The Integrated Naturalist Program

This seven session program has been created as a mentored opportunity to enrich our connections to the living landscape through learning and experiencing more of this world and becoming personally involved in it. We will foster this growth by expanding our knowledge of the beings living here, observing more of their lives and interconnections, having personal experiences with them, and here-by growing our reverence for this realm. The hopeful result of this endeavor is a more humble, aware and integrated relationship with the Natural World and more fruitful and enraptured experiences in that realm. Our goal will not be to complete this process of expanded connection, but rather build habits, confidence, and knowledge that will, with continued dedication, keep this process expanding indefinitely.

I will work as a facilitator to curate locations, guide explorations, and share insight to create a significant foundation of experience in plant familiarity and foraging, tree identification and knowledge, track and sign reading (understanding the interactive but largely unseen world of wildlife), moving more quitely and descretely in the wilds, knowledge of local ecology and the systems that create what we experience on the ground, and how we can be involved in a less disruptive, more grounded relationship with this realm that is always speaking to and surrounding us. The manner of interpreting and learning from the land that I bring to this program is thoroughly informed by science and proven methods, yet inspired and guided by my love for all wild beings, an unflagging curiosity, and my longing to connect deeply with the land. 

We will establish a primary area that we will spend time at regularly, and also meet at some other sites that offer diversity and greater learning at certian times of the spring season. These sessions on the land and together will be focused, thoroughly educational, and involved times of learning and experiencing, with some repose and quiet sits mixed in, but there will also be guidance and check-ins facilitated during the periods in-between sessions to keep the growth going throughout this three month period. This program will yield a great foundation for birders, trackers, foragers, hunters and hikers looking to add knowledgeability, deeper connection, and dimension to their time in the wilds.

During this spring session these will be our emphases:

-Tree identification, familiarity, edibility and uses

-Spring plant identification for foraging, safety, and health

-Track and sign reading, interpreting the behaviors and learning the habits of local wildlife

-Observance and journaling of the phenology of natural world events during our program's duration

-Learning observation and practice of minimizing disturbance in movement and solo sits

-Using all of our senses to fully take in all the information the environment has to offer.

-Finding comfort, steadiness, and a sense of belonging in the outdoors

-Learning basic outdoor skills like natural navigation, shelter, fire-making, and safety for comfort and immersion purposes

-Seeing and embracing a more balanced relationship with the Natural World

-Beginning to meet some basic needs in life from what the natural world abundantly offers

Please read all below notes before emailing to register (wildroots.handcrafts@gmail.com), or reaching out to us through the "Register" button on this page. Spots will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.

The seven in-person sessions will be on the dates of March 14th, March 28th, April 11th, April 25th, May 9th, May 23rd, and June 6th. Each session will be from 1:00 to 5:30 and will consist of structured activities, lessons, explorations of the landscape, making observations (some tracking and identification of flora), a silent sit segment, and exercises in movement. There will be voluntary activities to do in-between sessions and an opportunity to check in on progress, observations, and these activities.

These sessions will involve some physical requirements of able-bodiedness and fitness. We will not always be traveling far, but we will often be taking challenging routes to the places we wish to explore or in order to pursue the stories we are investigating! There will be crawling, climbing, balancing, crossing creeks, and holding still involved in our sessions. 

Open to adults and youth aged 17 and up. Please be sure you are ready to be fully invested if you sign up, this will be a much more dynamic and enriching program if all participants are excited and energetic about the process and duration. 

This program of 7 sessions and guidance in-between sessions has a cost of $540. If this presents financial difficulties I would like to hear from you. I want this program to be available to those who feel drawn to this learning. With adequate sign-up I will be able to offer two partial scholarships.

The program will be limited to a very small group of participants for insuring quality mentoring and to minimize disturbance in our activities. Our exact locations are not yet determined but will be optimal for our learning and primarily or wholly at locations within 20 minutes of La Farge, WI.

Full attendance of all dates is ideal. We will be learning and growing as a group, and each session will build on the preceeding ones. If you know that you cannot make most of the sessions, please reach out or wait until next year. I, Nicholas, reserve the right to cancel a session due to extreme weather, or other unforseen circumstances, but will hope not to. The dates of April 18th and May 30 are established as make up dates and will become sessions if there are prior dates that are cancelled for some reason. This program will follow the WildRoots cancellation policy of refunding half of the deposit if cancelling 14 days or more before the program's beginning. After that point, and once the program has commenced there will not be refunds offered.