Cohanzick Nature Reserve

10/14/2026

We’ve made giving easier.
We’ve moved donations to Zeffy so more support can go directly to NAAC’s mission. Your gift helps protect land, culture, and future generations through stewardship, education, and community care in South Jersey. Donate here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/preserving-past-protecting-future
Note: Zeffy may suggest an optional contribution—set it to $0 if you prefer.

10/07/2026

09/21/2026

Meet the final featured artists joining us at the Symposium:
Lewis “Swift Otter” Fragoso, BS
Apprentice Arborist with the Cohanzick Nature Reserve (Native American Advancement Corp). Lewis has served as an Apprentice Arborist and as Partnerships Manager since May 2025. A citizen of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe, Lewis is active in the community and is the grandson of Lew Gray Squirrel Pierce, Spiritual Leader of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape. With a background that includes studies in behavioral psychology and music composition, Lewis also brings years of musical performance experience.
Dawn Manyfeathers
An artist, historian, healer, and cherished Tribal Elder who masterfully practices a variety of traditional Lenape arts. Dawn uses materials such as pine needle, fish scales, bones, stones, antlers, and natural vines to create baskets, jewelry, and more. A Lenape storyteller, she also teaches about herbal healing and edible wild foods, carrying forward the knowledge and traditions of her people and sharing them for the next seven generations and beyond.

09/17/2026

Meet more of the powerful voices joining The Indigenous Circle Symposium, artists and culture carriers sharing living tradition, skill, and story.
Roy “Bodaway” Saunders (Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape)
Roy brings a wide range of traditional arts and survival teachings, including flute-making, arrowhead and tool-making, fire-starting the old ways, and more. His work reflects the balance of the Red Road and the white world, carrying “primitive” skills that keep culture alive through practice, patience, and purpose.
June “Charging Spirit” Sernak, EdD (Powhatan Renape Nation)
A respected leader and educator in cultural competency and diversity leadership across New Jersey, June carries decades of experience in community service, higher education, and advocacy. She is also an author and lifelong New Jersey resident dedicated to strengthening understanding, equity, and connection.
George “Lone Wolf” Torres (Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape)
A dedicated Lenape artist continuing a family legacy, George creates with natural materials, including pine needle basketry, traditional woodwork, and handcrafted walking staffs, pieces that serve as both functional tools and powerful symbols of spiritual journey and cultural identity.
Come be part of this living exchange of knowledge, art, and healing.
Register / Program info: https://www.cohanzick.org/circle-series-2026.html

09/17/2026

FINAL PUSH: Indigenous Circle Symposium (Limited Spots Left)
We’re almost full for The Indigenous Circle Symposium; only a few slots remain. If you plan to attend, please register now.
Please note: security will be at the gate, and only those on the registered list will be permitted entry; no exceptions.
This is a hands-on workshop symposium with teaching artists. To keep each experience personal and respectful of the art forms, we’ll have a workshop sign-up sheet available on the day of the event.
Workshop limits:
• 6 people per session
• 2 sessions per workshop
• 12 participants total per workshop
• Dance workshop is open to all
Prefer an outdoor option during workshop times? A nature walk will also be available.
Please review the Program Book in advance and come ready to choose your workshops:
https://www.cohanzick.org/circle-series-2026.html
Also available: 15 copies of Ain’t No Hill to a Climber ($40 each). Mark “Quiet Hawk” Gould will be signing books 4:30–5:30 pm.
We’re grateful to share this day with you and can’t wait to be in circle together.
Dr. Iveta Pirgova, Director, Down Jersey Folklife Center at Wheaton Arts
Tyrese “Bright Flower” Gould Jacinto, President/CEO, Native American Advancement Corp.

09/17/2026

Meet more of the heart of The Indigenous Circle Symposium; the moderators and teaching artists helping carry living tradition forward through art, identity, and community care.

Ivanette “Dancing Dark Star” Morris-Yearsley (Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape)
Ivanette creates Native American regalia and traditional arts rooted in teachings from the elders of her tribe,buckskin and cloth dresses, men’s traditional shirts, women’s ribbon dresses, pow wow regalia, medicine bags, and beadwork. Her work is about roots and belonging, passing identity forward so the next generations know who they are, and where they come from.

Honoring our Partner Program Coordinator: Dr. Iveta Pirgova, PhD
We are deeply grateful to Dr. Pirgova (Director of Folklife and Cultural Studies, Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center) for her instrumental partnership in guiding the planning, coordination, and overall development of this symposium. Her leadership has strengthened both the process and the outcome, and we appreciate her care, consistency, and respect for the cultural responsibility this work carries.

Registration is nearly full, join us in circle: https://www.cohanzick.org/circle-series-2026.html

09/15/2026

Meet the first voices of The Indigenous Circle Symposium, our moderators and teaching artists bringing living tradition, truth, and creativity into the circle.
John “Wandering Wolf” Barry, III
A NAAC leader and Cohanzick Community Forestry Program Director, blending strategy, creativity, and community care to uplift Indigenous communities and protect our homelands.
Stephen Conaway (Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape)
A master of traditional art forms passed down through family, leather tanning, porcupine quillwork, featherwork, beadwork, and more, keeping ancestral skills alive.
Annalysse “Snow Lily” Cooper (Lenape)
An emerging artist carrying generational teachings forward, honored through the NJ State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program, and rooted in art made with intention, reverence, and connection.
Registration is nearly full; join us in circle: https://www.cohanzick.org/circle-series-2026.html

09/15/2026

We’re honored to share the complete Program Book for The Indigenous Circle Symposium—now available on our website:

https://www.cohanzick.org/circle-series-2026.html
This gathering is an invitation to experience the living traditions of Indigenous artforms, learn the “why” through open dialogue, and practice the “how” through hands-on experiences with our artists. It’s a day rooted in community, connection, and the healing knowledge carried forward for generations.
Registration is nearly full, so if you plan to attend, please register soon to secure your spot.
September 26, 2026

Cohanzick Nature Reserve | Bridgeton, NJ

09/09/2026

In times of crisis, beauty still rises. And in every era of need, artists emerge, not only to create, but to heal, to awaken, and to remind us how to live in balance with the Earth.
Indigenous people have always carried living traditions of care, survival, and oneness with Source, Creator, Mother, Light. Now, this knowledge is being called forward for the future.
Join us for The Indigenous Circle Symposium, a day of open dialogue and hands-on experiences at Cohanzick Nature Reserve. Learn the “why” in our discussion forums and practice the “how” with our artists as we explore art as life shaped by nature’s elements, walking the path from story to skill, from shared knowledge to artistic expression.
September 26, 2026
Cohanzick Nature Reserve
62 Gravelly Hill Rd, Bridgeton, NJ 08302
Open to All.
Register now: https://www.cohanzick.org/symposium.html

07/09/2026

Community Solar Is Here. And It's Transforming Energy Access in South Jersey.

NAAC is proud to announce our partnership with Eversolar to bring community solar to Atlantic and Cape May counties. This isn't just about renewable energy—it's about environmental justice, energy equity, and keeping money in our community.

**The Impact:**
✓ 600 slots available for local residents
✓ Average savings of $600/year per household
✓ Zero installation costs
✓ Support for Indigenous-led environmental stewardship

We're actively enrolling now, with a goal of 200 participants by end of July. This is how we build resilience. This is how we protect our land for the next seven generations.

If you're an organization, partner, or advocate interested in co-promoting this opportunity, reach out. We're building a movement.

Learn more: https://ampion.net/naac