Jim Bordwine-The Salt Man

 My family has lived in the mountains of Virginia since the 1760s the closest town to us was a natural salt lick salt was produced here for thousands of years since the ice age.

 For years now I've been going around teaching about how the salt was found and recovered it's important to man and it's impact on civilization and history.

Jim has been featured on The History Channel's Mountain Men!

 "My Husband Brandon and myself Abby created our poultry business in 2019 as just a hobby we were looking to do at the house. This "hobby" turned into a dream; which turned into a reality. We have two children who help us on the farm as well. I am a stay at home mother who operates the business while my husband is at work. We have started to grow our farm little by little and now have pigs and cows as well. We love serving up our community fresh meat and it is important to us that you know where your meat comes from and what is in it. All our animals are GRASS-FED and moved daily. We put NO HORMONES into our meat. Everything you get is completely INJECTION FREE. " 

  Wanda L. Priday grew up romping the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and comes from a line of outdoorsmen and woman that lived a subsistence lifestyle. Coming up in a family that gardened and canned, raised chickens, hogs and cows, hunted, fished, trapped and foraged for everyday provisions is the base she continues to grow from. She enjoys hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing, gardening, studying wilderness medicine and practicing primitive living skills. Wanda studied Anthropology at George Mason University, which included time at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia travelling the outback studying modern and indigenous cultures. She is an ordained minister in the International Metaphysical Ministry and owns and operates EcoCleaning LLC in her hometown Blacksburg, VA. In mid-2020 Wanda completed and self-published Survival Tips, Tricks and Traps she co-wrote with her late husband William Priday. In 2022, she began to breathe life into Gemini Survival School. Her love for teaching survival and self-reliance stems from her desire to share knowledge with others and continue to learn herself. “There’s a confidence and peace of mind that comes with knowing how to care for your family and others in the outdoors, in emergency scenarios and long term in a grid down or WROL situation,” she says. She loves using the knowledge and technologies that have been used for thousands of years to connect with nature and all the ways it can provide for us. Wanda offers co-ed and women’s workshops and lectures thru the school and various expos and gatherings.

 “There’s so many skills that comprise what it takes to not just survive but thrive and an endless amount of information available. I hope to see you along the path that returns us to self-reliance and community.”

Get Wanda's latest book here

https://a.co/d/9aQVoCH

 Dr. Larry Audet is the current Bee School Chair for the Forsyth County Beekeeper's Association. He caught his first swarm in the southern Oregon mountains in 1981, and has kept bees since that time.  Some of Larry's professional accomplishments include: Conducting research on international learning assessments for the Ministry of Education in Dubai, UAE; has presented his research on education in Paris, France, and San Fransisco, California; is a researcher and published author on creativity; and, he has served as an executive coach for school leaders - nationally and internationally.  Larry and his wife retired and moved to North Carolina three years ago.  He has an apiary with 60-80 hives.  

 Joe Alton, M.D. is a retired but actively licensed M.D. He’s a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (Ret.), Life Fellow of the American College of OB/GYN and member of the Wilderness Medical Society. Amy Alton, A.P.R.N. is a Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife.

Their mission: To put a medically prepared person in every family for any disaster.

Together, they’re the NY Times/Amazon best selling authors of three-time Book Excellence Award Winners and Amazon bestsellers in Survival Skills and Safety/First Aid  “The Survival Medicine Handbook, “Alton’s Antibiotics And Infectious Disease: The Layman’s Guide,” “Alton’s Pandemic Preparedness Guide,” and other books.

They’re well-known speakers, podcasters, and YouTubers, as well as contributors to several leading survival/homesteading magazines like Backwoods Survival Guide, Offgrid Recoil, Prepper’s Survival Guide, and Backwoods Home.

Their website at DoomandBloom.net has won the SurvivalTop50’s Reader’s Choice Award  several years running and has over 1300 articles, podcasts, and videos on medical preparedness.

 Jason is a USMC Veteran. During his time in the service he completed two tours to Afghanistan. Jason and his wife, Chantelle, opened The Meat Sweats in April of 2022. They have 5 children together. Jason has 20+ years of processing experience with 6 years in an processing facility environment. He’s extremely knowledgeable and equally as skilled.  
 

  S.C.A.L.E.'s mission is to strengthen the relationship between the uninformed public and the misunderstood snake population through live education and conservation programs.  

Hi, my name is Trevor James Sweeney.

I got my name and love for snakes from my dad because before I held my first snake, I was afraid and thought they were slimy but when I held my first snake all that changed. I’m here to teach kids the same things I learned over the years. I want S.C.A.L.E. to have classes like some church’s do one(Class) for me to teach kids 12 and under and my dad one(Class) to teach 13 and up. I got into S.C.A.L.E. because I know snakes are just protecting themselves and they’re more afraid of us than we are of them but, others do not know that.

Todd Sweeney (Executive Director)

Hello! My name is Jonathan Todd Sweeney Jr. Known as J.J. by family and Todd by friends.

I am here to tell you that my journey of Snake Conservation and Live Education was not always one of interest. It began out of fear. As a child, I was terrified of snakes! That fear followed me into my teenage years until I began working with heavy equipment, where I would always find snakes out on jobsites. From fear to fascination, I began studying snakes, trying to learn about them. And that’s what started it all! A self-taught amateur herpetologist in the making!

After a year or two of studying in my free time, I found myself obsessed. Snakes were all I could think about. I found myself out in the woods looking for snakes during work and quizzing myself on my findings. Soon, I became known as the “snake guy” in my community and started a N.C. Snake Identification group so my friends and family could learn as well. Three short years later, that group now has over 50,000 members!! It turns out snakes are truly fascinating animals to not just me but to so many others as well! I had secured a team of knowledgeable members to help I.D. and educate the general public about our legless friends. With this team, we have made a positive impact on all debunking the myths and old wise tales about the misunderstood reptiles. With a surprising response in such a short time, I thought it was time to take this learning program, and launch it onto a different platform, your town! I wanted to bring live snakes to local communities and share the wealth of knowledge I have acquired over the last few years working with my family of snakes! Learning how to ID a snake over the internet is rewarding but none as memorable as getting your hands on an actual wild serpent!

James Davis, 

USMC Veteran, Ohio Peace Officer, Scout and Fieldcraft Director for the BSA, Aquatics Director, and Lifeguard trainer for the BSA, Eagle Scout, Homesteader and Butcher Extraordinare.

Former competitive shooter in both long guns and handguns.

Over 15 years leading and teaching outdoor skills and adventures both locally and globally. 

I am a retired Police Officer and fire fighter with 30 years of prepping experience dating back to being a star rank in the BSA. I have two successful homesteads in central South Carolina.

Due to growing up in a very rural area and extensive outdoor living adventures, I have been blessed with first-hand knowledge of cooking and heating with wood stoves (both modern and antique), fireplaces, and open pit fires.