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Wildwood Trackers held meetings in what might be called the
"Study Groups" format.
Study Group Meeting format
Wildwood Trackers meetings
are called "Study Groups", in order to reflect their focused nature.
The phrase "Study Group" does
not refer to a specific group of people, but rather to the nature of the
meeting.
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The Wildwood Trackers "Study Group" meetings
consist of
study, practice, and discussion of survival skills, nature (plants,
birds, animals, etc), tracking, awareness, caretaking, and more.
Each meeting will have one or more topics to focus on for the day.
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Study Group format meetings
are usually oriented towards adults.
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These meetings
are open to those who:
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share an interest and passion in the day's topics,
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have a willingness to focus on these topics,
and
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have at least a bare minimum of
knowledge of the day's topics (even if that's just from reading
about the topics)
Please don't come
unless this describes you. If
this does describe you, then you are
most welcome to attend!!
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Please come regardless of your experience and skill level,
but please only come
if you have a lot of interest in
the day's topics.
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The study groups
emphasize
sharing and learning of knowledge and skills. The overall
philosophy of the meetings is that everyone has something to share and
something to learn.
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We
start promptly on time. We
don't wait around for
latecomers.
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There's no leader
as such, unless someone has come specifically to share their knowledge and
experience on a particular topic.
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The time spent on food preparation and eating
will be minimal. Bring your own lunch and water unless
otherwise indicated.
Wildwood
Trackers Age Policy
The minimum age to attend meetings for people coming on
their own is 18 years old.
Persons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult who is
responsible for them. Please
contact me
ahead of time to ensure that the meeting topic is appropriate for the
person's age.
This policy is in place partly for liability and insurance reasons, and
partly because Wildwood Trackers meetings are usually oriented towards adults.
Sorry if this excludes you, but this is the reality of today's world!
No
exceptions, please.
More details and
explanation...
Children and minors:
The Study Group meetings are usually not designed with
children in mind.
The reasoning behind this is that the nature of the Study group format is
such that children may tend to be a distraction, since the focused nature of
the meeting may provide little for them to do. The essence of the meetings
is to share knowledge and learn from each other, not to teach novices all
about survival, tracking, nature and related topics. Children are usually,
by virtue of their age, novices at these topics.
As well, children generally tend to get bored easily unless activities are
geared specifically towards them.
Additionally, many meetings involve a lot of off-trail hiking
and children may not be able to keep up. The group
is often some distance away from a trail or route back to our starting
point. Therefore it may simply not be possible to leave early due to your
child needing to go home (or whatever). And we have at times negotiated some
very thickly forested areas. Even carrying a child in a backpack can be challenging
and even hazardous to the child in some areas.
If you are new to Wildwood
Trackers...
Wildwood Trackers is open to
all who have a genuine interest in the meeting topics.
However, Wildwood Tracker meetings are NOT wide open to the general public,
come one, come all.
Therefore please note that in order to
attend a meeting or get onto the mailing list, I need to
know a little bit about your interest in the group. Please
email the organizer (Walter Muma)
and tell me a little bit about yourself.
Please also have a look at
the Past Meeting reports, to get an idea of
what the meetings are like.
General practical information about
all meetings
VERIFY THE MEETING DATE & LOCATION:
If you plan on attending a particular meeting, please
email me to let me know that you
are coming.
All meetings are subject to change or cancellation on short notice due to
unforeseen or unexpected circumstances. Always check this
website for the latest information!
WHEN TO ARRIVE:
Please be on time. Latecomers will miss the group's departure, and/or may
distract the group from their work.
WHAT TO BRING:
Bring your notebooks,
guidebooks, cameras,
and other materials to aid you in your participation and learning of the
day's topic. See the meeting description for
more details.
FOOD & WATER:
You will usually have to bring your own lunch and water. Often there are no facilities where we go for the
day. See the
meeting description for more details.
DIRECTIONS:
For directions to a meeting click the "Directions" link for the
meeting. Directions are password protected for
privacy reasons (some of the meeting locations are at people's homes).
CHILDREN:
Please read the Wildwood Trackers Age Policy (above).
OTHER:
- No pets.
- No alcohol or drugs.
- Please refrain from smoking,
during either indoor or outdoor activities, as some participants may find
the smoke to be irritating &/or allergenic.
- Please avoid personal fragrances as some people find these to be
irritating &/or allergenic.
All persons
participate in the meetings entirely at their own risk
The meeting hosts and facilitators (if any) assume no responsibility
whatsoever
for participants' well being and safety! Take responsibility for your own
actions.
All persons participating must agree that they are
responsible
for their own safety during any outing or meeting!
Possible future Study Group topics
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plant identification, edible,
medicinal, general
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tree identification
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animal study
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tracking: tracking box, in the
wild, follow a trail as far as possible, mapping trails, trail analysis, in
snow, not in snow, etc.
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bird identification and study,
possibly including "bird language" as taught by Jon Young
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weather
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how would we survive
"right here, right now" if we had to: fire, water, food, shelter
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caretaking: techniques, actual
project
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bow drill from scratch in the
wild
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other fire making methods
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seldom addressed survival
topics
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movement: fox walk, stalking,
other walks taught by Tom
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awareness: sit spots,
concentric rings, movement, communication with nature, etc.
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blindfold exercises: drum
stalk, rope walk, touch, expand senses, etc.
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primitive pottery
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stone tools, flintknapping
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traps and snares, throwing
sticks
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survival in specific
environments, such as wetlands, rocky areas, prairies, etc.
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what Nature is doing to get
ready for Winter/Spring/Summer/Autumn: birds, animals, plants, insects, etc.
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cordage
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collection of wild edibles
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shelters: different seasons,
different types. The group could make one shelter together.
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tanning hides
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navigation: with and without map and compass
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baskets
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primitive cooking methods
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birch bark containers
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primitive methods of preserving food
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primitive hunting methods
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