The front entrance to Wild Hudson Valley’s Eco Camp and Forest Farm in Cairo, NY. (Photos courtesy of Wild Hudson Valley)
At their 95-acre forest farm and camp near the Greene County town of Cairo, Justin Wexler and Anna Plattner are re-creating the landscape as it was known to the native inhabitants of the region. Each weekend throughout the summer, they invite visitors to the property, Wild Hudson Valley, to learn about edible plants, medicine, folklore, history, and both ancient and modern forest farming practices.
Guided nature walks and workshops are geared toward all ages. Programs for families help kids and adults connect with nature. For an even more immersive experience, visitors can stay overnight at one of four eco-campsites.
Unlike most nature education programs, Anna and Justin emphasize the role of native peoples in relating to the land. Justin’s fascination with the natural world began when he was a child growing up in the Hudson Valley.
Anna (and Corinna) with July’s Wild Harvest Box.
“I realized by time I was eight or nine that the people who would know the land best were the people who lived here for generations but were driven out of their homeland,” he said. By his teens, he was trying to visualize the life of the Lenape, who inhabited the area before they were displaced by European settlers.
As he researched the history of the Hudson Valley and its occupants, Justin made connections with descendants of the Lenape, now dispersed to communities in Ontario, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. After befriending residents of those communities, he hosted Lenape people who came to visit their homeland. He continues to make links with organizations that would help represent their culture and history.
Anna also grew up in the…
He was the husband of Dorothy M. (Wert) Tomlinson. John was born in Doylestown on Sept. 20, 1934 to the late John W. and Madaline R. (Conner) Tomlinson. He served our country honorably in the U.S. Air Force during peacetime. Pastor Tomlinson was Pastor of the Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church, Center Valley, from 1982 to 1999; Pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Wilkes-Barre from 1976 to 1982; Pastor of the New Ringgold Parish from 1971 to 1976; and Seminarian Assistant at St. John’s Windish Lutheran Church in Bethlehem from 1969 to 1971. He was previously employed by Swartley Bros. of Lansdale as an assistant to the electrical engineer from 1960 to 1967. John was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Allentown. He attended Ursinus College from 1952 to 1954; graduated from Temple University in 1969 with a B.A. degree; was a graduate of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, from which he received a Minister of Divinity Degree in 1971; was past Secretary of the Lehigh Mission District; and served on the Board of Lutheran Congregational Services, formerly Lutheran Services of the Lehigh Valley.
