Upcoming Workshops
The Algonquin Experience Canoe Trip (August 2 – 7 2016)
The world-famous Algonquin Park is home to some of the most beautiful country that Canada has to offer and echoes the call of the wilderness. It is also home to such wildlife as the moose, eastern wolf, white-tail deer, red fox, otter, beaver, osprey, loon, marten, mink and a plethora of other species.
For thousands of years it has also been travelled through by members of the First Nations, early explorers, and fur traders and more recently modern people who seek to escape their busy lives and experience the solitude of a wilderness setting. The pace of this trip is relaxed and beginner-friendly. Come and join us as we paddle through the spectacular lake country that has made Algonquin Park a household name the world over.
Our naturalist guides share a wealth of information about the local flora and fauna of the park and together you will weave a story of your ‘Algonquin Experience’.
Price: $699 + HST (This includes equipment, guiding, instructions, food, and permits)
Please visit the Event page to register online for this event.
Art of Mentoring (August 16 – 21 2016)
The Art of Mentoring is a dynamic, week-long overnight experience with programs for all ages, immersing participants in a living, learning culture of nature and self-awareness. Each program runs simultaneously, weaving together to form a week-long “village” with connection to nature, community, and self as the culture. This workshop provides knowledge, tools and practices that enrich relationships and allow participants to create a powerful culture of nature connection in all aspects of their life and community.
Guided by an international team of experienced facilitators, each day includes personal and group activities, focusing on outdoor experiential opportunities including:
- the art of questioning
- learning about the 8 Shields Model
- naturalist education
- sensory awareness training
- inspirational storytelling
- singing
- creative arts
- exposure to wilderness living skills
- cultural mentoring
- community building and personal reflection
- discussion and reflection
Algonquin Wildlife Tracking Class (August 27 – 28 2016)
One weekend a month we meet with our Tracking Apprentices in a different location in Southern or Central Ontario and guide them in learning about the science and art of wildlife tracking.
We are happy to open 1 of these weekends to anyone curious about the program or who just want to spend a weekend tracking with us. Each of these weekends is designed to act as a ‘stand-alone’ tracking workshop.
Cost: $275 (+HST) for the weekend.
We will be staying in cabins overnight. Dress for the weather and pack a lunch for both Saturday and Sunday.
Please visit the Event page to register online for this event.
Utilitarian Uses of Plants (September 3 – 4 2016)
This class is one of our Plants Apprenticeship weekends that we open to the public to get a ‘feel’ for the program. It is also designed as a stand-alone class in learning about the utilitarian uses of plants. We look at plants from the perspective of wilderness living skills. We will spend time learning how to make a minimum of 3 different baskets, cordage/rope making, grass mats, how to harvest and make pitch glue, and many other skills It is a great time to come and learn how we can use the plants that surround us to provide many of the things we would need if we lived in a wilderness setting.
Cost: $275 (+HST)
Location: Near the town of Durham in Grey County
Please visit the Event page to register online for this event.
Herbal Medicine-Making Workshop (November 26 – 27 2016)
In this workshop we will go through each step of the salve and tincture-making process in great detail. Learning which plants are good for cuts, scrapes, bruises, colds and flu’s etc. By growing and harvesting plants from your garden or the wild you can use them to create quality medicinal oils, salves, balms, ointments and tinctures. Learn to treat yourself naturally using common plants from around us to create top-quality herbal products. Many of the expensive tinctures and salves available in health food stores can be made naturally from the comfort of your own home. We will make several types in class and recipes will be available to take home as well. There is something so very rewarding and satisfying from making your own health care products, we hope that you will come and join us in this exciting hands-on workshop.
Cost: $200 (+HST)
Location: Near the Town of Durham in Grey County
Please visit the Event page to register online for this event.
Urban Edibles:
Wild Edible (& Medicinal) Plants and Gathering (Date TBA)
Imagine having the knowledge to safely find food in any natural spot around the city or in any forest. Your front lawn will never look the same, and a walk in the park may have you adding incredibly healthy and tasty wild edibles to your evening salad on a regular basis. This class will change how and what you eat, and how you see the living world you walk past every day.
The Edible Plants Class is an introduction to the local wild edibles of the area. In it, we aim to begin a relationship with the native (and non-native) plants under our noses every day, and how they can be utilized and taken care of to our mutual benefit. The class begins to explore how we can wild-craft and harvest right here in the city, as well as abroad.
Local hazards, poisonous look-alikes, field guide use, identifying and working with edible and medicinal plants, harvesting techniques/safety and ethics, and preparing various local plants will all be covered as part of the weekend. Time will be spent both in the classroom setting, and out in the field learning, gathering, and eating wild edibles.
Cost: $250 (+HST)
Dates & Location TBA
For more information or to register, please send an e-mail to info@earthtracks.ca
Bird Language Leaders Workshop (July 21 – 24 2016)
Birds are the eyes and ears of the natural world; they know when ‘movement’ is coming—even at a great distance. Their senses have been honed through the ages to help them communicate with each other, acting as an early warning detection system to avoid danger. This awareness of ‘baseline’ is part of what keeps birds safe and allows them to pass on these lessons to the next generation. These tools of awareness are not only used by the birds, but also by the animals as a way to stay tuned into what is around them at all times. By learning to observe and listen deeply to the birds around us, we too can begin to experience this increased awareness and participate in nature in a new and dynamic way.
Come and join us for an extremely rich experience, regardless of your experience level, exploring the skills of Bird Language and reconnecting with an ancient part of yourself. We will share with you the tried and tested tools that have been handed down to us and the routines that help us to grow our senses vibrant. By immersing ourselves in a village of experienced mentors and the many layers of participants (novice to expert), learning and training alongside one another, we will grow and expand our awareness together in a powerful way.
What you will learn at the workshop:
- The Five Voices of the Birds
- Interpreting Shapes of Alarm
- Mapping Bird Languag
- Sensory Awareness, Natural Movement & Invisibility routines
- Storytelling and Dynamic Sensory Memory Skills
- Baseline Symphony and Concentric Rings
- Ways to integrate the skills after the workshop
- and so much more!
Edible/Medicinal Summer Foraging Workshop (July 15 2016)
This one-day workshop will focus on learning about some of the many edible & medicinal plants that are found during the summer. Many plants are entering their prime growth period at this time of year and are ‘ripe’ for harvesting.
We will focus on learning about many of these plants in our area and gain hands-on experience in the process.
This workshop will cover how to identify edible, medicinal, and poisonous plants in the field, ethical wild crafting and proper harvesting/preparation techniques. If you have an interest in learning to forage for wild & medicinal plants, then this workshop is for you.
Heartwood Gathering (July 8 – 10 2016)
Join us for a weekend to explore the diverse relationships that humans have with plants. Whether you have an interest in herbal medicine, stewardship, foraging, gardening, craftsmanship, spiritual connection or simply the enjoyment of observing a wildflower; this gathering is for you!
This conference aims to bring together people from a multitude of backgrounds who work to preserve, grow, heal with, teach about, or otherwise use plants and plant material. Our goal is that through the cross-pollination of our networks we can come to a deeper understanding of the value of plants and our connection to them.
Edible/Medicinal Foraging (June 24 2016)
This one-day workshop will focus on learning about some of the many edible & medicinal plants that are found during the spring. After a long winter it is the vitamins and minerals contained in these plants that our bodies need and ‘crave’.
We will focus on learning about many of these plants in our area and gain hands on experience in the process.
This workshop will cover how to identify edible, medicinal, and poisonous plants in the field, ethical wild crafting, and proper harvesting/preparation techniques. If you have an interest in learning to forage for wild & medicinal plants, then this workshop is for you.
Foraging for Spring Edibles (May 23 2016)
This one-day workshop will focus on learning about some of the many edible plants that are found during the spring. After a long winter it is the vitamins and minerals contained in these plants that our bodies need and ‘crave’. It is not ironic, but completely natural that many plants that are the first to sprout and turn green are the ones that we need the most. We will focus on learning from and about these plants directly while gaining hands-on experience. This class will provide proper methods of identifying both edible and poisonous plants as well as their proper harvesting and preparation. Our day will be spent entirely in the field. If you have an interest in learning and using wild edible plants, then this workshop is for you. You will gain the skills and tools that will aid you in a lifetime of learning about and using plants for food.
Headwaters Gathering (May 6 – 8 2016)
The Headwaters Community started in 2007 with the intention of creating space for like minded people to come together to share skills, knowledge and inspiration with each other. The focus of the gathering is around learning and passing on ancient skill sets of living with the earth as hunters, gatherers, sustainable farmers and stewards; cultivating a deep relationship with the land and knowledge of the natural environment that supports all life. With this knowledge we can empower our ecological and cultural footprints in the modern world and become more resilient in the face of change, as individuals and as a community.
Algonquin Winter Tracking (February 14 – 19 2016)
This course is run by White Pine Programs and Earth Tracks in Algonquin Park and is an excellent chance to hone/practice your tracking skills in the field. It is open to people of all ages and experience levels (Teens welcome with an adult). This will be the 16th year that this trip has taken place and is one of the highlights of the winter.
The goals of the expedition are to immerse participants in a tracking culture. Each day, we scout for track & sign, make a plan, then track & trail wildlife all day in small groups. At the end of the day, we unwind, eat hearty meals, and share the story of the day, all the while making hypotheses as to the movements and interactions of the animals we track and trail.
Cyber-Tracker Track and Sign Evaluation (January 30 – 31 2016)
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting the third annual Cyber-Tracker International Track and Sign Evaluation this January 30th-31st 2016. This two-day event will take place near the Town of Durham in Grey County. Space is limited to 10 participants and we require a deposit to reserve your space. Please contact us ASAP if you are interested. This two-day intensive field evaluation is a great opportunity for wildlife trackers to test their skills. You will learn a great deal about tracking while immersing yourself in an environment of fellow trackers.
Click here for more information on the Cyber-Tracker Evaluation process.
