The 2026 Naturalist Immersion continues to run. Click to view the course calendar for Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 of the 2026 program.
Registration is now open for the 2027 Cohort of our Naturalist Immersion Program!
3 sessions, 9 weekends, 20 wild locations around Washington
Sign up before December 1st and save $100 per session
Course Overview:
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. Classes will take place in locations across the state. Camping during program weekends is included in the course fee.
Duration:
This course is divided into 3 sessions, following the seasons of spring, summer, and fall. Each session lasts 3-months, with one weekend-long class per month. Participants can chose to sign up for sessions individually, or can choose to register for the entire 9-month program.
View the full 2027 Naturalist Immersion schedule and locations here.
Cost: Early-bird special through December 1st!
Spring Session: $1000 $900
Summer Session: $1000 $900
Fall Session: $1000 $900
NOTE! After December 1st, 2027 the price jumps to $1000 per session. Register before then to take advantage of our early-bird discount! Register for all three sessions before October 1st and save $750 (total program cost $2250).
Full year Naturalist Immersion: $2500 $2250
This course fee includes camping costs and learning materials. Payment plans are available. A $250 deposit is required to hold your spot in the course. Note: WA state law SB 5814 now requires that we charge retail sales tax for “live presentations”, which you will see reflected on your invoice.
Instructors:
Katie Posey - Professionally certified forest therapy guide
Kristian Boose - Professionally certified wildlife track and sign
Multiple guest instructors throughout the course!
Full Course Description:
This course takes students on a journey of enthusiastic engagement with the natural world, both as observer and participant. Through the studies of wildlife tracking, bird language, land connection and slowing down to match natural cycles and rhythms. This course is for beginners and experienced naturalists alike. We'll embark on a journey of rewilding, of learning who your wild neighbors are, and how to have a better relationship with them. The course is experiential, rather than lecture-focused. Real time communal learning along with discussions on nature-based psychology and the philosophy of the relationships of humans and the natural world will be our foundation.
This course will include 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. Each weekend will be an immersion into different landscapes and different casts of characters that make their homes all around us, and will include lessons in different scientific disciplines such as zoology, biology, osteology, and ethology. Discussions of the relationships of humans and the rest of the natural world will also serve as a feature of the course, and each weekend will have a central theme of: asking permission, belonging, and dialogue.
Classes will include dawn chorus bird sits, opening and closing circles, field time, guided forest therapy, and themed fireside chats. 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.
We'll also be working on slowing down, being curious, embracing & re-awakening our natural relationships, grief vs wonder balance, conversations on landscape, and the practice of decentering ourselves as humans. Conversations around the fire could include topics on animism, asking permission & land connectedness, animal mind (umvelt), Dialogue of being a good relative, forest succession (life & death), belonging & rewilding.
The Naturalist Immersion Course includes the student as part of the experiential process, through both physical explorations of landscapes and lessons on what we encounter along the way. Students are encouraged to pursue their curiosity both in and outside of class. This course is a cornerstone of the Raven’s Roots Naturalist School, and promises to help bring students into touch with their own innate curiosity, and further their journey of learning and discovery.
Photos from Past Naturalist Immersion Courses:
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