What is Wild Core:

Our Mission:

Wild Core’s mission is to protect as well as conserve the environment and the life within it. Through education, outreach with members of our community and our volunteer’s efforts; Wild Core will continue to strive in support of a healthier tomorrow for future generations of life.

Wild Core, formally known as Wild Heart (AKA Wild Heart of CT) is a grassroots non-profit organization. A few young high school students, who shared a love for the environment, started the organization seven years ago (Wild Heart of CT).

It started as a garden project amongst friends. Bradford Hyde and some friends from school had an inspiration to create a garden to enhance a not so pretty area of Norwich, CT. The team worked hard together and created a beautiful garden. The garden project was recognized and soon other individuals from the community wanted to help. Members of the garden team, wanted to do more projects. What started out as just one garden project quickly looked like it was heading in a whole other direction.

People from the community mainly friends and family of the current team joined in on other projects. Projects ran from creating gardens in state parks to cleaning up trash and assisting the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection with various projects. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, the projects got bigger and so did the team. It was actually getting to a point where it was getting a little out of control, there was little order to the madness.

The team got together and decided to create a Non-Profit Organization. There were many benefits of creating and formalizing as a non-profit. The group could get donations to help with projects and could also obtain insurance to cover them if anyone was hurt. So the team moved forth with a plan to create and formalize the non-profit. It turned out to be so much more than just a non-profit!   

These youthful individuals who started the organization sought to generate a movement that would create awareness amongst persons about the current state of the environment. Besides educating members of the community, the founders of Wild Heart of CT also wanted to put their words into action and keep up with their community projects. Thus, Wild Heart of CT’s Environmental Volunteer Program was created.

The team choose Bradford Hyde to be the president. This was a big undertaking, but he was up for the challenge.

“At first”, said Bradford, “I was like, wow a simple project turned into all this, that’s amazing. I saw the enthusiasm in everyone’s hearts and new that we as a team could make this work. I have always believed in the power of the team”  

Bradford’s culture is very diverse, but one part of him that really stands out is the “Abegweit Tribal Blood” Bradford is one eighth Abegweit, Which is a First Nation Tribe in Canada. He wanted to incorporate his culture into the foundation of the organization. The organization’s founding principals, guiding principles as well as core values are all based of the way’s of his native people.

“I asked the team what they thought” said Bradford. “They were all on board. The Abegweit people have such a love for the environment, for nature, and there understanding of community and the way life should be is really special to me, and I wanted to incorporate some of my cultures believes and ways of life into the organization.”   

 Throughout the years the organization changed dramatically. Realizing that the work that was being done on a state level was actually affecting the planet on a national and even international level, the organization changed its name to Wild Heart. This little change had dramatic effects on the organization. The number of memberships increased, as well as the level of interest about the organization from outside members.

In the late summer of 2006, Bradford Hyde, the primary founder and current president of the organization, was off to begin his college career at Unity College in Maine. He was nervous that his move in location would have negative impacts on the organization that he worked so hard to build. However, The college's staff and faculty encouraged Bradford to keep the organization going. After all, Unity College is Americas Environmental College; how fitting that one of its students should run an environmental non-profit. The organization was run out of Bradford’s Dorm Room. Soon people on campus became aware of the organization, and wanted to help. The campus community as well as members of Maine’s community quickly accepted Wild Heart. A proposal to start a Maine branch of Wild Heart surfaced, but never made it to reality.

Today the organization continues to grow. Along with growth come changes. The board decided that the organization needed employees to help manage the organization. In addition to employees the organization would also need better financial funding.

Currently Wild Heart, Now Wild Core, has started the process of filing with the IRS for 501(C)(3) Status. This entitles Wild Core to receiving funding from grants, and will allow the organization to accept large monetary donations, which were not previously allowed. With these new changes in place Wild Core’s future looks bright!

A little about the Abegweit Culture:

They lived from the earth, eating her foods, drinking her water and using her light and other gifts for use in their daily lives. The Abegweit people as a culture believe in team or community effort. Hunting was never done by one person it was done as a team. Hunting was not the only thing they did in community style. Eating together, working together and playing together is a big part of the Abegweit culture. Also unlike other tribes, the Abegweit’s were always welcoming and kind to strangers. Accepting them into their culture and willing to teach the strangers the ways of the Abegweit.

The Abegweit’s lived in Wigwams not teepee’s. They were made of Spruce poles tied together by spruce roots. A hoop of moosewood was tied under the poles down from the top to brace the bottom. Birch bark sheets were laid from the top down over the outside of the poles. The floor was lined with fur twigs and woven mats. A large hide acted as a door cover and the wigwams were decorated with painted animals and birds.

There transportation was wooden canoes made birch bark laid over a wooden frame. Clothing was made from loose robs of fur or skin hide decorated with animal or bird signs.

They made tools from: bone, tooth, claws etc. There food consisted of A lot of sea food. A favorite food by the Abegweit people is Salmon. They also ate moose, Caribou, beaver and porcupine as well as smaller animals like squirrels. Berries, roots and edible plants were also part of their diet.

During past times, the Abegweit people entertained and gave thanks to the great spirit. They would tell stories, in fact this was no little task, stories could be told for several days and may have included dancing, singing and fasting. Everyone smoked. Their tobacco was made from red willow bark, bearberry leaves and a native tobacco plant. They also had a dice game called Waltes which is still played by native people today. There lots of contests of running, wrestling and shooting plus various ball games.

As you can see they were very connected to the environment and nature and they understood the earth and its operations as a whole. They understood all the connections. Most important was their believes in the earth and how they treated every form of life. How they believed life should be - fun and simple. They believed in being open to change and welcome new ideas and people. They were very warm, kind and loving. There way of life is a big, big part of Wild Core’s values and founding principals.

Future:   

Wild Core continues to looks into the future with encouraging thoughts. We have big plans, and many cool ideas. Our motivation is there; now all we need is the right timing and the proper amount of funds to turn our dreams into reality. Below is a list of programs and other endeavors that we wish to carryout in the coming years:  

• Employee Sponsorship Program: Wild Core currently does not have the proper funding to pay for employees or their benefits. This type of program is a first in the nation for a organization like this. Here is how it works - A corporation, business or individual, donates: $75,000.00 (Full Time Employee) or $35,000.00 (Part Time Employee) to Sponsor a single employee for one (1) year. The donation is tax deductible. The funds pay for the employees: pay, insurance/benefits and other costs associated with the organization maintaining the employee. After one year, the corporation, business or individual may opt to continue their support for future years. If they continue their support, they may opt to sponsor the same employee or choose another one. 
• The Wild Core Campus: The Wild Core campus is a project still in the beginning phases. Eventually Wild Core would like to have a campus preferably in a rural area of Connecticut. The campus would have just a few buildings, and contain a lot of preserved land for wildlife and for teaching purposes. The “Center Campus” will contain an administrative office building, a Eco-School (For grades K-12), a natural history museum, a wildlife rehabilitation center, a Connecticut Native Planet Green House and Nursery Center, a interruptive programs building (designed with classrooms for teaching environmentally oriented classes and a planetarium). The outer-campus will feature - hiking trails, a picnicking area, individual & group camping sites/areas and a nature preserve for wildlife viewing. This is a very big project and would be completed in phases. Probably the most incredible part of the campus would be the Eco-School. The building itself is an amazing idea, with the inside resembling the outside world. An indoor, climbing walls, waterfall and stream, trees and wildlife mounted displays are just a part of the unique architecture. The whole campus would run on green energy and use the latest technology to maintain a low environmental footprint.