Mark Warren, owner and operator of Medicine Bow Wilderness School, and teacher of nature and primitive skills will share a photo presentation on some easy-to-use Cherokee medicines for trail hikers, and all lovers of the great outdoors. Mark will cover many easy-to-identify plants encountered in the forest and field, and will include remedies for bee sting, fire ants, stinging nettle, poison ivy, nausea, mouth sores, minor infection, food- or water-poisoning, constipation, and diarrhea. Also included will be how to use certain leaves as effective insect repellents. And last, but not least, Mark will present some great tips for successfully observing wildlife. Join us for this informative program about enhancing your relationship with nature.

The “Secrets of the Forest” book series will be available for purchase and signing at this free event. Mark has packed 40+ years of teaching and knowledge about the Native American way of life into a four-volume series of books titled "The Secrets of the Forest," which he wrote with three purposes in mind: "To provide clear instructions in primitive survival skills for anyone wanting to better his/her self-sufficiency in the wilderness . . . by learning the old Indian ways of living comfortably in the forest; to offer parents, teachers, Scout leaders and outdoor educators a guide to engage their students in nature . . . at a time when our young ones so desperately need this connection, as does nature itself; [and] to win over a new generation of environmental advocates who will look after this world.

Bio: Mark Warren is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Chemistry/Pre-med. Following undergraduate college work Mark pursued music composition and arrangement at Georgia State University, while performing original works in various concerts, scoring plays for The Academy Theater and having his suite The Once and Future King performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

In 1980, working through the Georgia Conservancy, Mark designed and taught Georgia’s first statewide environmental education workshops for public schools, which reached thousands of teachers from Rabun to Seminole Counties. For this project the National Wildlife Federation honored him as Georgia’s Conservation Educator of the Year. In 1998 Mark became the U.S. National Champion in whitewater canoeing. In 1999, he won the World Championship Longbow title.

Mark owns and runs Medicine Bow Wilderness School in the Southern Appalachians of Dahlonega, GA. Mark has taught survival courses to thousands of schools and groups all over the Southeast and as far southwest as the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park … northwest to Washington State … north to St. Croix Scenic River Park in Minnesota. Mark has also taught a special course on survival/nature at Young Harris College as an adjunct professor.

Mark has written extensively about nature for magazines, including:
Guernica, Blue Ridge Highlander, North Georgia Journal, Georgia Backroads, and Camping Magazine

Mark is a lifelong student of Native American History and Survival Skills, and Western History with a special focus on Wyatt Earp. He is a member of the Wild West History Association and Western Writers of America.

His published books include:

*Two Winters in a Tipi (Lyons Press, 2012), a memoir

*Secrets of the Forest (Waldenhouse Publishing, 2016 - 2018), a 4-volume series on nature/survival

*Adobe Moon (Five Star Publishing, 2017), an historical novel and first in the trilogy Wyatt Earp: An American Odyssey

*Born to the Badge (Five Star, 2018), an historical novel and second in the trilogy Wyatt Earp: An American Odyssey

*Promised Land (Five Star, October 2019) an historical novel and third in the trilogy Wyatt Earp: An American Odyssey

High praise for "Secrets of the Forest":

“If you’ve ever wondered how to transfer lost knowledge and skills to our next generation, this book series is your guide. Mark is no newcomer in the world of primitive skills and nature study. He’s been passing on his knowledge to young and old for over a half century. I’ve had the pleasure of attending several of his classes in Dahlonega, Georgia. Mark is a walking encyclopedia of earth-lore and the skills required to call Nature home.” ~ Todd Walker from Survival Sherpa

“Secrets of the Forest is an invaluable teaching tool for my staff at Buffalo Cove Outdoor Education Center. Countless times, I have seen them visit our library in the office and pull this volume off the shelf to aid them in planning classes. The structure and phrasing of Mark's work really speaks to the experiential educator. The content, and breadth of knowledge, contained within the pages is a true gift to anyone seeking a greater understanding of the natural world and really nurtures a connection with the earth!” ~Nathan Roark, Executive Director Buffalo Cove Outdoor Education Center

"Mark Warren is an authentic educator who links his vast knowledge of plants and animals to skills necessary for survival, a combination that creates an active and exciting experience for children and adults. The series has begun to take our school in directions we never imagined possible."~O.J. Morgan, Head of School at The Bright School, Chattanooga, Tennessee

“Through Mark Warren’s Secrets of the Forest, educators, leaders, stewards, interpreters, learners, and students of connecting with and through nature have access to his spirit, insight, and generosity. These [books] are a ‘must have’ for anyone wanting to inspire, and to be inspired by, ancient wisdom and knowledge based in a deep reverence for the Earth.” ~Joseph A. Pate, PhD Department Chair – Outdoor Leadership Assistant Professor Young Harris College

Quote from Mark: “All of us who live in the northern third of Georgia reside on land that once belonged to the Cherokee or Muskogee tribes. While these native people led lives of intense daily interaction with their natural surroundings, most folks today have reduced nature to a backdrop of scenery. The great deficit in this scenario is our lack of understanding that we still depend upon nature. That dependency is largely hidden to us, especially to the new generations that come along to take over the 'rules' of how we behave with nature — air to breathe, water to drink, energy to consume for our daily actions. These are commodities that are easy to take for granted. If taken for granted, humans will have no reason to respect and conserve the pieces of the puzzle we call ecology."

Click on this link to read a review from Survival Sherpa: https://survivalsherpa.wordpress.com/2017/08/09/secrets-of-the-forest-the-best-outdoor-education-book-ive-read/