A safe inclusive space in the outdoors!

We work hard to make sure that each of our classes is a safe space to learn these skills. Everyone is welcome in the outdoors, and we are here to help you find your place in it! We especially strive to ensure that our classes are welcoming to members of the LBTQ+ community, POC, and women, groups who have historically been excluded from practicing practical wilderness skills, and who may find greater barriers to their ability to access the knowledge and physical spaces shared in our courses.

More instructors, more knowledge to share.

As knowledgeable as our instructors are, it is impossible for one person to be an expert in every naturalist field. That’s why most of our courses are led by multiple instructors, allowing us to offer more information about each of our topics and to engage with individual student interests in a way that simply isn’t possible in programs led by a single individual. Our team consists of naturalist instructors with expertise in a variety of fields, and years of education experience. Our teaching styles are very hands-on, and most classes are spent in the field where students can develop first-hand experience. We limit our class sizes to a 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio in order to create an effective learning environment (although some of our free programs may have far more students). Learn more about our Instructors, their stories, and their qualifications here.

Our aim to build a lasting natural connection.

We believe that the only way to live sustainably is to build a lasting and mutually beneficial relationships between humans and the rest of the natural world. Our courses are meant to help you find your place in this beautiful, fascinating, and ever changing universe, and to teach you how to engage with all the other components in a way that creates reciprocal relationships. Each and every part of our natural world is already connected, we just help you find your place of belonging amongst the rest of the life on earth.

A blending of traditional and western science.

Our programs blend traditional teachings with western science and personal experience. So often, appreciation of the natural world is limited by viewing it only from a single way of knowing. Analyzing the plants, animals, waters, rocks, and air of the world through the lens of western science can often lead to an understanding that fails to capture the very real cultural and emotional significance of Earths complex systems and life forms. We also believe that western science can add to the deep traditional knowledge of natural connections, and strive to emphasize the places where multiple different ways of knowing have arrived at the same conclusions. We attempt to blend types of knowledge with the goal of providing a truly balanced way of viewing and understanding the world around us.

Skills to live and grow.

The skills we share in our practical courses and workshops are meant to help bolster your self-reliance and confidence in the outdoors. From classes on natural medicine making, to fire starting and safety, to wilderness backpacking skills, we want to help you live a life that feels enriched by all that the natural world has to offer.