Wilderness / Outdoor Education Classes & Survival Skills

Our local lifestyle provides plenty of opportunities to be outdoors for hikes, bikes, paddles, camping, fishing, hunting and more. Why not learn more about survival skills, wildlife behaviors and habitats, plant identification and foraging and wilderness first aid? Be an asset to the community by improving your own knowledge and awareness of outdoor surroundings.

Classes at Mahoosuc Land Trust

To register: www.mahoosuc.org/events-1

Mushrooms 101 with Amanda Moran

Webinar and In Person TUESDAYS, MARCH 21-APRIL 11, 6-7 PM

Over the course of 4 weeks, Amanda will delve into the mysterious and colorful world of fungi!

• definitions and mushroom lingo

• fungi’s uses for so much more than just food

• identification - size, shape, texture

• mushroom family trait

• learning mushrooms specific to Western Maine

The course will end with an identification challenge and a look at spore printing.

Talking with Birds Webinar

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29TH, 6:00 PM

Did you know birds speak five languages? Wouldn’t you like to be able to understand what the birds are telling you or are saying about you? Join seasoned bird language expert and bird mimic Dan Gardoqui for this webinar that will give you the tools to decode nature’s language. You’ll learn how to shift your mindset, tune in your senses and understand the five voices of backyard birds. Come learn to speak bird!

Baby Birds Webinar WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5TH 6:00 PM

Over 15 years, Julie Zickefoose drew and painted wild nestlings day by day, bearing witness to their swift growth from hatching to fledging. In this talk, Julie shares her influences as well as her artistic process. The work, wonder, and fun of studying nestlings, including being a foster mother to orphaned hummingbirds, chimney swifts, and bluebirds, makes for an irresistible and highly inspirational presentation.

The Magic of Vernal Pools Webinar THURSDAY, APRIL 13TH AT 6:00 PM

Have you ever heard duck-like calls in the April woods near big puddles? Have you ever seen a Fairy Shrimp? Spend the evening with naturalist, Dan Gardoqui, learning about the amazing life forms vernal pools host and support. From spotted salamanders to Barred Owls, wildlife rely on vernal pools each spring, summer, and fall. Learn how to get help documenting vernal pool critters via the “Maine Big Night” as well.

Personal Habitat Webinar MAY 10 AT 6:00 PM

Julie Zickefoose feels that all life is an experiment, and gardening is one of the grandest experiments of all. Join us on a tour through time and space as Julie discusses the changes she’s made to enhance her land and gardens for maximum diversity. She battles invasive exotics, manages meadows, and turns her gardens into a bird and butterfly paradise through simple but creative enhancements. You’ll come away inspired, and full of ideas for your own space, no matter how small. This virtual garden tour showcases the stunning beauty in one place, deeply loved and closely observed, where thoughtful stewardship has made all the difference.

Moose Ridge Wilderness School

Weekend Survival Intensive with Cheeny Plante and Tim Swanson JULY 7-9

Tim Swanson of Owl Eyes Wilderness Survival is teaming up with Cheeny Plante for this weekend class. Cheeny is a registered Maine Guide, SERE specialist, thru hiker, Naked & Afraid survivalist, and an internationally experienced survival instructor.

Tim has a background as a backpacking guide, survival instructor, animal tracker, and has traveled the country testing his survival skills for the past 20+ years. Join us in the mountains of Western Maine and camp out with a great community of folks. This class will prepare you for the unexpected with loads of life saving skills. Dinner will be provided Friday and Saturday as well as morning coffee Saturday and Sunday. This class is for adults but families with mature minors are welcome!

Skills Covered: Fire Building, Water Disinfection, Map & Compass, Shelter Building, Fishing Tools, Hunting Weapons, Animal Traps, Foraging, Knife, Saw, and Axe Skills & Much More!

Naturalist Weekend With Jonathan Shapiro of Fox Paw School JULY 22-23

To build authentic relationship with the wild world, we need to read what’s happening on the landscape around us! Join Jonathan Shapiro of Fox Paw School for an intro to the land as we learn to identify and interpret what we see in the more-than-human realm.

We’ll construct a broad-scale ecological framework of the area, then focus on tree and plant ID, animal tracking, and bird language/identification, and connect it to the cycle of the seasons. And of course, we’ll have time for contemplation of and gratitude to the beings with whom we share our home. Most of our time will be in the field, with a few short classroom segments.

5th Annual Moose Ridge Gathering with more than 20 talented instructors! AUGUST 3-6

Join us for a long weekend of camping in the wilderness and choosing from 30+ different classes and learning opportunities! The gathering is always a great time with a community of great people.

Foraging Food & Medicine with Laura Wolfer SEPTEMBER 2-3

Have you always wanted to forage for food and medicine but didn’t know where to start? Here’s your opportunity! We will learn to identify some of the many edible and medicinal plants commonly found here in the Northeast. We will also talk about the benefits of including wild foods in the diet, and learn the basics of making plant medicines.

Mayhem on the Mountain SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 1

This weekend survival class and challenge is designed to set you up with a full experience where you can BE in the wilderness, while practicing these fun skills. Camp out in rural Maine with a group of like-minded folks sharing the same interest as you. Coffee, lunch, and dinner will be provided during class learning time. Campsites will be provided.

Students will learn various skills depending on which team they choose to be on. Expect to learn various styles of fire building, shelter construction, water purification, and methods for obtaining food in the wilderness. We are keeping many details of this experience vague as the element of surprise will add to the quality of this challenge. Any items that you make in class you are welcome to take home with you to remember the awesome experience you had.

FMI Visit us at www.mooseridgewild.com, call us at 617-605-0080, see us on Facebook at Moose Ridge Wilderness School and find us on Instagram at Moose Ridge Wilderness School

Mahoosuc Mountain Lodge

Wilderness

APRIL 29-MAY1, 2023 8:30-5PM

Paddle Making JULY 15-16TH

FMI