community blog
World Peace is a Life Skill: How earthskills brings people together
“Because learning to get along is a life skill. Not killing each other is a life skill. Finding peace and harmony despite our differences is a primitive skill we humans need to learn.”
We’re all here ’cause we’re not all there – What you missed at the 2025 Firefly Earthskills Gathering
Through earthskills we have tasted UNITY, and we’re reminded when we gather together, we are all truly ONE.
Bats & Sustainable Food Production: The Natural Partnership for a Balanced Ecosystem
A common bat can eat thousands of insects in a single night, making them the perfect substitute for nasty pesticides. By eating everything from beetles to mosquitoes, bats help keep your garden and your family safe.
We’ll be giving away a Bat house at the Firefly Gathering this summer. Scroll for details and get your gathering pass asap!
All about Firefly Gathering 2025: What to expect when family camping in North Carolina
Folks from around the country will gather near Asheville, NC July 8th – 13th for classes in traditional earthskills and crafts, resilience training and community building.
Learn foraging, friction fire, hide tanning, herbalism, basket weaving, native food-ways, fermentation, mutual aid, and hundreds of earthskills for all ages and skillsets.
Living and Working with Fire: The Ancient Alchemy of Flame
Fire has long been more than just a tool. It’s been a companion, a teacher, a guide. Learn to safely start and tend fire with expert, Tyler Lavenburg
Day in the Life of a Firefly Worktrader
Worktrade at Firefly Gathering is more than a ticket—it’s a path into community, purpose, and the magic behind the scenes. Join us on the beautiful Toe River in Green Mountain, NC, and trade your time and skills for an unforgettable, heart-centered experience that helps bring Firefly to life.
It’s So Important to Feel Heard… How Firefly Cares: Our Response to 2024 Annual Gathering Feedback
This month, with our Annual Gathering coming up July 8-13 at the beautiful Wild Human Preserve in Green Mountain, NC, we decided to share specific ways that The Firefly Gathering listens to you!
How to practice Mutual Aid: Support your community through asking for and offering help
Mutual Aid is more than just helping—it’s about building resilient, connected communities. At Firefly Gathering 2025 on the Toe River in Green Mountain, NC, visit the Mutual Aid tent to share resources, learn new skills, and experience the power of collective care.
How to Process Deer From Beginning to End: An Ode to Buckskin
Join us on January 25th for Firefly Gathering’s Buckskin Sewing Workshop, where we’ll honor the Earth and reconnect with timeless traditions by transforming deer hides into beautiful, wearable buckskin.
Empowering an Abundance Mindset through Earthskills: Q&A with Carrie Hill
“Earthskills empower people with the knowledge to take care of ourselves and one another by utilizing practices that are directly connected with the earth.”
How to Bring Firefly Gathering Home
Hear what one Firefly Gathering attendee has to say about how to continue building on your experience at home.
Elevate Your Self Care: How to Tend to YOU at Firefly Gathering
As we settle in at the Wild Human preserve on the pristine Toe River in Green Mountain, NC, we encourage you to explore some of these self care practices during your time in the river or at a quiet place near your campsite or off in the forest.
Meal Prepping for Firefly Gathering: Simple, Sustainable and Delicious
There are so many ways to nurture yourself at Firefly. While meal planning for camping can be intimidating at first, we’re here to share a few easy options and tips to energize you for your next class, night of dancing, or hike through the Wild Human Preserve. (Photo Credit: Parker Michels-Boyce)
Conflict & Care: Creating Community Accountability at Firefly Gathering
Learn about Firefly Gathering’s Accountability Committee, Incident Report form, and more.
A Safe(r) Place for You to BE: Explore The Neighborhood at Firefly Gathering!
The Neighborhood is a community of identity-based spaces where every body can find solitude and a place to belong at Firefly Gathering.
The Ecological Niche of Creative Expression: Q & A with Sarah Louise
“I believe that using creative expression to communicate with each other and the Earth is one of our core ecological niches as a keystone species.”
Weaving Respect into Culture: Q & A with Rachel Shopper
“At the end of the day, it’s all connected: when we feel skillful, embodied, and intimate with our natural environments, we weave respect for that environment into our culture.”
Earthskills and Culture: Q & A with Mama Tortuga
“Earthskills are the answer to a call from the Earth, but also to our bio-regions and ancestors. I see this as a must right now in our generation.” – Mama Tortuga
Earthskills as Connection: Q & A with Talcon Quinn
“By showing others how to do a skill, every single time, my relationship with the skill evolves and I become more intimate with it.“
Remember the Timeless Art of Hide Tanning
Hide tanning is treasured today for its deep connection to ancestors, reducing waste, honoring the loss of life, and its practical and aesthetic applications.
The Age of Deer
In celebration of Erika Howsare’s new book, The Age of Deer, we are excited to share this excerpt with you. In this new work, Erika shares a first-hand account of her first time at the Gathering.
New Herbal First Aid Immersion Program at Firefly – Info & Application
Ready to deepen your herbal medicine training and gain hands-on experience to hone your first-aid skills? Learn more about Firefly’s Herbal First Aid Immersion at this year’s Annual Gathering!
Winter Wild Edible Plants of the Southern Appalachians
Compared to most of temperate North America, the Southern Appalachians offer a veritable feast of wild edible plants in the winter. Here’s a few common species to get you started!
Firefly Gathering: New Location Announcement
We have some big announcements to share with you!
