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 $75 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.
Duration:
This course is divided into 3 sessions, following the seasons of spring, summer, and fall. Each session lasts 3-months, with one weekend class per month. Participants can chose to sign up for sessions individually, or can choose to register for the entire 9-month program.
Spring Session Dates: March 12th-14th, April 9th-11th, April 30th-May 2nd.
Summer Session Dates: June 18th-20th, July 16th-18th, August 13th-15th.
Fall Session Dates: September 10th-12th, October 8th-10th, November 5th-7th.
View the full 2027 Naturalist Immersion schedule here.
Cost:
Spring Session: $1000
Summer Session: $1000
Fall Session: $1000
Register before December 1st, 2026 and save $100 through our early-bird discount!
Register for all three session and save $500 (total program cost $2500).
Instructors:
Filip Tkaczyk
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. Each weekend will also have a central theme of: asking permission, belonging, and dialiogue.
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 the broadest course offered by Raven’s Roots, and promises eye-opening weekends to help bring students deeper in touch with their own innate curiosity and further their journey of learning and discovery.
The Course:
The course will include both lessons in different scientific disciplines such as zoology, biology, osteology, ethology as well as including discussions on nature-based psychology and the philosophy of the relationships of humans and the natural world.
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.
Click here to download 2 handouts used during class as helpful visual aids.
(raccoon/possum/skunk handout)
Fil Tkaczyk, the instructor for this course, is also the author of the book, Tracks and Sign of Reptiles and Amphibians (click on the title to view it on Amazon). He has served as a mentor to our entire staff and has inspired countless people in his many years of teaching. Read more about him on our staff page here.
Here are some photos from past Naturalist Immersion Courses:
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