Nature Classes in NYC, New York

August 23, 2020 Thanks to its varied habitats and combination of native and introduced species, this world-famous park overflows with wild food.  Wild fruit far surpassing anything available commercially also fills the park. Thickets will still be lined with such sweet, juicy European cut-leaf blackberries, you'll forget all about your...

Join us in a fun, social setting right here in NYC to learn & practice the basics of Survival. Great as a stand alone or to prepare for our full-day or overnight classes in the woods. In this session, we’ll cover Psychology of Survival; covering topics such as  Effective Decision Making Under Pressure,  Needs Assessment,  ...

Outdoor professionals know that the success of a trip depends first and foremost on what you do long before you hit the trail. Putting in the right preparation means not only a safer trip, but more quality time in the woods. In this class, you’ll learn how to choose the best destinations, plan your route, pack for comfort and weight, plan a menu...

Forest Park is one of the best places for foragers in mid-spring. Get lost in this vast park, and you'll have plenty to eat (that is, if you can distinguish the gourmet plants from the deadly ones.) It boasts a large, mature, secondary growth forest, trail edges, thickets, and cultivated areas—all overflowing with wild plants. Burdock,...

We have been on lock down, separated from loved ones and nature. Let's return to community in nature with an evening forest therapy walk! Enjoy the many invitations that will connect us with summer's long daylight hours. Meeting location at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park (East Drive parallel to about 75th Street) Note: Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate...

This instructional course will cover the nutritional and logistical aspects of menu planning in the backcountry. you’ll learn what your body needs while on adventure, including replenishing calories and fulfilling nutritional needs. You’ll learn how weight, storage, and cooking method will impact your menu planning and packing, the pros and cons...

We’ll start with the basics, and lucky for us, Prospect Park Lake is home to an impressive variety and population of fish and there’s plenty of shoreline for us to practice our casting. We’ll introduce you to the rods, reel, and tackle used in spin casting, the style that is most versatile and easiest to learn. After learning the techniques for...

A great abundance of edible and medicinal wild plants and mushrooms makes this park a great place for edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms in late summer. Burdock, an expensive detoxifying herb sold in health food stores, abounds in cultivated areas throughout the park. You can also use this invasive species as a superb root vegetable, or even...

The immediate grounds of this beautiful Inn, owned by actor Richard Gere, the adjacent forest, and the nearby roadsides promise large quantities of wild foods at the beginning of summer. We'll start with the plants growing in the grass near the upper parking lot, including Asiatic dayflowers, garlic mustard, poor man's pepper, and bitter dock. Then...

Forest Park is one of the best places for foragers in mid-spring. Get lost in this vast park, and you'll have plenty to eat (that is, if you can distinguish the gourmet plants from the deadly ones.) It boasts a large, mature, secondary growth forest, trail edges, thickets, and cultivated areas—all overflowing with wild plants. Burdock,...

August 23, 2020 Thanks to its varied habitats and combination of native and introduced species, this world-famous park overflows with wild food.  Wild fruit far surpassing anything available commercially also fills the park. Thickets will still be lined with such sweet, juicy European cut-leaf blackberries, you'll forget all about your iPhone!...

This three hour class held in Prospect Park will introduce you to topographical maps and how to read them, all types of compasses, and how to use a map and compass in tandem to navigate. You’ll learn how to read, take and follow bearings, and more. We’ll have orienteering courses and scavenger hunts setup so you can try guided and independent...

In conjunction with Friends of The Queensway, this tour explores a long-abandoned RR line that runs through Forest Park, and it's one of the best places for foragering in mid-spring. The secondary growth forest, trail edges, and thickets overflow with wild plants. We’ll explore adjacent trails in Forest Park itself as well....

This tour of The Queensway and adjacent Forest Park, in Woodhaven, Queens, held in conjunction with Friends of the Queensway, will explore one of the best places for foraging in late summer. We’ll hike along a long-abandoned LIRR trackway, plus wild, wooded trails running through a large, mature forest. We'll also examine thickets and cultivated...

With a lake, trails, and disturbed habitats, this park is a great place for mid-fall foraging, and America's go-to gal for foraging, Violet Brill, will teach you how to recogniize them, harvest them ecologically, and use them. This is the peak of the mushroom season, and with lots of rain beforehand, and some luck, chicken mushrooms, hen...