Coyote Trails: Bend Bulletin

Article 1: SIMPLE STEPS TO FIRE SUCCESS by Yoko Minoura December 30, 2007

ARTICLE 2: MAKING THE CONNECTION
FRIENDS IN THE OUTDOORS
COYOTE TRAILS SCHOOL OF NATURE BRIDGES GAPS IN NATURE AND FAMILY
BY AIMEE McCLINTON for THE BULLETIN/ CONNECTIONS MAGAZINE
APRIL 2007
"We provide the venue to slow people down, get them out into the woods, and allow wilderness and nature to do the true teaching."
Living in Central Oregon, most of us appreciate the good fortune of boundless adventure in our backyard. Whether it's winding along the Deschutes River trail, shooshing down the side of a snowy mountain, or nestled in a sleeping bag watching a meteor shower, many of us find peace through nature.
Coyote Trails School of Nature, a nonprofit experiential nature program, provides youth, teens and families a unique setting in which to enjoy the great outdoors. Developed by Joe and Molly Kreuzman, their mission is preserving heritage and the natural environment through the art and science of earth-based primitive living skills.
Family programs, in particular, are offered to those ages seven through 70-plus. The entry-level course, titled Family Fox Trail, is a weeklong campout where participants learn to create fire through bow-drilling techniques, identify edible plants and berries, build survival huts, and recognize different animal tracks.
Sequential family courses delve deeper into honing primitive living techniques. These classes study specific areas like advanced methods of animal tracking, making coal-burned wooden bows and utensils, and flint knapping (the art of making stone tools).
The essence of the experience is genuine. From the moment families arrive at their secluded group campsite (located outside Ashland for most Oregon-based sessions), all watches, cell phones and electrical devices are stowed away. An added bonus for the adults is that all meals are prepared, organic and preservative-free, by staff chef, Rebecca Moergen.
"We provide the venue to slow people down, get them out into the woods, and allow wilderness and nature to do the true teaching," said Joe Kreuzman, founder of Coyote Trails. "Everything (in nature) is a mirror reflection of who and what we are, and nature does the teaching for us…. We just provide the container."
For many families who have participated, Coyote Trails has provided a breath of fresh air and renewed perspective of life and the environment.
Sandy Willmore
Sandy is wife, a mother of two - a 15 year-old son and 10 year-old daughter - and educator who lives in Ohio. It was through a mutual friend that Sandy met Joe Kreuzman and learned of Coyote Trails.
Intrigued by the concept, Sandy packed up her family and flew to Oregon last summer for a weeklong camping trip.
"I fell in love with the program," Sandy said. "I was seeing my kids zipping by, having fun with their new friends, and I loved that, but at the same time I got to talk and connect with the other adults, who became my really good friends. So it was like I got to be a kid, but at the same time my kid was being a kid."
As an individual, Sandy re-connected with aspects of herself previously buried under the mother and wife; the experience afforded her time to deepen her relationship each family member. "It was the best family trip we've had because we truly got away from it all, and I feel we really bonded."
Inspired by her time at camp, Sandy has since implemented the Coyote School of Adventure Nature Club at an Ohio middle school where she currently teaches. In collaboration with the Kreuzmans, Sandy is constructing an outdoor curriculum to which schools nationwide may access.

Kelly Daniels
For the past two summers, three generations of the Daniels family have attended the Coyote Trails family program: Kelly, her two sons - ages 8 and 12 - and her mother.
Not an experienced camper prior to Coyote Trails, Kelly admits she was a little nervous at first. The nerves quickly dissipated, and now the Daniels family has committed to returning every summer they are able.
"The awareness skills we have come away with have affected everything in our lives," Kelly said. "My children came away calmer, kinder, more insightful individuals, not only with nature and animals, but people as well."
Parents and children come together for mealtime, group activities, and sleeping, but are otherwise separated. While the kids are off learning new outdoor skills, adults have time with instructors to discuss and share topics of importance.
"We're given the space to look inside ourselves to become better people and parents that are more connected to our hearts and souls," said Kelly.

Stan Brock
Busy schedules and demographics often cut back on time Stan has to spend with his grandkids. Last summer, he seized an opportunity to share quality time with two of his grandsons, ages 11 and 9, by signing up with Coyote Trails.
"I was amazed to discover how independent (my grandsons) are," Brock said. "I came to Coyote Trails to provide my grandkids with an opportunity to get close to nature and learn about the earth. What I was surprised to find is that I learned more than I ever anticipated."
One of the many lessons taught at camp is having respect for elders. Referred to as wisdom-keepers, participating grandparents are reminded that their role in the lives of their grandchildren is extremely valuable.
"It's a great place," said Brock. "They have excellent instructors and everybody is interested in the betterment of the children, the group and the Earth."
Coyote Trails offers year-round sessions. Check their Web site, www.coyotetrails.org, for descriptions, further details, and a video testimonial.

ARTICLE 3: Family Section
The Bulletin
Friday, June 1, 2007

"Coyote Trails focuses on survival skills, love of nature" by Alandra Johnson

Every other week the Bulletin feature a kids organization, highlighting opportunities for youths in the area.

THE GROUP: Coyote Trails School of Nature
WHAT IT IS: Started in 2000, Coyote Trails School of Nature offers a variety of nature camps and classes to children and families. The school focuses on teaching primitive survival skills to help kids and adults get in touch which their instincts.
"We like to open kids' awareness to the natural environment," said Joe Kreuzman, director of the school.
The school has weekend or day programs during the year and offers weeklong summer camps beginning in June. The camps are open to children as well as their parents or guardians (children are also welcome to attend by themselves). Campers are provided with organic meals. Different camps are offered for different skill levels.
Some skills the camps teach include building a shelter, creating primitive fire by friction, obtaining safe potable drinking water and making bows and arrows. Campers will also get involved in making primitive pottery, art projects, sketches, journals, music, dance and storytelling.
According to Kreuzman, the "most important thing" that the camps focus on is helping "cultivate the imagination."
BENEFITS: Learning about nature, wilderness and survival skills helps build a foundation for confidence, according to Kreuzman.
He says attendees develop "deeper" confidence in themselves, deeper relationship with their family, deeper relationship with themselves" as well as developing "hard skills for how to stay alive."
AGES: 7 and older
WHERE: Spring and fall classes take place in Bend, Oregon and Ohio, summer camps take place at the Earth Teach Forest Park, a 1,600-acre wilderness preserve outside Ashland. The school will offer a local class at the end of August through the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District.
INVOLVEMENT/TIME COMMITMENT: Summer programs are one seek long; fall and spring classes range from daylong to weeklong.
WHEN KIDS CAN JOIN: Register at any time through out the year; registration for summer is currently under way.
COST: $625 for week, includes all food, per person; families are $950 for two people with each additional person costing $500. Daylong programs cost $45 and up. The group offers some scholarships to those in financial need.
CONTACT: Office, 617-0439 or www.coyotetrails.org.

ARTICLE 4: March 18, 2007 Searching for clues left behind...

ARTICLE 5: March 17, 2007

Philanthropy and women topic of Tower event
Published: March 17. 2007 4:00AM PST

Women and philanthropy will be the subject of Kathy LeMay's presentation Tuesday at the Tower Theatre.

The 7 p.m. event will include an address from LeMay, who is nationally recognized as an expert on women and philanthropy. She leads Raising Change, a nonprofit organization that helps groups and individuals with social change agendas, including fundraising and volunteerism.

LeMay is in Bend at the invitation of Molly Kreuzman, co-director of Coyote Trails School of Nature.

Tuesday's event will also be a showcase for 30 local nonprofit groups. Participants can get involved and learn about ways they can help local organizations.

Contact: 617-0439.

ARTICLE 6: December 30, 2006:

Kids learn new skills at High Desert Museum: kids shelter building, fire-starting skills...

By Kate Ramsayer
/ The Bulletin
The kids stood in a semicircle, eyes focused at Rebecca Moergen's feet.
With a bow in one hand, a stick in the other and a small board under her
boot, she crouched down, trying to start a fire. "The most important
wilderness survival skill is a positive attitude," she had said earlier.
"You guys think we can get a fire going?" The crowd at the High Desert
Museum answered yes, and sure enough, after moving the bow back and forth
to make the stick spin, a little pile of dust started smoking. Moergen and
others with the Coyote Trails School of Nature were at the High Desert
Museum as part of Kids Day on Friday, teaching children how to track
mammals, build a simple shelter in the woods and listen to the birds
around them. Even if people just have an awareness of basic survival
skills, like building a shelter or starting fire, it can help them not
panic if they ever get lost in the woods, Moergen said. "We're really
using primitive living skills to help people have connections to the world
around them," Moergen said. Skills like being able to pick out birdcalls
could clue hikers or trackers in to other things going on in the woods.
And showing kids how to make fire demystifies the process a bit, she said.
The instructors showed two ways to get little piles of dust smoking, once
with a bow and once by simply rubbing a stick back and forth in their
hands to create friction in a notched board. "Is that wood splinter-free?"
asked Annie Hawkins, 9, of Bend. Moergen said that it does sometimes cause
blisters. Hawkins noted later that if she was stuck without matches, she
would use the bow method to avoid any potential splinters. But she enjoyed
the demonstration, she said. "It was really cool because I think it's
really good to know some fire-starter ways without matches," she said.
Jesse Christensen, 7, who was visiting from Oregon City, liked the bow
method as well. "It's pretty good," he said.
He had spent the day "just playing around" at the museum, he said,
climbing rocks and looking at the animals. Kids Day, which the museum puts
on about three times a year, is full of events for children of all ages,
said Jamie Chapman, visitor programming specialist with the museum.
Friday's events all focused on a winter theme, including games and crafts
like pinwheels and paper dolls. "These are all activities based on things
pioneer children would have done to while away the winter months," Chapman
said. Debbie Keefer-Smith, of Bend, had brought her children to the museum
not knowing about the special events, but they took advantage of the
opportunity to make a natural bird feeder out of pine cones and peanut
butter, to decorate gingerbread cookies shaped like fish and to take a
horse-drawn wagon ride. "It's great because it has a lot of activity
centers for the kids," Keefer-Smith said. Her daughter Elise Smith, 9, was
busy making a pinwheel, and then was off to look at some of the animals.
When she walked in today, she said, her first thought was: "I have a lot
of things to do." Kate Ramsayer can be reached at 617-7811 or at
kramsayer@bendbulletin.com. ------
From bendbulletin.com - published daily in Bend, Oregon, by Western
Communications, Inc. Copyright 2005.