Chantrelle Mushrooms Article

Learn more about those delicious and elusive gifts of the forest, chantrelle mushrooms: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/chantrelle-mushrooms.html

Central Washington Field Trip: Week 7 - 2013

For week 7 of the Wilderness Certification, we headed out on a field trip to the dry habitats of central Washington State to study desert ecology, tracking, and medicinal plants. http://www.wildernesscollege.com/central-washington-field-trip-week-7-2013.html

Knife Care & Carving, Plant Families, and Elk Trailing: Week 6 - 2013

During week 6 of the Wilderness Certification Program our students learned about plant family identification, how to properly carve and care for knives, and how to trail elk in a forested environment. http://www.wildernesscollege.com/knife-care-plant-families-elk-trailing-week-6-2013.html

Natural Cold Remedies

Alderleaf instructor, Georgie, shares about one of her favorite natural cold remedies, made from ingredients found in your kitchen and backyard: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/natural-cold-remedies.html

Ethnobotany and Mushroom Foraging: Week 5 -2013

Ethnobotany and mushrooms took center stage in Week 5 of the Wilderness Certification Program with cattail basket making, fall wild edible plant harvesting, and mushroom identification and foraging! http://www.wildernesscollege.com/ethnobotany-and-mushrooms-week-5-2013.html

Top 5 Wilderness Survival Books

Alderleaf instructor, Jeremy Williams, reviews his top five favorite wilderness survival books: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/wilderness-survival-books.html

Flintknapping with Dan Stueber in October

Alderleaf's Wilderness Instructor Apprenticeship Program hosted renowned flintknapper, Dan Stueber, for a special flintknapping workshop in early October: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/flintknapping-with-dan-stueber-Oct-2013.html

Video Virtual Tour of the Alderleaf Campus

Ever wish you could travel out to Alderleaf Wilderness College for a tour? Now you can check out our campus from home through this new video virtual tour of the Alderleaf Campus!

More information about our campus can be found here: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/alderleaf-campus-and-facilities.html

Survival Containers for Water Purification and Shelter Overnight - Week 4 of the Wilderness Certification Program

Student in the Wilderness Certification Program made survival containers (coal-burned bowls) for water purification and stayed overnight in group survival shelters. Check out the photo highlights: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/survival-containers-and-group-shelters-week4-2013.html

Learn How To Build a Survival Stove

Alderleaf instructor, Jeremy Williams, shares about how to make a survival stove: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/survival-stove.html

Fire, Shelter and Bird Language - Week 3 of the Wilderness Certification Program

During week 3 of the Alderleaf Wilderness Certification Program, students learned the skills of fire, shelter and bird language.  Check out photos and read about it here:

http://www.wildernesscollege.com/fire-and-shelter-week-3-2013.html

Bird Language Article: Understanding the Fundamentals

Want to learn the skill of decipher the language of the natural landscapes around you?  Well, check out our new article on bird language:

http://www.wildernesscollege.com/bird-language.html

Oregon Dunes Field Trip: Sept. 2013

Students returned from a week of adventures and learning in the epic landscape of dunes and forests found along the Oregon Coast.  Check out the full blog post here:

http://www.wildernesscollege.com/oregon-dunes-field-trip-1-2013.html

Carnivore Tracking Workshop with Sue Morse

(New addition to the fall schedule!)

Join Sue Morse, distinguished tracker and wildlife photographer (visiting all the way from Vermont), to learn how to locate and interpret the tracks & signs of many forest carnivores, including black bear, cougar, bobcat, and lynx. Sue will also share on her recent research on carnivore scent marking behaviors. Learn more.
 
Date: Monday, Nov 25, 2013
Duration: 9:30am - 4:30pm
Location: Alderleaf campus in Monroe, WA
Cost: $95

Register to reserve a spot. Space is limited.

Steve Shares About Cob Oven Construction

Learn about the steps for creating a cob oven (a key element for many permaculture sites) through photos and information about the cob oven built at Alderleaf! The full article is here: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/cob-oven.html

A New School Year Begins

The adventure is underway for our Wilderness Certification Program Students!
http://www.wildernesscollege.com/wilderness-training-2013.html

Building with Earthbags Article

Alderleaf root cellar is finally complete! Check out the article at http://www.wildernesscollege.com/earthbags.html

Animal Tracks Field Guide Project Update

Here's a few photographic highlights from the final research expedition for the reptile & amphibian animal tracks field guide project that is now in its last few months before completion: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/animal-tracks-field-guide-update.html

Urban Foraging Article

Urban Foraging: Eating Your Weeds

 

The practice of urban foraging can help benefit you and your family during times of emergency. The truth is many of the weeds we might battle in our gardens and in our lawns are plants that are edible and nutritious...(Read more here).

Cordage Making Skills

Cordage: Making Natural Rope

Making cordage is a fundamental survival skill that should not be overlooked.  Such natural rope or string can be used for many things including bow-and-drill friction fires, as a snare or fishing line, as lashing in shelter construction, repairing or creating clothing...Read More: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/cordage.html

New Video - Plants That Repel Mosquitoes

We just finished putting together this video on Plants That Repel Mosquitoes. It supplements our existing article on the topic: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/plants-that-repel-mosquitoes.html

Interested in edible, medicinal, and utilitarian uses of wild plants? Check out our Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants Courses

Wilderness Survival Weekend Course, August 2013

See some more great photos of students who survived a weekend of thunder, lightning, and dino the dinosaur at our 2-day survival course in August.
http://www.wildernesscollege.com/weekend-surivival-training-course-highlights-august-2013.html

Primitive Fishing Techniques

How to Catch a Fish in a Survival Situation

Primitive fishing techniques are very useful skills for acquiring food in the wilderness. In some areas fish are a great survival food – if you know how to catch them. Learn three methods... Read more: http://www.wildernesscollege.com/primitive-fishing-techniques.html

Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants Course July 2013

Check out some great highlights from our recent July 2013 Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants Course:

http://www.wildernesscollege.com/wild-edible-and-medicinal-plants-course-highlights-july-2013.html

Permaculture Design Course - Summer 2013

For the last two weeks Alderleaf Wilderness College ran a Permaculture Design Course.  This jam-packed, intensive course is a great way to learn some serious skills in permaculture design and sustainable living.  Students experienced a great deal in those two weeks, and earned internationally-recognized Permaculture Design Certificates upon completion.

Here just a few photographic highlights of the hands-on projects they worked on during that time.

Instructor Steve and several students work together mixing mud and straw to make cob.

Students then apply this mixture to the cob oven to help repair and complete the domed exterior.

The dome continues to grow, layer by layer.

Then, as it nears completion it is sculpted into a work of art.

On another beautiful northwest summer day, students work in the garden amending and improving the gardens.

Using rotting woody materials, sticks and other natural debris students also created Hugelkultur beds in the gardens (raised garden beds with buried woody debris).  The more steeply domed beds allow for more variable growing conditions, and utilize the nutrients and decomposition of wood and fungi to help improve the soil over time.

When used properly, manure in a garden is biological gold.  Its a great addition to beds or to compost, and can be a real nutritional boost to many plants.

Instructor Steve describes how to process compost when its ready.  Here students use a screen to sift out rocks and other large debris from the finished product.

Here one of the students uses a shaving horse during another project.  In this case, it is making replacement tool handles.

Here are examples of two completed handles.  One for a rake and the other for a shovel.  Such relatively simple skills of self-reliance are deeply satisfying to learn and to practice.

Here are two of the wild residents of the Alderleaf land also enjoying the bounties of summer.

With the Permaculture Design Course completed, students are awarded their certifications.  What an amazing two weeks of intensive learning!

Thank you to instructors Steve and Marisha, and to all of the students who joined us for the course!  

We are excited to see you take this powerful knowledge out into the world and use it to better this planet!  

The next opportunity to complete a Permaculture Design Certificate with Alderleaf Wilderness College is with our Wilderness Certification Program which begins September 10th, 2013. There's still time to apply. Learn more.