 million years! Not much about the tool has changed except for the materials used to hold a sharp edge. Join your ancestors, in whose mighty company you shall feel welcome, and learn to use the knife for your next adventure into the unknown.
In this class you will:
Learn Knife safety
How to select the right knife for you
Knife anatomy, grinds, and steel types
Sharpening techniques
Whittle tools from wood
And how to carry on the learning journey alone!
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REGISTER NOW
Join Lime Hollow for a two day course on basic self reliance in the wilderness. Instructors will cover primitive skills that our indigenous ancestors would have used along with modern skills adapted to the world we live in today. For hundreds of thousands of years humans have learned to use critical thinking skills that allowed us to not only adapt to the world around us, but to innovate and create the most ingenious ways to meet our most basic needs.
Humanity is faced with the reality that we are not so far removed from nature as we thought we were.Not only are people exploring nature in record numbers, but we also feel the effects from climate change such as record breaking temperatures, storms, and droughts! The world today hasn’t stopped throwing challenges our way and our basic needs for survival have not changed. Now more than ever, it is important to understand how to provide for yourself and your loved ones through self reliance skills. Don’t wait until the last minute and prepare yourself for the worst scenarios nature can offer.
In this course we will cover:
The Survival Mindset
Hydration
Energy needs
Knife Skills
Fire
Natural Navigation
And More!!!
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REGISTER SOON
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
James Michael Ciesluk
James Michael Ciesluk is an educator and naturalist who is passionate about teaching others the art of tracking in nature and ancestral living skills. James Michael spends his time inspiring and teaching students to build stone tools, make fire by friction, track animals, and build shelters of all kinds.
Previously he led adult intensive classes in survival, tracking, and youth programs at Earth Native Wilderness School outside of Austin, TX. He studied wilderness skills and nature education full time at Alderleaf Wilderness College in Western Washington where he completed the school’s Wilderness Certification Program and the Alderleaf Instructor Apprenticeship. He attended Wilderness Awareness School’s Immersion program in Duvall, Washington where he further honed his naturalist, nature mentoring, wilderness skills, and volunteered as a team lead for Conservation Northwest Citizen Science Project. James Michael is certified Level III in Wildlife Track and Sign Identification and Level II in Wildlife Trailing through CyberTracker Conservation International, an international standard for evaluating the field skills of Wildlife Trackers, and is a wilderness first responder certified.
When he’s not sauntering around in the woods with students, James Michael enjoys following animal trails through the woods and honing his bushcrafting skills.