The Eagle Spring 2017

EAGLE’S NEST CAMP

The Eagle

THE OUTDOOR ACADEMY

HANTE ADVENTURES

The Eagle’s Nest Foundation Newsletter

1927-2017: 90 Years and Growing

SPRING 2017

circa 1956

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

The Arts at OA p.4

Final Banquet Through the Years p.5

Alumni Gatherings p.7

ENF Through the Eyes of a Trustee p.8

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, PROMOTING THE NATURAL WORLD AND THE BETTERMENT OF HUMAN CHARACTER

Eagle’s Nest 1927-2017: 90 Years and Growing

By Moseley Waite, adapted by Noni Waite-Kucera, Executive Director

Mo Waite, Eagle’s Nest Foundation Trustee

Mo Waite, camper, staff, trustee, benefactor, beloved father to Noni, Alex and Meggan, and husband to Helen, passed away February 3, 2017, at the age of 80. In his memory, we have adapted this history he wrote in 2011 to reflect his voice and his memories of our Nest.

Eagle's Nest Camp did not originate in Transylvania County;

rather its origin was near Eagle's Nest Mountain in Haywood County. The owner, Mrs. Oppenheim (Bailey) moved the camp to its present site in the Little River Valley in 1927. It was an all girls program accommodating about 60 campers. It flourished until World War Two when it was forced to close for the war effort.

A group of individuals interested in child development, led by my parents, Dr. Alex and Hannah Waite, purchased the camp from Mrs. Bailey and opened the campus for the summer of 1945, a major achievement considering that the war in the Pacific was still ongoing. It was important to create a coed camp to meet the educational goals of the founders. Eagle's Nest was one of the first coed camps in the area. The next summer was also a challenge as most of the campers were from Florida, which had been hit by a major outbreak of polio. The result of this outbreak was a quarantine which prevented these campers from traveling by train to Hendersonville. This was circumvented by chartering a bus that brought them almost nonstop to camp; however, we were in quarantine on campus for two weeks along with all camp personnel.

Eagle's Nest grew over the next few years adding cabins and new activity facilities. Four of the cabins were army surplus, taken apart at their site in Florida and transported to the

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Little River Valley where they became home to campers rather than soldiers. The number of campers increased to above 100 coming from new areas as the reputation of the programs at Eagle's Nest grew. In 1950, my parents and other investors decided that Eagle's Nest should be reincorporated as a not for profit organization to insure that the educational program would be preserved. A Board of Trustees was created with John D’Albora as President. The Board was responsible for overseeing the operation of the organization. Following this restructuring of Eagle's Nest, more full time staff was added and the camp grew to about 150 campers, roughly the current size.

In the early 1950's, a large group of campers from Cuba came for most of the summer adding an international flavor. Their participation in Eagle's Nest programs continued until travel became impossible for citizens of Cuba.

The next major change that occurred at Eagle's Nest was the introduction of programs for children with diabetes. This program was originated in the late 1960's by a dedicated group of parents from the Greenville, SC area. These parents saw the need for children with diabetes to learn to care for their condition and to have a secure future and fulfilling lives.

Together with a large medical staff led by the directors from Duke (Harry Delcher, Jay Ellis and Jay Skyler) Eagle's Nest ran The Carolinas Camp for Children with Diabetes for well over a decade. Much of the leadership for this program came from my wife Helen Waite, Alex and Hannah's daughter-in-law. When Alex and Hannah retired in the late 1970's, the trustees named Helen as Director and I began serving on the Board of Trustees.

Helen remained the Executive Director of the Foundation until 2000 when she retired. The Board then named Noni WaiteKucera, our daughter and Alex and Hannah’s granddaughter, as Executive Director of Eagle’s Nest Foundation. With mature educational programs established, Noni turned her attention to the acquisition of much needed property and building new facilities. In 2001, the Foundation purchased 125 abutting acres from the Gladfelter Corporation. This purchase, along with staff housing acquisition, brought the contiguous land available for programs to almost 200 acres. An arts center was also created consisting of two buildings, Cheoah and Wayah, with connecting decks and walkways.

Mo out on the trail

Helen embraced the educational philosophies developed at Eagle's Nest for the previous three decades. Helen was a student of experiential education, and Eagle's Nest was the ideal venue for her energy and creativity. Her work had to spread beyond "The Nest", bringing in new programs to explore. With the full support of the trustees, Helen developed the Hante program, journeys out of camp for three weeks during the summer. The first Hantes were 100 mile hikes on the Appalachian Trail. I was known to hike in watermelons and steaks at the mid-point of their trek to add a little variety.

The next Hante took a trip to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona to live and work with Navajo families, and then to Mexico to work on restoring a colonial hacienda while learning Spanish.

The programs have now circled the globe while maintaining the true meaning of the name Hante, "I went away to learn", a Winnebago term.

Believing that the campus could be used for her educational dreams beyond the 9-10 weeks of the summer, Helen developed the Birch Tree program. Both public and private schools brought students and staff to Eagle's Nest for 2 to 5 days to participate in this outdoor experiential education program each fall and spring. These school groups came from as far away as Florida and Ohio.

Helen believed that the biggest step forward in her educational dream would be the addition of an academic semester school program. Two such schools, both in New England, were in existence at that time. The concept of starting such a program was a big challenge to the Board of Trustees; winterized facilities would need to be created, a director and faculty recruited, a school curriculum designed. To move forward with this dream, another organizational restructuring occurred; Eagle's Nest Foundation was created, and Eagle’s Nest Camp became one of two programs within the Foundation. After two years of hard work and significant fund raising by Helen and Ted Wesemann, the founding director of The Outdoor Academy of the Southern Appalachians (OA), our school opened in 1994. In addition to winterizing existing facilities, a major fund raising campaign made possible the building of Sikwayi, a large classroom and library building. The Outdoor Academy now accepts up to 28 tenth grade students each in the fall and spring semesters. This school which is accredited by the SACS, blends academic work with outdoor education. The Outdoor Academy has been the perfect program to compliment Eagle's Nest Camp, meeting the Foundation's educational mission of “experiential education for young people, promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character.”

Over the past few decades a strong emphasis has been placed on the “greening of the Nest”. A focal point of this initiative in 2008-2011 was The Outdoor Academy Student Environmental Summits (OASES), which brought school groups to campus each spring for hands-on workshops on a variety of environmental issues. In the spring of 2011 over 100 eighth and ninth grade participants traveled with their schools from as far away as Miami to have fun learning about their natural world.

Most recently our sights have been turned toward achieving a long sought goal of placing a majority of our land under a conservation easement. This goal was met in the fall of 2016, fulfilling a major section of the campus wide sustainability plan and moving us forward nicely toward our centennial priorities.

A note from Noni: My father’s leadership on the Board of Trustees for over 35 years shaped Eagle’s Nest as we know it today. His quick mind for numbers, his ability to see far down the road, and his deep sense of connection to this land have given us great stability upon which we will continue to grow.

In gratitude and loving memory for all that he has given us.

Trustees on a hike, circa 1990’s L-R: Ursula Goebels-Ellis, Elen Knott, Mo Waite, hiker, Bob Knott, Jay Ellis

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The Evolution of Arts at OA

By Ted Wesemann, Natural Science and Appalachian History Teacher

During the formative months of The Outdoor Academy, before we opened our doors in 1995, we were faced with an important curricular question here at our embryonic school. Which arts should we offer to our students? Then, as now, we tended to think we should do everything from outdoor leadership training to PreCalculus to solstice ceremonies to community service projects. Eagle’s Nest Camp already had a long history of several exciting art activities and facilities. Drawing from that experience, we settled, quite naturally, on Visual Arts, Music, and Theatre. We were fortunate enough to hire Diane Daniel and Mark Braun right out of the camp staff to apply their considerable skill and experience to our curriculum. Jane Davidowski joined in as our Theatre teacher and we were set; three art teachers with degrees in their disciplines.

Our commitment to the Arts was obvious in our first viewbook, in our faculty, and in our classrooms. Those were the days before Cheoah and Wayah. We squeezed our arts program into the Sun Lodge basement and upstairs room, as well as the cold Old Lodge and Arts Arena. I distinctly remember watching a theatre class bundled up in hats, scarves and gloves. On sunny days, Mark pulled the African drums outside and his class gave the whole campus a beat, a rhythm to learn by. I think everyone within earshot was singing the calls and responses in their own heads. Many of us took time out to throw a pot or make a journal with Diane, or join in on impromptu skits with Jane. The theatre class always wrote and produced their own play and the faculty often joined in with a role. Bill Woodruff and I actually launched our theatrical careers right there in the Old Lodge. Ahh, the smell of the crowd, the roar of the greasepaint...

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Of course, the most exciting point in OA art history was the realized dream of Cheoah and Wayah, our music and visual arts centers. This began with the Foundation’s Roots and Wings capital campaign of 2000 - 2002. We have our Property Manager at the time, Gary Daniel, to thank for those structures. It’s difficult to imagine our campus without these two busy core buildings. They feel like the heart of our campus and have given our art programs proper homes. I still think of these buildings as new; however, this semester’s students had not yet been born when we broke ground on Cabin 7 field in 2000.

We have been so fortunate to have the likes of Eddy Cole, Kevin MacDonald, Frannie Oates, Hannah Levin, Laura Kraus, Jessica Kaufmann, Brian Quarrier, and many others who brought artistic opportunities and their skills to OA. In fact, the arts have flourished here through all of our teachers over the years. Nearly everyone came with a gift to share, whether as an accomplished knitter, woodworker, potter, musician, poet, stained glass artist, or songwriter. The countless journals, buckets of clay, heaps of wood shavings and whittled spoons, gallons of paint, photographs, African dances, wire sculptures, reams of memorized lines, little felted ogres, buckskinned pouches, miles of knitting, heartbreaking ballads, knapped arrowheads, iron hooks, contra dances, string bands, theatre sets, casts of unforgettable characters, and stained glass to fill several chapels attest to the creativity and skills shared by staff and students alike.

In 2012, Michael Brown, then Head of School, brought us ...continued on page 5.

Cheoah under construction.

Students sitting on Cheoah steps in 2017.

...“Arts at OA” continued from page 4. four cornerstones to frame our efforts at OA—intellect, environment, craft, and community—thus recognizing, more formally, our long commitment to hand-work and the belief that, in education, process takes priority over product in the arts. We don’t separate handcrafts from art, and we feel that form and function converse naturally. To me, the cornerstones have been surprisingly helpful as both philosophical and practical tools that focus our academic and creative projects.

We have gone through many art experiments and offerings in 44 semesters, never veering too far from those first three arts programs, and never faltering in our belief that the arts are vital to the development and education of a whole person. As our school was born, our first deep creative breaths were of the atmosphere of the rich art traditions of Eagle’s Nest Camp— handcraft and theatrical expression, music and movement, spontaneity and individual expression. It had been in the air here for decades.

Final Banquet Through the Years

By Paige Lester-Niles, Camp Director

Heartbreak Cafe Final Banquet - Taylor Dunn and Gary Daniel

These days, if you were to ask a camper from the last 20 or so years to explain Final Banquet to you, they would probably launch into a description of an elaborate, themed pageant that takes costumed participants on an experiential journey through the woods and into their imagination. But the origins of Final Banquet in the 50’s and 60’s were very different. Back in those days, Final Banquet was a special dinner banquet that celebrated the close of the summer. The Dining Hall was arranged with head tables for the camp leaders and staff, and candles that represented all of the campers who had attended Eagle’s Nest over the summer were lit and arranged on long boards as their names were called. Awards, including the award for “Honor Camper” were given as ...continued on page 6. campers and staff enjoyed their final dinner together at camp.

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...“Final Banquet” continued from page 5.

In the late 70’s, when Helen Waite became the Camp Director, Final Banquet evolved into the experiential drama that it is today. Helen understands the power of myth, drama and learning that come when participants become one with the story. Helen and her staff gave a theme to the banquet and created a story around it. They transformed the Dining Hall to be the stage for the telling of the story, and gave each of the campers and staff members roles in its telling. One of the first Final Banquets under Helen’s creative leadership was “Noah’s Ark”. For that banquet the Dining Hall became the ark and each of the counselors entered it two by two. Noni says that the antlers that were part of her costume are still in the costume closet.

Dinosaur from The Land Before Time Final Banquet

In recent years our stage has expanded, and campers find themselves moving across campus from scene-to-scene as the story unfolds.

My first summer at Eagle’s Nest the theme for Final Banquet was “Murder on the Orient Express.” The Dining Hall was transformed into an elaborate dining car, with sconces on the wall and Oriental rugs on the floor. Gary and Diane Daniel, our Property Manager and Arts Arena Director at the time, even created a movable country scene that stretched the length of the Dining Hall and gave the illusion that we were all on a moving train. Through the years, other over the top decorations have included a working periscope created for the “Yellow Submarine”, an elaborate food distribution machine built for “Dr. Seuss”, and a gigantic dinosaur puppet built just a couple of summers ago for “The Land Before Time”.

The sets created for Final Banquet are incredible, but they are matched by the drama. Each of the campers and staff members has a role, and throughout the night they perform. One summer, Taylor Dunn, a song writer, performer and former staff member wrote songs for each of the cabins to perform for the “Heart Break Café” Final Banquet. I remember watching Taylor work his way from cabin to cabin, teaching the songs, with a piano in the back of the maintenance truck.

My favorite Final Banquet is probably “Scheherazade and the 1001 Nights.” During that banquet each of the cabins told the one of her stories and they did seem to go on all night. Other exciting banquets include “Where the Wild Things Are”, “The Voyages of Captain Cook”, and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” where we actually had candy hanging from the trees at Eagle’s Nest (a first and last).

Believe it or not, we’re already dreaming about our banquet for the summer of 2017. I’m excited for the campers and staff who will get to create it during Session 3. For the rest of you, I invite you to take a peek at the action through our YouTube channel.

Noah’s Ark Final Banquet - Flamingos

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Alumni Gatherings Where Will We Be This Year?

By Cara Varney, Development Director

Eagle’s Nest and The Outdoor Academy will hit the road this year with fun opportunities for you to meet new friends or reconnect with the old at Regional Alumni Gatherings in your city!

In February, Liz Snyder traveled to our nation’s capital to host an awesome Happy Hour event at District Kitchen in Woodley Park. This group of “Capital Nesters” has reunited frequently over the years, and in 2016 they collectively donated over $3,000 towards scholarships for DC area kids to attend camp and OA—what an awe-inspiring way to give back to a place that we all know and love! This year their goal is to raise $5,000 and provide even more young people with the opportunity to experience the transformative power of natural living.

Alumni Gatherings don’t have to represent a single semester of OA or a particular year at camp! Our recent Austin event united OA alums from Semester 13 to Semester 41, giving new friends the opportunity to reminisce and share their unique experiences. We encourage anyone who has ever experienced the magic found at 43 Hart Road to join us; whether 9 years old or 90 years young, the memory of Eagle’s Nest is the same for all.

Capital Nesters: L-R: Owen Stamper (Camp), Linda Samuel, Mike, Sam (camp), Mary and Sally DeVecchio (Camp), Walter (Camp/OA) and Caitlin Kucera (Camp), Cormac Connor (Camp/Trustee)

Nest Fest September 16, 2017

Austin Alumni: L-R: Reily Kennedy, Richard Hadley, Anna Lipton Galbraith, Alexandra Karpen

Alumni Gatherings: In a city near you!

NC TRIANGLE: April 19th SAN FRANCISCO: late April, early May SOUTH FLORIDA/MIAMI: May NASHVILLE: Summer (July/August) PISGAH FOREST: September 16th (Nest Fest) ATLANTA: November Want to host your own Alumni Gathering or Reunion in your city? Contact Cara@enf.org for support. Follow us on Facebook for updates and event invitations!

Final Good Night Circle 1979

Eagle’s Nest Foundation 90th Reunion Celebration…Nest Fest!

Can you believe ENF is celebrating its 90th year? Join us September 16, 2017, on campus for a day of beautification, celebration and reconnection. After a morning of work crews, enjoy lunch and lounge around or play games with your friends on the A-field, (Capture the Flag anyone?). Let’s get together and remember all the good times shared in Pisgah Forest and look forward to many more to come!

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Eagle’s Nest Through the Eyes of an OA Alumna, Now Trustee

By Jamey Lowdermilk, OA Alumna and Board of Trustee Member

“[N]othing so important as an ethic is ever ‘written’ . . . It evolves in the minds of a thinking community.” So reflected Aldo Leopold in his essay, “The Land Ethic”, originally published in A Sand County Almanac in 1949, more than a year after his death. But Leopold’s reflections on our relationship with land began much earlier. Leopold was one of our first foresters in the newly minted U.S. Forest Service. In 1918, as related by Forest Service Historian Lincoln Bramwell, Leopold wrote from his post in New Mexico: “We have since learned, with some pains, that extensive forests are not only compatible with civilization, but absolutely essential to its highest development.”

I first read A Sand County Almanac as a student at The Outdoor Academy. Revisiting Leopold’s work and legacy in the context of land management felt like a blessing; context and experience make the learning process so much richer. Leopold was heroic in his curiosity and diligence, “his unabashed enthusiasm and persistence in protecting and improving this land we all share” (additional gratitude to Historian Bramwell for this apt summary).

I’ve carried Leopold’s “thinking community” with me through the years, imagining a nexus with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “beloved community.” King popularized the beloved community, though The King Center attributes this concept to a philosopher-theologian named Josiah Royce. For King, the beloved community is nonviolent and nondiscriminatory and committed to economic inclusivity and empowerment. I have spent most of my life informally studying how we invest in both people and land. When I decided to pursue a law degree to better understand the rules governing our communities, I relied on Leopold and King for inspiration: beloved and thinking. I only recently realized that Eagle’s Nest Foundation is a wonderful example.

When I applied to serve on the Board of Trustees at Eagle’s Nest, I was living in Montana, more than 2,000 miles from Hart Road. I wondered whether my contributions would be better shared in the form of unspent travel funds. Mo Waite, a mysterious hero of my childhood, was a trustee then. I had always wondered about Mo and his parents, the people who made Eagle’s Nest and the person I am because of my time there possible. To serve in a peer capacity with him and so many others felt too fortunate an opportunity to delay.

Serving on the Board has proved more meaningful than I could have imagined. Eagle’s Nest—and especially our year-round school, The Outdoor Academy of the Southern Appalachians— contributes an “unabashed enthusiasm and persistence” in promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character. Our community remains committed to practicing nonviolence, nondiscrimination, economic inclusivity, and empowerment—practices in which we are always learning and growing. In recent years, our Board’s practice manifested in a long-range plan in honor of our upcoming centennial, a

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Trustee, Jamey Lowdermilk, with fellow OA alumna, Eliza Romm, and Adeline Romm.

conservation easement preserving forever our wild spaces, and development of a more financially resilient and inclusive experiential education model. As we reflect on these accomplishments, we remain curious about where we may still learn and how we may still grow.

Serving with Mo also proved to be more meaningful than I could have imagined. Mo had both a compelling way and a compelling laugh, a combination unique and treasured. “The kind of man that whenever he speaks, you listen,” reflected my folks. His patient and thoughtful input consistently clarified our efforts during the long-range planning work. Even more importantly, Mo’s enthusiasm for our finished product, and recently, our conservation easement, signifies that his incredible legacy will fortunately continue.

On January 25, Noni wrote asking if I would compose an article as an OA alumna serving on our Board. Just a few days later, the gentle person who dedicated decades to our Foundation and whose visionary partner, Helen, initiated The Outdoor Academy, passed away. Mo, thank you so very much for sharing with us your curiosity, your intellect, your passion, and your playfulness; to know you and your ideas was an incredible blessing and honor. May you rest in peace. And thank you Helen and Noni, and all who make Eagle’s Nest Foundation possible.

May we continue as best we can to learn and grow in our shared community.

MEET SIMON: SEMESTER 43 ALUMNUS,

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT, JEWELRY DESIGNER

By Cara Varney, Development Director

Every semester, The Outdoor Academy is filled with young, talented and compassionate individuals. Students arrive with skills and interests that range from music to competitive rock climbing, all at the young age of 15. Thinking back to when I was that age, I cannot say I was quite as in tune with my surroundings or aspirations for the future as these high schoolers who spend a semester here in Pisgah Forest.

Eagle’s Nest and The Outdoor Academy award thousands of dollars in financial aid and scholarships to deserving young people so that they may be able to find their best selves while being immersed in the natural world that is camp and our school. Often these students step out and show us that we can learn as much from them as they learn during their time here.

One such student is Simon, who came to OA from Carolina Friends School and had some very insightful things to say about his semester on a scholarship and his plans for his future.

The Terra pendant designed by Simon for The Outdoor Academy

Simon (left), Semester 43 Alumnus “OA not only changed my life but improved it,” he says. “It did this by creating a network of friends that are more like family. It also improved my social skills a lot which will help me throughout my entire life.”

Simon also makes beautiful jewelry. “I run my own jewelry business that tries to grasp the raw beauty of nature and recreate it.” While on campus he took orders to design and create jewels for his fellow classmates. Simon has meetings set up with William Travis Jewelers and the President of the Carolina Designer Craftsmen Guild to begin collaborations, and he plans to intern with one of them over the summer.

Recently, Simon designed a pendant solely for The Outdoor Academy. “The circle represents the sun and the seven silver droppings represent OA’s seven principles.” He explains, “This piece is called Terre, which means Earth in French. I look up words that are not common and use ones that have meaning behind them for my pieces.” He is really excited to share his art and give back to the OA community by donating a portion of his sales to Eagle’s Nest and OA scholarships for future students. You can find this piece (and other beautiful treasures) on his website: www.esthendo.com.

Improved social skills • A community of friends that feel like family • The desire to become something great These are all things that students and campers experience when they return home, made possible in part by the gift of scholarships. “The community,” Simon says. “It’s the most understated part but the most important by far. I think what is beautiful about OA is that having a scholarship does not negatively or positively affect your experience. No one judges you for it and it’s not at all relevant in your everyday OA life, but to give someone the opportunity to experience the pristine beauty of our world is priceless, thank you.” https://www.esthendo.com

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Centennial Update: “We Are What We Eat” and ”We All Live Downstream”

By Noni Waite-Kucera, Executive Director In our ongoing efforts at Eagle’s Nest to live more lightly on this planet, we selected food choices and cleaning practices as the next phase of our campus-wide sustainability plan to draft and enact.

With a team of faculty and staff, we are reviewing all cleaning products we purchase and how each of these items impacts our environment. We will choose new products to replace those that are not biodegradable or have harmful toxins. The team is also developing an educational plan to help staff, students and campers understand the changes and the positive impact these choices can make on our water, air and soil.

In phase two, our teams will research our meat and dairy, produce and dry goods choices. They will make recommendations for where and how we can obtain food that is good for our bodies, more local and produced in such a way as to have less negative environmental impact. Our research will include best production practices, financial impact and best sourcing.

Carrots and lettuce fresh from the ENF garden

Our goal by the end of year is to completely switch all cleaning products to more environmentally friendly ones and have a firm plan in place for transitioning our food buying practices. If you have ideas let me know!

NEST CHATTER NEWS

• Noel Durant (OA) is the new Executive Director of the Crested Butte Land Trust, a non-profit organization devoted to protecting the land in Crested Butte and Gunnison Valley, Colorado.

• Christina Kovalik (OA) has been accepted with a full scholarship to United World College. UWC is a consortium of 17 schools that focuses on international and intercultural understanding, environmental stewardship, leadership, entrepreneurship, and individual integrity. If she accepts UWC’s offer, Christina will be heading to Japan to attend the International School of Asia, Karuizawa.

• Gussie Johns (Camp) has been named to the U.S. Women’s National Team for both the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse Women’s World Cup, July 12-22 in Guildford, England, and 2017 World Games, hosted by the International World Games Association, July 26-30 in Wroclaw, Poland.

• Mike Engelberg (Camp) was named USA TODAY High School Sports “Washington D.C. Coach of the Year” for achievements during the 2016-2017 football season. He is in his 11th year as football coach for Maret High School.

Ali Evans

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In Memory of Moseley Waite

By Tom Rogers, ENF Trustee

For seventy-two years, Eagle’s Nest played a part in Mo Waite’s life. We can count ourselves lucky that Mo played roles in the life of Eagle’s Nest. As a camper and a counselor, a trustee, a son and then a husband and then a father of a director, Mo shared his gifts: care, consideration, humor, and dedication.

Almost thirty years ago, Helen Waite led a trek on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. We hiked across a couple of cold, rainy weeks, aiming for Katahdin. Two boys’ wrong turn on the muddy trail forced a shift in plans. Needing to shuttle closer to the mountain, we made a rendezvous with Mo at a campground foggy with mosquitoes. It was my first encounter with the rumble of his voice, the quick tilt of his head, and his dancing eyebrows. We thought we were tired and waterlogged and maybe a little intrepid. He thought we needed a big hot meal and fresh fruit and news of sun on the way. Long-time chief of the tribe that brings light and energy, maybe he summoned the weather himself.

collective commitment to the concept that a community should be vibrant and conscious and connected to its surroundings.

That’s why it can be created along a sodden trail in Maine.

In that case, like so many other times and places across the decades, Mo offered support and rejuvenation. And news of sun on the way.

Dr. Benjamin Moseley (Mo) Waite, scientist, educator, conservationist, and friend and mentor to many, died February 3rd, 2017. In 1950 Mo’s parents Dr. Alex and Hannah Waite chartered Eagle’s Nest Camp, originally founded in 1927, as a non-profit educational organization. Mo was a camper and counselor, and continued his parents’ legacy by serving on the board of trustees for over 35 years.

Mo had a lifetime’s apprenticeship in the rhythms and patterns of Eagle’s Nest. He shared his knowledge judiciously, recognizing that we all have our memories and attachments; Eagle’s Nest means something to each of us because we have each helped create the community that it names. Mo had a longer and deeper claim to that creation than anyone, and many of us have followed in his path knowingly or unknowingly.

Eagle’s Nest is a place of beauty but also an idea of beauty, a

MARRIAGES • Jenny Gay (Camp, OA) and Brad Mess (Camp), November 4, 2016.

• Naomi Siegel (Camp) and Jeannine Widmann, December 9, 2016.

BIRTHS

• Alia Jean Overton Evans to Louis Evans (Camp, OA) and Carey Robertson Evans, September 15, 2015.

• Jay William Brooks III to Jay Brooks (OA) and Meredith Morrow Brooks, October 31, 2016.

• Lyra to Sarah Burstein (Camp, OA) and Scott, November, 2016.

• Genia to Ariana DeToro-Forlenza (Camp, OA) and Mark Wulff, • • • • • Jay William Brooks III

November, 2016.

Sawyer Braeden Rinenbach to Christie Etter Rinenbach (Camp) and Matthew Rinenbach, November 21, 2016.

Lucy Jane McKenzie to Scott (Camp) and Catherine McKenzie (Camp), December 23, 2016.

Riley Jane Brugh to Wendy (Camp) and Graham (Camp, OA) Brugh, December 28, 2016.

Campbell Claire Dickey to Ryan (Camp) and Allyson Dickey, January 1, 2017.

Kylian Block to Eron (Camp) and Daina Block, February 21, 2017.

PASSAGES

• Benjamin “Mo” Moseley Waite (Camp, Foundation) passed away February 3, 2017 in Pisgah Forest, NC.

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Session 1

6/10/17 – 6/23/17 (14 days) Hante Trails Grades 7 - 11

Session 2

6/25/17 – 7/14/17 (20 days) Hante Scotland Grades 8 - 11 Hante Appalachian Trail Trek Virginia Grades 7 - 11

Session 3

7/16/17 – 8/4/17 (20 days) Hante Pacific Northwest Grades 8 - 11 Hante Rocks and Rivers Grades 7 - 11

EAGLE’S NEST

CAMP for boys and girls

1927-2017

Session 1: June 10 - June 23 Session 2: Jun 25 - July 14 Session 3: July 16 - August 4 Session 4: August 6 - August 13 12

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Now accepting applications on a rolling basis for the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 Semesters.

828.877.4349

Call us to find out more TODAY!

NEW FACES AT THE NEST MICHELLE MILLER & BELLA SMIGA

Michelle Miller

Bella Smiga

Michelle joined our community in January as the new Development Assistant. She recently relocated to Western North Carolina from Charleston, South Carolina, where she worked as the Donor Relations Manager at the Charleston Stage Theatre Company. Michelle earned her B.A. in Theatre and Dance from the College of Charleston. Outside of work, Michelle can be found dancing, horseback riding, and exploring the mountains with her wife, dog, and cat. Michelle is excited to share her enthusiasm and experience with Eagle’s Nest.

Bella, our new Garden Manager, joins us with a wealth of knowledge of sustainable food systems and gardening. She earned a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a M.S. in Sustainable Food Systems from Green Mountain College. Bella is an avid mountain biker, climber, and backpacker, and enjoys taking full advantage of all western North Carolina has to offer. She’s passionate about sustainable growing practices and food preservation, and is enthusiastic about continuing to help the Eagle’s Nest gardento-table program grow and thrive.

FOLLOW OUR BLOGS http://www.enf.org/eagles-nest-camp-blog/ http://www.enf.org/outdoor-academy-blog/ http://www.enf.org/hante-adventures-blog/

GIVE US A CALL Winston-Salem Office (336) 761-1040 Pisgah Forest Office (828) 877-4349

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