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Environmental Educator
"Those wild grapes way up in the tree are probably sour anyway!"
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1982–2024 Weekend public Wild Food and Ecology Tours throughout Greater NY, the Northeast, and other regions
- 2024 Noma—Led a Central Park foraging tour for the personnel of this world-class restaurant
- 2019-2024 Vanderbilt Museum
—Indoor presentations and leading tours of the grounds - 2017-2020 GREEN OSSINING
—Leading tours in Crawbuckie Park with Violet Brill, and Wild Food Presentation at the Ossining Earth Day Fair - 2008-2018 ROARING BROOK NATURE CENTER —Leading public tours
- 2016-2020 THE QUEENSWAY —Leading public tours
- 2018 LONG ISLAND SIERRA CLUB
—Leading public tours - 2015 VILLAGE OF VALLEY STREAM —Leading public tours and scout tours in Valley Stream State Park
- 2015-2024 ROCKAWAY WATERFRONT ALLIANCE —Leading public tours
- 2015-2016 —FRIENDS OF IDLEWILD PARK —Leading public tours
- 2014-2020 BEDFORD POST INN
—Leading public tours - 2008-2014 STICKS AND STONES FARM — Leading public tours with indoor presentations
- 2011-2012 QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM —Leading public farm tours
- 2010- CLUB 21 RESTAURANT —Consultant leading tours for executive chef John Greeley
- 2003-2013 STONE BARNS CENTER FOR FOOD —Consultant leading tours for the public, and for world-class chefs
- 2001-2008 QUEENS MUSEUM OF ART—Leading tours of Flushing Meadow-Corona Park
- 1998-2014 AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY—In-house presentations for the annual Family Party, and Central Park tours for the Membership Department
- 2002-2010 Many WESTCHESTER, NY TOWN PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENTS —Consultant, leading public tours, after-school programs, indoor presentations, and day camp events
- 1994-2012 BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE UPWARD BOUND/TALENT SEARCH —Leading field walks for innercity teenagers
- 2007-2008 LONG ISLAND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM —In-house workshops
- 1995-2009 LIBERTY STATE SCIENCE CENTER —In-house public presentations
- 2018 SCIENCE MUSEUM OF LONG ISLAND — Tours and food preparation
- 2004-2005 IBM —Consultant leading tours and creating display for Earth Day celebration in corporate center in Ossining, NY
- 1998–2006 NY HALL OF SCIENCE —In-house workshops, demonstrations, and tours
- 2005 CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN —Speaker at Organic Cooking Symposium: Go Natural!
- 2005 PENNSYLVANIA GREENWAYS —Featured speaker at their annual meeting
- 1994–2006 QUEENS COLLEGE UPWARD BOUND —Leading field walks for innercity teenagers
- 1999–2022 WEBMASTER —Developing and maintaing this web site
- 2005-2006 STEPPING STONES MUSEUM FOR CHILDREN —leading tours
- 2006 Keynote Speaker, NATIONAL WILD FOODS ASSOCIATION Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend, Cairo, WV —Keynote naturalist
- 2002-2008 INSTITUTION FOR INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION —Leading nutrition and wild food tours; instructor in remote speaker program
- 2000-2002 CULINARY ARTS AT THE NEW SCHOOL — leading culinary wild food tours
- 1999-2000 NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN — Power of Herbs Weekend, teaching classes and leading tours
- 1996–1999 HISTORIC WATERLOO, Stanhope, NJ —Leading field walks
Walk this way!
- 1996–1999 OUTWARD BOUND —Providing teachers training workshops
- 1995–1998 ROTARY CLUB OF SOUTHWEST QUEENS —Leading tours for South Queens Boys and Girls Club
- 1998 FLAT ROCK BROOK NATURE CENTER, Englewood, NJ —Staff development workshop
- 1997–1998 INDIAN ROCK PRODUCE, Quakertown, PA, —Consultant, bringing neglected edible wild plants into commercial production for the first time
- 1992–1996 US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, Brookhaven National Lab —Consultant for NE Energy Consortium science scholarship program for gifted inner-city teenagers
- 1995 UNITED FEDERATION OF TEACHERS Science Committee at Bank Street —Staff Development Workshops
- 1992–1993 NYC BOARD OF EDUCATION Citywide Program: Consultant —Five environmental training classes for teachers and twenty sessions for multiply disabled children
- 1992 Grant Recipient: THE DOOR, in Manhattan —Innercity teenagers environmental program
- 1992 SCARSDALE TEACHER'S INSTITUTE —Environmental teacher's training course at the Audubon Society's Weinburg Nature Sanctuary
- 1992–1993 KAY-SWISS SHOES —National Spokesman and Promotional Consultant
- 1992 SOCRATES SCULPTURE PARK, Astoria, Queens —Consultant for combination children’s program of art instruction, science, and nature
1981–2022 OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EVENTS:
African Grey [Parrot] Society, Alley Pond Environmental Center, American Culinary Alliance, Americorps, Ansonia Nature Center, Audubon Societies, Bartlett Arboretum, Bayport Flower Houses, Bergen County Parks Dept., various boy scout and girl scout troops, Blue Hill Restaurant, various boy's and girl's clubs, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Bush-Holley House, Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Central Park Conservancy, Chautauqua Institute, Children Museum of Manhattan, Clark Botanic Garden, Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, Culinary Arts at the New School, Culinary Institute of America, Danbury Parks and Recreation Dept., Dreamtime, Earthplace, Earthsave, Eastover Estate and Retreat, Flanders Nature Center, French Culinary Institute, Earthsave, Friends of Prospect Park, various garden clubs, Green Chimneys, Green Nations Gathering, Green-Wood Cemetery, Holbrook Farm, Holcomb Farm, Honey Locust Farm, Hudson River Museum, Indian Rock Produce, Liberty State Science Center, Learning Alliance, Lenoir Nature Preserve, LI Botanical Society, LI Herb Society, Matterhorn Nursery, Millstone Farm, Mission to Lichtenstein, Long Island Children's Museum, Museum of LI Natural Sciences, NY Academy of Sciences, NYC Parks Council, NY Eco-Expo, NY Open Center, NY Wine and Cheese Club, NY Women's Culinary Alliance, Omega Institute, Organic Connection Fresh Food Market, Pacific Institute, Pennypack Farm, Pratt Center, The Point, Queens Botanical Gardens, Rainbeau Ridge,
NYC DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION, 1986-1990
Parks Commissioner Henry Stern Hires "Wildman"
- NATURALIST—Natural Resources Group, Henry J. Stern, Parks Commissioner
- ORIGINATOR-ADMINISTATOR—Innovative program of Wild Foods and Ecology Tours, Forager's Field Botany Course, tours and classroom visits, educational art exhibits
- PUBLICIST, SPOKESPERSON—News releases, press conference and media appearances
- INSTRUCTOR—Training sessions for NYC Urban Park Rangers
Author
- 2017 Author: Foraging in NY (Globe Pequot Press' FalconGuides series) —The best edible plants of NY State, available as of 4/1/17
- 2014 Author-Artist-Publisher: Foraging with Kids —A wild foods guide with science, folklore, history, recipes, games, & activities, for teachers, parents, and grandparents to use with kids
- 2002 Author-Artist: The Wild Vegan Cookbook —A Guide to Preparing Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Foods (Harvard Common Press)
- 1994 Author: Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild and Not-So-Wild Places (William Morrow Publishers, now Harper-Collins)
- 1986 and 2008 Author-Artist-Publisher: Shoots and Greens of Early Spring in Northeastern North America (self-published)
App:
- 2011-2021 Author-Artist-Photographer of Wild Edibles Forage, for iOS and Android devices, crafted by WinterRoot
Home and Garden TV, Edible Queens, Backpacker's Magazine, Today's Dietician, Vegetarian Journal, Early American Life, CommonGround, Fit, Veggie Life, Natural Health and Beauty, VegNews, Environmental News Network, Mushroom the Journal of Wild Mushrooming, Coltsfoot Magazine, Whole Life Times
Media
"Wildman" with David Letterman
1990—2006 Host-Producer
- 2004 Host"Foraging With the Wildman" video/DVD series
- 1990–1995 Radio Host-Producer: "Foraging With the Wildman"on WBAI Radio in NYC—conversations with naturalists, scientists, educators, and activists, celebrating the environment
- 1992 Radio Host:"The Nature Nuts" on WNYE, a children’s program
- 1992–2006 TV Host: Queens Public Access TV, "The Enquiring Naturalist" series
1982–2022 TV Appearances and Coverage:
Dozens of local, national, and international programs, including CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, CBS Sunday Morning, Channel 2 News, Channel 11 News' Weird NY and Pete's People, WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News, Channel 4 News, Today Show, Sunday Today Show, You Bet Your Life with Bill Cosby, PBS The ’90’s, Souls of NY, and Globe Trekker; Latenight with David Letterman, Joan Rivers Show, Live with Regis and Cathy Lee, 9 Broadcast Plaza, PM Magazine, CNBC’s Alive and Wellness (regular appearances), Sonya Live—CNN, CNN Headline News, CNN Morning News, CNN Earth Matters, CNN News, Hanging With MTV, NY-1, TV Food Network's Roker on the Road, In Food Today, Food and News Views, and other shows, The Joe Franklin Show (twice), The Comedy Network, The Travel Channel, The National Geographic Channel, The Souls of NY, National Geographic TV of India, Nippon TV, a 30-minute documentary Mainichi TV in Japan, and many other Japanese Programs; the basis for Seinfeld’s cousin Jerry, NYC Parks Dept. foraging teacher
1982–2022 Radio Appearances and Coverage:
All local NY stations, many national and international programs, including NPR's Science Friday with Ira Flatow, All Things Considered, Living on Earth, and Morning Edition; WOR's Food Talk with Arthur Schwartz (annual guest), and Good Food Show with Patricia McCann; WNYC's Senior Edition and NY & Company, AP Radio, Monitor Radio, Splendid Table, A Chef's Table, BBC World News, Voice of America, Bloomberg News Radio, WAMC's Environment Show, CBS Newsradio 88 (several times), WINS 1010 News Radio, WABC Radio, CKUA Alberta's Ecofile, WMCA's Ask the Doctor, WHYL's What's Kookin' with Baker, Amercan Express in Japan, and many more
1982–2022 Newspaper/Magazine/Blog Features and Reviews:
New York Times (many features), New York Times Magazine, Chelsea-Clinton News, Chicago Sun-Times (page 1), Chicago Tribune (page 2 and many articles), NY Daily News, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Audubon Magazine, Associated Press, UPI, Reuters, National Geographic, National Wildlife, Newsday (many features), Newsday Magazine (cover story), NY Post (many articles), NY Magazine, The Village Voice (twice), San Diego Tribune, Mushroom Magazine, Fairfield Weekly, Baltimore Sun, SoWhet, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer (three times), The Phoenix, Boston Globe, Queens Tribune, Brooklyn Skyline, Brooklyn Courier, Brooklyn Papers, India in NY, Mind Body Spirit, National Examiner, Weight Watchers, Self, Elle, Veggie News, Vegetarian Times, London and Manchester Daily Telegraph, London Globe & Mail, Japanese Field and Stream, Japanese Cosmopolitan, Copley News Service, American Survival Guide, Herb Companion, Wild Foods Forum, Yomiuri of Tokyo, and many more
1984-1992 ART EXHIBITS, BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS, AND MODELS OF WILD MUSHROOMS
Model Of The Yellow Morel Mushroom
- NYC Parks Dept. Arsenal Gallery, Manhattan
- Botanical Garden, Bronx and Queens
- NY Public Library, Jefferson Market branch, Manhattan
- Donnell Library Center, Manhattan
- Brooklyn Public Library, Main Branch
- Kissena Park Nature Center, Queens
- Pelham Bay Park Nature Center, Bronx
- Mayfair Festival, Allentown, PA
- Northeast Mycological Foray, Paul Smith College, MA
- Long Island Museum of Natural Sciences, SUNY at Stonybrook
1967-2022 MUSIC
Amateur virtuoso jazz Brillophone player, jazz history and musicology
1978-2003 NATURAL FOODS COOKING, CATERING, TEACHING
- 1978 Cofounder: Natural Gourmet Caterers (not connected to The Natural Gourmet Cookery School)
- 1979-1980 Yoga Plus Yoga Studio in Forest Hills, Queens, NY—Natural foods cooking teacher
- 1979 Awosting Hotel in New York State—Natural Foods Chef
- 2003 Natural Gourmet Cookery School — Developing and teaching class: "Beyond Soymilk—The Vegan Dairy"
1965-1978 TOURNAMENT CHESS PLAYER
Over-the-Board US Chess Federation Tournament Chess Player: Class A–rated contestant
Correspondent Chess League of America Postal Tournament Chess Player: Expert-rated contestant
1967-1971 EDUCATION
BA in Psychology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC