Who We Are

Alexis Burnett is a Naturalist, Tracker, Herbalist, Wilderness Skills Practitioner and Canoe Guide from Orangeville, Ontario.  He currently resides in the Owen Sound area with his two children, spending his days tracking, wild-crafting and running his Outdoor School and Wilderness Canoe Tripping company, Earth Tracks. Alexis is lead guide for the wilderness canoe trips and head instructor for all the programs and classes.  He is committed to mentoring and teaching others the skills that help us to re-connect with the natural world in an ancient and powerful way. By learning from nature through immersion and direct experience we begin to see and more importantly ‘feel’ the inter-relation of all things in the natural world. And from here we can begin to understand the important role that we all can play in protecting and preserving the Earth for future generations.

Alexis has been practicing wilderness skills, engaging in herbal studies, pursuing naturalist/tracking studies, and guiding canoe trips for over 20 years, learning from people and organizations such as Tom Brown Jr., Jon Young, renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, Wild Rose College and many others.   Alexis teaches classes for people of all ages both for Earth Tracks as well as through various organizations.  Some of these workshops have focused on such topics as Wilderness Survival/Bushcraft, Wildlife Tracking, Wild Crafting and Foraging, Herbal Studies, Naturalist Skills and Nature Connection Programming for children and adults.  He is a leader in this field and his very diverse background coupled with his experience and skills allows him to offer a unique approach to teaching and mentoring.
Alexis is one of the original stakeholders and main facilitators for the Art of Mentoring program that takes place in Ontario each summer. He has worked tirelessly to help nurture and grow the nature connection community in Ontario. He has also helped create the Bird Language leaders program in Ontario, the first of its kind in Canada. Through these initiatives and many others Alexis continues to push his own edges and train new leaders who continue to pass on these skills and mentor others in Deep Nature Connection.

Certifications & Experience:

• Sponsor and main facilitator for Bird Language Leaders Ontario
• Dominion Herbal College
• Wild Rose College of Natural Healing
• Graduate of the Kamana Naturalist Training Program – Wilderness Awareness School (2006)
• Has attended many classes (20+) at Tom Browns Tracker School (1999-2006)
• Completed an internship at The Tracker School (2005)
• Graduate of the Herbal Apprenticeship Program with  Rosemary Gladstar at Sage Mountain (2006)
• Level IV Track and Sign  – Wildlife Tracking Certificate – Cyber Tracker International 2013
• Art of Mentoring – Facilitator within the AOM and an Ontario Stakeholder
• Diploma in Wildlife and Forestry Conservation Program
• Ground Search and Rescue Certificate – Search and Rescue British Columbia 1998
• Wilderness First Responder
• Wilderness First Aid
• Bronze Cross – National Lifesaving Academy
• SRT 1 – Swift water Rescue Technician

Guest Instructors

Chris Gilmour is a professional outdoor educator, wilderness guide, and skills instructor and emergency management planner. He lives on a modern day permaculture homestead in Muskoka where he and his wife Laura run Wild Muskoka Botanicals, grow organic food and medicinal herbs, and practice forest gardening. He has over 12 years of experience helping people of all ages deepen their knowledge of the natural world through experiential education, wilderness guiding and wilderness & urban survival training.

Chris is passionate about wildlife tracking, herbal medicine, bow making, ancient wilderness living skills and is a devout student of the natural world. Chris has guided back country canoe trips, led dog sledding expeditions, directed summer camps, and worked with several outdoor organizations and programs such as: the p.i.n.e. project, Sticks & Stones Wilderness School, Outward Bound, Art of Mentoring, and the Headwaters Gathering. Chris is always growing and pursuing his own education and has studied with:

• Sam Coffman (Human Path) – Herbal Medicine
• Dan Gardoqui  (White Pine Wilderness School) – Wildlife Tracking

In addition to studying Survival, Naturalist Studies, and Mentoring under instructors including:

• Tom Brown Jr (Tracker School)
• Jon Young (8 Shields)
• Eddie Starnater (Practical Primitive)
• Kevin Reeve (On Point Tactical

He also studies Emergency and Disaster Management through George Brown College.

Laura Gilmour is a community herbalist, permaculture designer, and ecologist living near Dwight, Ontario. Her feral rural upbringing allowed her to develop a natural curiosity and passion for nature from a young age. Laura formally studied ecology, and later went on to pursue sustainable living by working on several Permaculture farms and with herbalists on the west coast. Laura has a passion for traditional living skills and has spent years learning primitive arts such as basket making, traditional hide tanning, and friction fire making. She is also a strong naturalist with several years’ experience as an ecological consultant. For over 14 years she has been learning how to prepare wild foods, make her own medicines, and learning how to share this with others to empower them in living more sustainable lives.

Laura is a guest instructor with a number of wilderness skills schools and organizations. She lives on Wild Spirit Permaculture Homestead located near Dwight in northeast Muskoka. Here Laura lives with her husband and dog Tucker, they grow vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, keep bees and chickens. Laura also runs Wild Muskoka Botanicals, which produces artisan wild foods and herbal products. It exists to reconnect people with the natural world and to promote health and wellness through incorporating wild plants and traditional herbal medicines back into people’s modern lives.