Advisor News
WeatherWool Advisors frequently appear in media, offer courses, publish books and videos, consult on important projects, train government/military personnel ... interesting stuff that is worth highlighting and listing in one spot.
2023-04-10 ... Advisor Leo Grizzaffi
Yesterday, Advisor Leo Grizzaffi sent a note describing his work helping with firearms training of a group of men from Taiwan. With the potential conflict with China so much in the news, Leo's observations are very timely.
2023-03-14 ... Advisor David Alexander, Employee of the Year!
WeatherWool Advisor David Alexander accepts the Employee of the Year Award from New Jersey Recreation & Parks Department. David is a Professional Naturalist and a Registered Guide in the State of New York and is also Senior Naturalist for Essex County, New Jersey (where WeatherWool is headquartered).
David's remarks at the acceptance ceremony:
This is no surprise to those of us who've seen David "doing his thing"! We're proud to have you with us as an Advisor to WeatherWool, and we're very glad to see Essex County publicly acknowledge your work!! Over 100,000 people (including my family!)!! WOW!! Congratulations, David!!
2023-02-08 ... Advisor Daniel Vitalis TV Show WildFed
Advisor Dan Vitalis's WildFed TV Show began its Season 3 this week on the Outdoor Channel. WildFed focuses on Daniel's (and friends) acquisition, preparation and consumption of Wild Foods. Chasing Wild Foods is what led me to found WeatherWool.
2023-01-11 ... David Alexander Supervising Deer Cull
Advisor David Alexander is the Senior Naturalist for Essex County, New Jersey, the county of my residence (and WeatherWool, too). David is currently managing the annual deer cull in South Mountain Reservation, which is very near my home and where I often walk and hike. The deer meat is donated to homeless shelters.
2023-01-05 ... Jason Ramos Joining
Jason Ramos is joining us as an Advisor. I don't have Jason's page up yet. But Jason is a very heavy-duty gear-guy and has spent an enormous amount of time outdoors. He has had a long career as a smokejumper and is still heavily involved in Search and Rescue in remote and rugged areas of Washington State. Check out Jason's book SMOKEJUMPER!
2022-12-20 ... Brad Veis Joining
Brad Veis, Cameraman for Mountain Men and other TV and media work, is joining us as an Advisor. As of Jan 1, Brad will be off to Alaska to begin filming a new season and new characters of The Mountain Men. Brad will definitely have some WeatherWool with him! Actually, we custom-made a Mouton Jacket and Mouton Hood for this trip. I haven't yet put up Brad's Advisor Page, but he has had a page on this website for a year or two already.
2022-06-03 ... Bill McConnell, TV Producer?
Bill was the first person to wear WeatherWool on TV. Based on Bill's Instagram Post, it seems he is the Producer of a new version of the long-running Naked and Afraid Series ... XL FROZEN. An older episode of Frozen and Afraid is available on YouTube. I don't know how similar this will be to the episode Bill has produced.
2022-05-13 ... Rob Allen's Sigma III and the GI Bill!
Congratulations to longtime WeatherWool Friend and Advisor Rob Allen and Sigma III Survival School on the acceptance of their offerings into the GI Bill Training/Education!! Rob was working on this for four years!
2022-05-12 ... WildFed Season Three Filming
WildFed, the Outdoor Channel TV Show that is the brainchild of Advisor Daniel Vitalis, has begun filming Season 3!
2022-04-25 ... Advisor Leo Grizzaffi Among Veterans Honored
Honor Flight Southland is an organization that flies Veterans from Southern California to Washington, DC, where they tour the monuments erected to their service. This screen capture below is from KTLA TV (Los Angeles) coverage of the welcome ceremony given to the World War II and Korean War Vets upon their return to LA. Thanks for Honor Flight Southland for their great work. The emotion of the Veterans is clear, and I know Leo, who has previously spent a lot of time in DC, has been looking forward to this trip for weeks.
Advisor Leo Grizzaffi, 87, is a Veteran of the Korean War
2022-04-20 ... New Baby for Rob Allen
Advisor Rob Allen welcomed a son, Kingston, a couple of months ago! Congratulations to Rob and Amina!!!!
2022-03-09 ... Stani Greenway in FRONT of the Camera
Stani Greenway has done a huge amount of work behind the scenes while making sure various media and political stars and safe. But as of March 2022, it seems Stani is beginning to work in front of the camera. Based on what Stani posted on Instagram, it looks like he is appearing on a Netherlands TV Show The Hunted.
2022-03-02 ... A Few Items
I have not been giving this page the attention it deserves! Here are a few pieces of news:
- Fisher Neal has just married Misha Japanwala, his longtime sweetheart! They had a wingding wedding in Pakistan, and now they are diving with dolphins in the Maldives. Mazel tov Misha and Fisher!!!!
- David Alexander is now a Registered Guide in the State of New York. David is a Professional Naturalist, so this is a natural (sorry!) step for him. Plus he spends a lot of times in the immense Adirondack State Park. Now David has more reason than ever to get 'out there'! Congratulations, David!
- Noah Neigh is our newest Advisor! Noah is a Law Enforcement Officer and all-around outdoorsman from Pennsylvania. Welcome Noah! We all appreciate you and your colleagues
- Mike Pimentel has lately been promoted to Captain of the Solano County, California, Sheriffs Department. Congratulations, Mike!! Our best wishes and gratitude to you and all your department.
2021-11-11 ... Best Wishes and Get Well Soon!
We just learned today that the infant son of Advisor Anton Kalland has been very ill recently, but that he is now recovering well. All of us wishing the best for the little guy and Anton and his family.
2021-11-10 ... Megan Hine
Advisor Megan Hine is the "Journey Producer and Lead Safety" for Discovery+ Original series INTO THE WILD with Bear Grylls and Ajay Devgn
2021-08-27 ... Jerry Fisk on History Channel
Man vs History is a current series on the History Channel "that follows acclaimed storyteller and local historian Bil Lepp as he travels off the beaten path across the country to discover the truth behind mysteries and legends of American history." In Episode 6, the "Secret History of the Bowie Knife", Advisor Jerry Fisk helps evaluate the plausibility of the legend that Jim Bowie's famous Bowie Knife was made from a meteorite. Using technology favored by James Black, Bowie's knifesmith, Jerry makes and then tests a Bowie Knife made from a meteorite. Jerry often wears a WeatherWool CPO Shirt while working in his shop. The wool protects him from sparks and from radiant heat. In this documentary, Jerry wears his CPO Shirt while the Bowie Knife is tested by host Bil Lepp.
2021-07-28 ... Stani in Africa
Advisor Stani Greenway gets around the world quite a bit, mostly spending his time in wild and remote places. One of the activities most important to him is his work in Africa, where he teaches anti-poaching and related wildlife-protection work. I would definitely like to know more about this work and about this photo. Here is what Stani posted on Instagram two days ago:
Some of the beautiful animals “outside the wire” of our bush training camp. During the @lead_ranger Field Ranger Instructor Course, Remote Area Operations module.
Knowing how to correctly move through the bush and react when encountering the various species of dangerous game. Reading the animals body language and understanding the individual species behavior is key. Are they comfortabel with our presence? What are the warning signs they show if we get too close? How to react if charged? Is it a mock charge or a kill charge? The Lioness totally couldn’t care less with our presence, mostly seemed bored. The Buffalo “eying” us lets us know he is aware (warning sign, it stops with his “normal” behavior to focus on us). The Elephant wasn’t impressed with us one bit and made that very clear by charging. Awareness at all times in all directions, stay switched on and know where the wind is coming from. Also a camera lens with a good reach helps 😬 #runningandplayingdeaddontworkhere #bushskills #rangertraining #dangerousgame #conservation #sonyA7R #Sony70-200mm #ilovemyjob #animals #remoteareaoperations #bushcraft #tracking #awareness
2021-07-17 ... Hunter Ed Instructor
Advisor Fisher Neal has just become an instructor for the State of New Jersey's Hunter Education Programs. Knowing Fisher very well, I have no doubt he'll do a great job teaching not only Hunter Ed, but also Hunter Ethics and Nature Appreciation. A lot of people will get "the right start" thanks to Fisher.
2021-07-12 ... Advisor Ron Spomer
Ron is one of the most-published outdoor writers ever. Ron also publishes some great video. He recently published in Sporting Classics Daily a great article describing 8 Essential Rifle Skills.
2021-07-06 ... Bob Padula AWA Certificate of Completion
Longtime WeatherWool Advisor and Consultant Bob Padula (the guy who teaches us about wool!) was awarded the American Wool Assurance Certificate of Completion. As this program grows, we expect all the Ranchers from whom we buy fiber will be certified. Bob's Certificate Number (43-162-526-0813) can be verified at the AWA site linked in this entry. CONGRATULATIONS to Bob, the whole Padula Family and the PM Ranch!!
2021-07-02 ... Advisor Josh Enyart has a book, SURVIVING THE WILD, coming out now! Congratulations, Josh, and Best Of Luck with it. We know there is a huge amount of experience, dedication and hard work to be found on those pages!
Here is the text and photo Josh posted yesterday on Instagram:
Look what was here waiting for me when I got back from Utah! She’s a beaut, Clark! Just a real beaut! My first book, Surviving the Wild, available for pre-order on Amazon or wherever you get your books most likely. Releases July 13th!
2021-06-20 ... Advisor Stani Greenway spends near all his time working in far-flung remote and wild places, frequently on a Bear Grylls project and very often teamed with Advisor Megan Hine.
Here is the image and text Stani posted on Instagram:
Excited to hear 2 projects I recently worked on as a Journey Producer have been nominated for Emmy awards 💪🏽
For this one @megan_hine and myself scouted the locations in Africa and Europe finding and listing the possibilities on the ground for the basic creative; outdoor adventure type challenges and stunts, survival and bushcraft. As well as setting up the framework to practically make it possible to film; wilderness logistics, risks and mitigations, emergency plan etc. We then pass on this initial creative and plan to Exec Producer @robbuchta (who originally came up with the idea for this interactive show) and director @ben_simms who both are creating the actual story line. This being an interactive show with viewers choices, multiple story lines evolving simultaneously, choice consequences and matching timelines within the different story lines, it is a brain breaker.
It’s a maze but we enjoyed the challenge to pre plan for all contingencies and reactions. Weather changes, animals behavior and their moods of the day, heli’s/boats/4x4’s, mountain safety, tidal timings, technical rope work, crew logistics and safety, covid restrictions, wilderness acces and egress, local safety teams, etc. All has to fit and pre thought out and then made real in such a way it can actually be filmed. Proud to been part of this project with such an experienced crew and brilliant local fixers working together to make it happen. @mungothecameraman @danbowring @lizzieschulze @yomp @fabianequey @joe_rainer @alison_ercolani_troski @paul.chronicles @jgsound88 @ross_bowyer @wjsblythe @mark__samuels @stringbean_films @netflixfilm @michi_portmann @fixer_italy
2021-05-23 ... Megan Hine on Discovery Channel
Beginning Wednesday, May 26th at 10PM Eastern Time, Discovery will begin airing a series on the "Curse of Akakor". WeatherWool Advisor Megan Hine joins a team searching for Akakor, a rumored lost city, and for clues to the fates of three explorers who disappeared on a previous attempt to find Akakor.
Page initiated 2 July 2021 (with some backfilling) by Ralph. New entries will be dated individually.