Teachers in the Forest

A rewarding and enriching fusion of traditional wisdom, science and first-hand experience. Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator, and How to Read Nature Drawing from a similar lifestyle and environmental ethic as Henry D. Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, Babcock has lived more than two decades off-grid deep in the forest near the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Here he has discovered a balance in the interconnectedness of all life in the woods, and derived his sustenance from hunting, fishing, gardening, gathering wild food, providing water from a hand-pump well and minimal electricity from the sun. He befriended an Ojibwe Elder, Chi-Maiingan (Big Wolf), from whom he learned the Seven Grandfather Teachings (Wisdom, Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Humility, and Truth). Each of these seven teachings are represented by an animal. In this collection, Babcock shares his love of the natural world through a unique land ethic that combines the ideology of Thoreau and Leopold, and that which he learned from Chi-Maiingan. Babcock proposes a radical shift in how Americans support our environment and wildlife. He was recently featured in the documentary films: MEDICINE OF THE WOLF, and WOLF SPIRIT. From these pages: We must stop seeing the natural world as a commodity and start seeing it as we would see a family membersomething to love, protect, care for, and cherish.