Animal Tracking Workshop with James Bruchac

Description

Join us for a special limited-size workshop on Animal Tracking with James Bruchac, an award-winning author, storyteller, tracking expert, wilderness instructor and guide. This workshop is presented in tandem with the Saratoga Springs History Museum’s exhibit First Saratogians: The Indigenous Peoples of the Saratoga Springs Region. (Photo from jamesbruchac.com)

Jim will use plaster track casts to teach how to identify North American mammals from rabbits and foxes to mountain lions and grizzly bears. He’ll also share information and fascinating lore about the animals.

Raised in the Adirondack foothills town of Greenfield Center, NY, James is the elder son of world-renowned Abenaki storyteller and author Joseph Bruchac III, and he and his family run the Ndakinna Education Center there. Due to their combined efforts to educate others about the natural world in March of 2005, James and his father were awarded a Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation.  

As a naturalist and outdoor educator, James has conducted tracking and wilderness survival-based research in all corners of the United States and Lower Canada. He has also traveled to places such as West Africa and Central America and continues his work with John Stokes and the Tracking Project in Corales, New Mexico. James is a graduate of the Tracking Project’s “Nurturing the Roots Community Mentor Program.” James’ tracking and wilderness programs include a variety of learning experiences: primitive and modern survival techniques, animal tracking, appreciation of the natural world, and Native uses of natural resources among other things.

James has authored or co-authored books for all ages. Children’s books include How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, Turtle’s Race with Beaver, Rabbit’s Snow Dance, Raccoon’s Last Race, When the Chenoo Howls and Native American Games and Stories. General public titles include Scats and Tracks of the Northeast, Scats and Tracks of the Southeast, and Scats and Tracks of the Mid-Atlantic. James also co-authored The Girl Who Helped Thunder, an anthology of Native American tales. Upcoming releases include Kids in the Woods, James Bruchac’s Animal Tracking Adventure Guide, James Bruchac’s Woodland Survival Tips and The Stories He Tells, the Story of Joseph Bruchac. James is a member and former president of the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. 

As a professional storyteller, James has shared stories at hundreds of schools and libraries across the country. Whether telling an interactive animal story or a monster tale, he keeps listeners of all ages on the edge of their seats as well as part of the action. James has performed at many festivals, museums including the Smithsonian Discovery Theater (Washington, DC), the Corn Island Storytelling Festival (KY), Noble Tales Festival and the Connor Prairie Museum (IN), Indian Summer and Riverbend Festivals (WI), The Boston Children’s Museum and the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum (MA), the Hudson River Clearwater Festival, the Noteworthy Indian Museum, and the Adirondack Experience Museum in Blue Mountain Lake (NY). James and other members of his family were featured on the PBS special “Adirondack Storytellers” (WMHT/PBS).

Date & Time

Sat, Oct 28, 2023 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Venue Details

Saratoga Springs History Museum

1 East Congress Street
Saratoga Springs, New York 12866

Saratoga Springs History Museum