Carving and Conservation: Wildcrafting as a Tool for Stewardship and Connection
Event Details
- When
- Jul 19, 2025 from 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
- Where
- Instructor
- Brendan McGarry
- Class Tuition
- Minimum Age
- Add it to your calendar
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Join expert spoon carver and naturalist Brendan McGarry to learn how to carve a wooden spoon using simple hand tools. Carving spoons and other handmade objects from green wood is both enjoyable and rewarding, offering a break from our screen-centric world.
Photo by Brendan McGarry
With a few basic tools and an understanding of essential techniques, you can transform a piece of tree into a handmade utensil. Over the course of the class, you’ll discover how to select the right wood, use your tools safely and effectively, and explore the value of creating handmade objects from local materials.
Photo by Brendan McGarry
This simple craft provides a window into local ecosystems and tree biology, inviting you to consider how we use resources and choose to steward the places we call home. In today’s world, most of us know little about where our material objects come from or who made them. Reclaiming this knowledge—and learning to craft with local materials—can be an act of resistance, reconnecting us with the ecosystems and plants around us.
Photo by Brendan McGarry
Together, we’ll learn which types of wood are best suited for different purposes, which species we can harvest responsibly, and how to integrate ecological knowledge of tree growth and function into our everyday routines. Mindful wood harvesting for carving can help you nurture native species, foster plant communities, and cultivate a deeper appreciation for simple, long-lasting objects.
Photo by Hannah Black
Prepare to fall in love with a craft that, aside from the metal for your tools, can be sourced entirely from a local arborist or your own backyard, generating minimal waste that can fuel a warming fire or mulch a growing tree.
Photo by Brendan McGarry
Scholarships and Student, Military and Disability discounts are available for most in-person programs. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Call (360) 854-2599 for more info!
Top photo by Brendan McGarry