“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-Ma’iingan
(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-Ma’iingan.
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 member—something to love, protect, care for, and cherish.”
“Begin reading at any point in Teachers in the Forest and you will discover a calm curiosity towards the natural world. Babcock’s voice inspires with rich lessons on the history, culture, plants and animals of our wild places. The teachings in this collection are like the wolf; timeless and alive.” —Maureen Hackett, MD, Founder and President of Howling for Wolves
“The teachings contained within this book belong to the
author’s decades afield as both hunter and self-provider and are also strongly
influenced by his close ties to the Ojibwe people and their connection to the
land and its animals.” —Traditional
Bowhunter Magazine
"Babcock understands where true wisdom comes from, where to find it. With humility, he turns to the earth and all its living beings, the teachings of the Seven Grandfathers that his friend Larry Stillday, an Anishinaabe tribal member, introduces him to. In clear and compelling prose, Babcock tells story after story of his home ground in Minnesota, of wolves and trumpeter swans and cranes and bear, and we fortunate readers are given a glimpse of wildness and wilderness, a chance to fall in love again and to learn from the first teachers. —Todd Davis, author of Coffin Honey and Native Species
“This book is a deeply poetic account of one man’s quest to live off the land and his battle-cry to protect it.” —Julia Huffman, Director of Medicine of the Wolf and Wolf Spirit
"This book will heighten the way you interpret and
value our remaining wild places.” —Daniel J. Rice, author of The Unpeopled
Season
“Babcock is a curious, persistent, conscientious man who
cares deeply about the land.” —Katie Carter, KAXE Radio
“This book is a powerful tool for anyone yearning to forge a stronger spiritual and physical relationship with wild nature, no matter where you live.” —David Petersen, author of On the Wild Edge: In Search of A Natural Life
