Turtle Island Preserve

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Turtle Island Preserve

Founded by Eustace Conway, Turtle Island Preserve is an Outdoor Education Center We cook on a fire, gathering our own wood.

Turtle Island is located in a remote hidden valley at the end of a long gravel road. Our programs are full of lifestyle practices of earlier people from our great grandparent's time and back into prehistory. We orient to the basic foundation of where things come from and where things go. We plant and harvest in our gardens, milk goats, make bowls, spoons and tools of all size and description. We h

unt and gather wild foods and medicines and natural resources abounding in our huge natural preserve. We completely made the many buildings of our farmstead; carved literally from the wilderness. Accommodations for guests are simple shelters i.e., log houses and primitive tents. We really believe in getting back in touch with the natural world. We use outhouses for our bathrooms and learn to "go outdoors." This is a complete cultural experience not a watered down viewing. When a group comes here it is life changing for them. That is our vision, goal, and success! We get hands on "experiential" activities going whether harnessing a mule or pounding metal at the blacksmith shop or killing a rooster for supper. Some people mistake a description of primitive living with "roughing it" but actually our ancestors moved gracefully with a balanced rhythm through daily economic challenges. It is the sophisticated "modern man" that, in his bumbling ignorance of earlier natural lifestyles, finds himself truly uncomfortably "roughing it" through his inability and discomfort of trying to exist in his "foreign environment" of nature.

30/07/2024

Father-Son Camp was awesome this year! We wanted to share the words from one of our Dads:

"Turtle Island Father Son camp was an amazing experience for my son and I. The relaxed vibe of the site was perfect for a comfortable learning experience. We loved roaming around the property and exploring all of the unique buildings and historical tools. Learning how each was built by hand and over time by need was so great. Playing in the creek and sleeping by the running water was epic. Learning about all of the different trees, plants and animals and how they can be used was great to better understand how humans can work with and live off the land. Overall, an amazing experience for any father looking to bond with his son over a few days out in the woods!"
J. Christensen, 2024

Our dates for 2025 are July 10-13. SAVE THE DATE and be sure and join us next time!

21/07/2024

Our Fall Workshops begin with an amazing opportunity the weekend of September 20-22. THREE workshops packed into 1 weekend...Hide Tanning , Honoring the Deer and Knife Making Mountain Metal Craft with Robby Bowman, @cheyenne.brown.95 and Dustin Rhodes Forge Works/Forge a Memory. We have these amazing artisans lined up, ready to teach and share with all of you. All workshops feature amazing meals cooked onsite over wood burning fires and rustic housing in our beautiful, hand built Adirondack shelters. Come join us. More information including how to register for each workshop can be found on our website:

www.turtleislandpreserve.org

15/07/2024

A little music this morning to begin your day...courtesy of our Father-Son campers. ENJOY!

15/07/2024

Father-Son Camp 2024 is a wrap...and it was packed full of learning, growing, bonding, yummy food and just plain fun! Primitive craftsmanship using a knife was taught. Using bamboo and wood, we made tools and hunting implements. We learned to make fire and practiced those skills, we had morning silence time, learned how to drum as a group, had amazing meals, campfires at night, and faced our fears during a night hike by learning to feel the trail....and lots more. Our final evening together ended in an amazing musical concert. Amazing teachers and leaders Bolejack, Jeremy Crosby and Jenny Waters.

12/07/2024

Father-Son Camp is off to a great beginning…learning and growing together!

11/07/2024

Father-Son Camp has begun and we are excited to have these good folks with us! Lots of activities are planned as well as special times together.

06/07/2024

Our Older Boys Camp is coming to a close...and we're thankful for so many things...most especially our supportive parents who believe in our mission and teachings and put their total trust in us. Our last days were spent flint knapping, learning all about fire and wood, blacksmithing, planting American Chestnut trees, hiking, solo time, creek swimming...and so much more.

01/07/2024

Glimpses of our horsemanship classes today with Spencer Brill. Our campers loved working with our new baby c**t.

01/07/2024

Our campers had a wonderful session today with Spencer an amazing teacher, friend and volunteer of ours who came to teach horsemanship. Spencer shared the importance of developing honorable life skills and valuable life lessons. Enjoy, his words as he shares his experience at Turtle Island......we are so lucky to have him!

29/06/2024

Father Son Camp is fast approaching and we have an amazing program waiting for those folks who have registered. We've had some last minute requests...so we have opened up one additional spot for a family. First come- first serve...hope to see you there!

www.turtleislandpreserve.org/father-son-camp

22/06/2024

Young Boys Camp 2024 is a wrap...and what a camp it was! Personal growth in these young fellas from day 1 to day 7 was amazing! We are so proud of them. They stepped out of their "comfort zones", tried new experiences, and became all the better for it. Parents, we are sure they will have many stories to share. Enjoy their stories and know that we enjoyed creating each of these stories with them. We will miss each of these boys...and hope to see them back at Turtle Island in the summer of 2025.❤

21/06/2024

Parents, we appreciate you sharing your wonderful campers with us! It's been a wonderful process and much personal growth. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

21/06/2024

How can it be Thursday already? It’s been a great week at camp…here’s just a glimpse into our time together!

17/06/2024

Preparations are done and we're off and running for a great season of camps. We're all excited...except Rebel...he is not impressed with all the activity...lol.

17/06/2024

Summer Camp has officially begun. Our staff welcomed our younger boys today and we are excited for the week ahead. Personal growth is our mission. We strive to instill life lessons in each of our campers that will encourage them to become strong, capable young men who contribute positively to their community and our culture. Older Boys Camp starts next week and we have a few openings. If you would like more information, you will find it here:

www.turtleislandpreserve.org

15/06/2024

Putting the call out...at FLT this year, Eustace borrowed a nice ladies camera and took some amazing footage at the horse barn with Spencer the farrier. Whoever you were...you promised to send them to Carolyn, but we haven't received them and Eustace would really like to have them. If you see this post, please email them to [email protected]. Thanks so much.

14/06/2024

Family Camp is coming up August 1-4 and it's such a great time to reconnect. We keep it small and intimate for that reason. 5 families max and we have room for 1 more. It's a great way to end the summer! Here's a glimpse of an evening campfire...we would love for you to join us!!! Details and registration info here:

https://www.turtleislandpreserve.org/family-camp

13/06/2024

Beyond excited to announce that we will be offering our amazing "Cooking over Fire & Flame Class" again this Fall and October 19 is the date. We are incredible lucky to have Paulette & Tonya back at our hearth to teach again. It was a wonderful day filled with learning, camaraderie and absolutely delicious, beautiful food....don't miss this. I can't wait to see what the "Bill of Fare" will be! It's limited to 12 folks. Here is the link to register:

https://turtleislandpreserve.org/cooking-over-fire

04/06/2024

BIG, HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT...tickets are now available for our 2nd annual Bluegrass Concert, "Music in the Mountains". The proceeds from this event are instrumental in helping us carry on our mission at Turtle Island Preserve. By attending you will have a great time and...help us expand our programs, upgrade our facilities and send more kids to camp. Just click on the link...the first 50 tickets sold will receive a special gift that night...but shhhhh, it's a surprise!

https://www.turtleislandpreserve.org/music-in-the-mountains

03/06/2024

Amazing folks, wonderful teachers, incredible "A Team" staff and volunteers, beautiful weather, incredible food, glorious sunshine, tons of laughter & conversations, birthday celebrations, garden harvests, hugs, friendships, community, kindred spirits...and on and on and on...it's really difficult describe what a wonderful weekend and workshops we had this weekend. We are thankful and grateful for the circle of folks that make all of this possible. We invite you to join the circle and attend one of our workshops. We have more great opportunities coming up, so come and experience all we have to offer. Just visit our webpage:

www.turtleislandpreserve.org

02/06/2024

Our volunteers are the heart of Turtle Island...we just couldn't do it without them. They give of their time and energy to help us keep our non-profit going. We are always seeking good folks who support our mission to join our crew. Meet Tiff, a brand new volunteer as she shares her experience. If you're interested just get in touch by email, phone, text or pony express! We'd love to have you.

www.turtleislandpreserve.org/volunteer-program

30/05/2024

It's going to be an awesome weekend at Turtle Island! Josh Cooper will be teaching a Basic Blacksmith Workshop and Paulette Gardner will be teaching a Hearth Cooking Class. We actually still have some availability for both. Hearth Cooking is a 1 day class on Saturday the 1st, and Basic Blacksmithing is a 2 day event on Saturday & Sunday. For last minute registrations, email: [email protected]

Enjoy this interview with Paulette about the Hearth class...and many thanks to Curtis Media and Mark Norris with our local radio stations for their support!

https://soundcloud.com/user-324091400/paulettegardner?si=ec7090cd95484babbbb82b0ad01b2c4f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

23/05/2024

"Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves." Stephen Moss

Join us for our Forest School...May 28, June 4 and 11, and sessions will resume in September. It's an immersion into the natural world and we believe a true gift to our greatest resource, our children. You may register for individual sessions or a series. Visit www.turtleislandpreserve.org for info and to register.

23/05/2024

I knew the weekend of June 1-2 was going to be really special...but I don't think I realized just how SPECIAL until a few days ago. We have THREE amazing workshops going on at the same time! Tulip Poplar Bark Baskets, Beginning Blacksmithing, and Open Hearth Cooking...all led by amazing teachers...BUT Paulette Gardner, founder of the Lincoln County Hearth Cooks will be leading the Hearth Cooking workshop...and she and her students will actually be preparing our Saturday evening meal that we will all share together...and it will be SPECTACULAR!

So, if you have always wanted to experience Turtle Island...I highly recommend this weekend!!! We still have a few spaces in each workshop available. Here is our "Bill of Fare" for Saturday evening.

Saturday, June 1, 2024
Turtle Island Preserve, Hearth Cooking Workshop

Hearth Roasted Herbed Chicken

White Bean and Smoked Sausage Cassoulet

Colcannon
A Scottish/Irish Dish of White Potatoes, Cabbage, Onions & Bacon

Pan Roasted Fresh Asparagus & Mushrooms

Salmagundi
A Fancy Salad, the Forerunner of Today’s Chef Salad

Southern Corn Cake
Good Bread
A Heritage Sourdough Bread

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
&
Apple Cranberry Pie
With Fresh Whipped Cream

Iced Mint Tea & Lemonade

All of these amazing vittles will be prepared in the Hearth Cooking class and enjoyed by all the folks in the other workshops as well!!! I for one can't wait!

So here are the links to register for one of the classes:

https://events.eventgroove.com/event/Cooking-Over-Fire-Flame-87356

https://www.turtleislandpreserve.org/blacksmiths-basics

https://events.eventgroove.com/event/Tulip-Poplar-Bark-Backpack-Basket-Workshop-88817

You will be soooo happy you came! We hope to see you there!!!

16/05/2024

Big Announcement!!! "Families Learning Together" May 3, 2025
Save the Date!
Demonstrator Applications opening soon.

09/05/2024

Ok...ladies, of all ages. We have a special weekend planned just for you on May 17-19. Our Mother-Daughter...or Granddaughter, or Niece or Friend...any combination works really...and it's coming up quickly and unbelievably, we have a couple of spots left due to some last minute cancellations. It's gorgeous at Turtle Island in the Spring...and what better way to begin the warm season than reconnecting with each other in nature. Our leaders are amazing...members of our beloved Robert's family. We invite you to take advantage of this availability as it's not too late. Get all the details and register here:

www.turtleislandpreserve.org/mother-daughter-weekend

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Videos

Family Camp 2024 is in the books! So much learning, growing, exploring, adventuring and bonding going on…we hope you can join us in 2025. Many, many thanks go to the parents and their kids, our staff and our volunteers all of whom made this an amazing camp! #personalgrowth #nonprofit #naturepreserve #adventure #familycamp #offgrid #bondingtime

A little music this morning to begin your day...courtesy of our Father-Son campers. ENJOY!

Sights and sounds of a busy day at the forge during the final days of Older Boys Camp.

Parents, we appreciate you sharing your wonderful campers with us! It's been a wonderful process and much personal growth. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. #summercamps #earthskills #poplarbark #funtoo #guidance #personalgrowth #berrybasket

Young Boys Camp 2024

Amazing weekend with Basic Blacksmithing and Cooking with Fire and Flame…join us next time! #turtleislandpreserve #nonprofit #workshops2024 #handsonlearning #handsonlearning #offgrid #naturepreserve