What is an Immersion Program?
Our immersion courses are intensive programs that allow participants to take a deep dive into a particular field of study. These courses meet for one full weekend a month over anywhere from 3-10 months, depending on the course. We believe that these courses that go above and beyond what can be found at any other naturalist schools in our region. Each of our programs features multiple instructors with expertise in a wide variety of fields, and guest speakers who are even more specialized.
Learn more about our current immersion course offerings below!
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2027 ETHNOBOTANY IMMERSION COURSE IS NOW OPEN!!!
Register by August 15th for a 10% off Early Bird Special!!!
In this 10 month course, we study hundreds of Washington’s plants at every stage of their growth cycle, and learn how they interact with all of the other elements in the ecosystem around them (the soils, microbes, invertebrates, wildlife, and us as human beings). We will discuss how our own species is connected with these different plants, both currently and historically. Participants will come home from this course with comprehensive knowledge of the many edible and medicinal plants of this region, and will learn how to make plant based medicines, personal care products, baskets, primitive tools and how to preserve and store all of our food/medicine once it's been harvested. Find out more and apply below.
Space also still available for the last few classes of the 2026 cohort of Ethnobotany Immersion! Learn more and apply here.
Registration for 2027 is NOW OPEN! Register now to save with our early-bird discount.
The Raven’s Roots Naturalist Immersion sets you firmly on the path of the naturalist: a journey into deeper and richer living connections with all of the life around you. This year's Naturalist Immersion offering will be centered around the seasonal cycles here in the PNW as they relate to our wild kin; Spring, Summer, and Fall, and participants can chose to sign up for sessions individually, or can choose to register for the entire 9-month program. Classes will take place in locations across the state, exploring several of the major ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, including lowland forests, high mountain habitats, wetlands, semi-arid sagebrush steppe and even suburban wildlands.
We'll touch on Indigenous history and context wherever we go, and have workshops in bird language & feathers, wildlife tracks & plaster casting, Salmon ID, Animism and more. The central focus will be on our relationships with wild kin, the seasons, our inner landscapes, and much more. Target species will be focused on with each class weekend along with instruction in wildlife tracking along the way. Human connection and community is also central to the course, with group-camping during program weekends.
Wild Fermentation Immersion
This course brings together fermentation and plants (both wild and cultivated). It moves between field based learning and hands on fermentation work. Each weekend begins in and around the Methow Valley, WA, where we spend time identifying plants and fungi, learning how they function within their ecosystems, and actively harvesting seasonal ingredients.
Reciprocity is built into this process from the beginning. Before any harvesting, students learn how each plant reproduces and how to support its continued growth through propagation, seed collection, and responsible harvesting practices. From there, we move directly into fermentation using a range of techniques including lactic ferments, wild beverages, vinegars, grain and legume ferments, and koji based foods. The focus is not on fixed recipes, but on understanding the principles behind each process so students can confidently work with seasonal and regional ingredients in their own kitchens.
Weaving Our Dreams Basketry Immersion
Registration for 2027 is Now Open!
This 6-month course is a hands-on, basketry journey that connects us to the natural world. All humans across the Earth, no matter what age, gender, class or ethnicity have traditionally made and used baskets on a daily basis for thousands of years. It has only been until the recent Industrial revolution of the 1900’s did this relationship change. All of our ancestors have amalgamated with the indigenous plants of their homelands to birth beautiful and functional vessels, to not only contain their foods and medicines but also their dreams and prayers for the world. Weaving Our Dreams is a basketry immersion that focuses on reestablishing our relationship to the plant world through weaving with the wild plants that we share our homes with. My goal is to give participants a strong foundation in processing wild plants into useable and beautiful baskets, while weaving in a container of a supportive community. Each class builds upon the next as each project increases in skill level.
Wildcrafting Immersion Course
Registration for 2027 Class is Full, feel free to apply for the wait list!
This 7-month course is a hands-on, full-bodied wildcrafting experience. Participants will join Instructor Reisha Beck on wild harvesting trips for food, medicine and crafting materials. We will be driving long distances, climbing steep cliffs, sleeping under the stars and sharing wild food meals together. This course is for people longing to incorporate wild plants into their daily lives; by building relationships and reciprocity with the land they call home. As we harvest, we will tend wild patches, and give back and create a more abundant wild food system for future humans and non-humans. We will build relationships with nutrient dense foods that feed our families and communities. We will harvest wild medicines that heal and transform our souls. We will spin fibers and weave our dreams. We will create comradery in shared experiences together. Apply below