While the best survival tool is good preparation, it is good to have a few skills on hand in case you are ever caught in a sticky situation! Join us for a fun afternoon to learn how to plan ahead and prepare, try your hand at fire building, test your compass skills, and learn some other backcountry basics. This event is for all experience levels, but is focused on beginner skills.

Nature Up North is excited to announce that legendary Adirondack storyteller and folk singer Bill Smith will be joining us again this year for the final installment in this year's summer campfire series!

Bill Smith is widely known throughout the Adirondacks and beyond as a master of various traditional arts of the region. A skilled storyteller and folk singer, Bill has also worked as a logger, hunter, trapper, fisherman, and guide. He performs for a variety of audiences with a wide repertoire of stories and songs about local life.

Sometimes a long day of work can be stressful. Do yourself a favor and wind down from the work day with a night hike up Mt. Arab in Piercefield. By the light of our headlamps we will journey along the one mile trail of flat to steep grade as we make our way up to the summit where we will be greeted by dazzling constellations and the waning gibbous moon.

Make sure to wear hiking boots or sneakers and bring a backpack with bug spray, water (about 1 liter), a raincoat, a fleece, and a headlamp. No hiking experience is needed. All are welcome on this unique nocturnal experience!

Want to roast some s'mores? Learn the Earth's oldest ways of making fire
with hand or bow drill. Feel the deep peaceful power of songs from
Native North America and Guinea W. Africa, and learn to how play
traditional rhythms during this interactive performance by Len Mackey.
Join our hearts and minds as one this day and let the joy of our shared
humanity dance with the fireflies upon the winds of passion.

It may be hard to fathom, but we didn't always use chemicals to dye fabrics. For thousands of years people used plants, roots and berries to dye cotton, muslin, linen, silk and other fabrics. These days of course we can pop into a store and buy a rainbow of fabric dye, but it's great fun to dye fabric the old fashioned way! Not only does it give you a new appreciation for Mother Nature, but it's also a free and fun way to get crafty and explore your creative side! As an added bonus, natural dyes can lead to a lot of great, frugal home decorating ideas!

Stories help us work through the events of our lives and find meaning in the world around us. We learn and communicate by sharing our own experiences and by retelling tales that have been passed down through the generations. Join us for an evening of storytelling with local story teller Paul Hetzler. Sit by the flames and roast s’mores while listening to traditional Adirondack, Native American and original stories. You are sure to be both entertained and amused!

Freshwater only takes up .5% of Earth's surface, but it is home to 10% of all known species and 33% of all vertebrates! However, it is deeply affected by human induced pollution and erosion. Come take a canoe paddle on the Little River and learn how scientists test and monitor the quality of freshwater lakes and streams. You will even have the opportunity to take a kit home with you to test the health of that pond in your backyard, the stream running through your woods, or even the drinking water that comes from your faucet!

There are many plants growing wild in the north country that have medicinal and healing properties. Some plants speed the repair of damaged tissue, some soothe the nerves and others improve circulation, fight infections and nourish the immune system. Using wild plants in medicine has a long history, both in traditional and present day medicine. Come spend a few hours learning how to identify, prepare and use these valuable local resources. You will learn the medicinal properties of several wild plants and learn how to make herbal teas, poultices and maybe even tinctures!

Join the Nature Up North Team to learn about local fish and how to cast! No previous experience required! Fishing poles will be provided but feel free to bring your own gear. You may also want to bring sunscreen, water, and a camera (to post pictures of your catch on natureupnorth.org). You should be prepared to get a little wet. Shorts and close-toed sandals or old sneakers are ideal for wading in the water.

Participants over the age of 16 are required to have a fishing license. Please RSVP as we have a limited number of fishing poles.

Want to make an awesome card out of natural paints made from ingredients found around the home and yard? Come on down to the Potsdam Farmers' Market and check out our table! Using stamps made from leaves, bark, stones and other plant materials you can create beautiful works of art made entirely from natural materials.