Bo Brown
Bo Brown is the author of two Falcon Guides books - Foraging the Ozarks and Foraging Central Grasslands, and is founder/director of First Earth Wilderness School LLC.
His career as an avian field biologist began in 1985, taking him throughout the U.S. and Belize until he returned in 1992 to start a wilderness school. Over the last three decades, he has led countless courses on foraging, stone-age wilderness survival, including 9 years as a Naturalist for Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Bo also conducts weekly foraging walks and stone-age skills demonstrations at Johnny Morris’ Dogwood Canyon Nature Park near Blue Eye, Missouri, presents foraging programs for various area groups and organizations, and offers public speaking at events.
Offerings
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
BOOKS
Plant/mushroom identification walks, nature education courses, and stone-age skills classes can be booked at a location of your choice or at his Niangua River property. Public speaking events and foraging/wild food programs are available for libraries, nature centers, and regional events. Stone-age survival courses available by request only, visit the First Earth Wilderness School page for details.
NOTABLE APPEARANCES
In 2023, Bo presented foraging programs on the National Mall for the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s program The Ozarks, Faces and Facets of a Region. It featured a culturally diverse presentation team of Ozarks crafters, artists, musicians, herbalists, even moonshiners from Arkansas!
Look for Bo's appearance on episode 6 of the NatGeo TV series Farm Dreams. Host farmer/forager Indy Srnath connects food farms around the country with local resources and aid in their success. Available for purchase on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Roku, and YouTube TV. ​
Bo also appeared on season 5, episode 7 (2017, Missouri) of the UK-based series New LIves in the Wild with Ben Fogle, rebranded for BBC Select as Where the Wild Men Are. Available on Amazon Prime, Roku, and Apple TV.
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Bo was recently awarded a Living History Fellowship by the Missouri Folk Arts Project for his decades of community engagement in nature education, songbird research, and music.
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Bo's educational programs are listed on the calendar, check back regularly for updates and added programs throughout the year. Stay updated via his Facebook page.
Bo authored two books, Foraging the Ozarks (2020) and Foraging Central Grasslands (2023) for Falcon Guides. He is currently working on a revised and expanded second edition of the Ozarks book, and a collaboration with wild food chef/author Rachel West is in the works to produce a companion guide titled the Ozark Forager's Cookbook.
MUSIC
Bo has been a life-long professional musician with numerous bands, and still performs regionally with several groups. His bands' recordings and videos can be seen and heard on YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, and Reverbnation. See Bo's Music on the Links & Resources page for samples.
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