Imagine walking through your landscape and having a deep familiarity with all the species you encounter. You feel a kinship with all of them and can understand their unique ecology and the stories of their lives present. This program is designed to familiarize participants, in a generalist way, to all the local species we may encounter while walking through our local woods. An impressive task, as well as a deeply important one for cultivating ecologically literate stewards of the land.

This is a 7 month program that gathers one weekend a month. Each weekend has a focused theme that we will dive into. There will no doubt be themes that cross over, and other local natural phenomena that will be explored. We will use didactic teaching as well as other teaching styles to engage our senses, and deepen our understanding in creative ways.

Our goal is that you leave this program with an intimate knowledge and relationship to the various flora and fauna of southern Québec. That you can identify and understand most species you encounter, and that you easily know how to figure out those you aren’t familiar with yet. That you are paying deeper attention to the stories and changes in the land around you wherever you go.

Click here to register!
(Scroll down to choose the drop-in option)

Teachers:

Steve Leckman and Patrick Gravel will be teaching as well as special guests.

Schedule & Location(s):

The program will take place from Saturday 9am to Sunday 2pm on the following dates:

March 18th & 19th: Wildlife Tracking

The art and science of mammal tracking in winter. Learn clear print ID, gait interpretation, track aging, mammal ecology and so much more!

April 15th & 16th: Trees & Bird Language

Hone your tree knowledge by studying tree identification without leaves. Learn about their medicines and foods, and how they interact with the other species around them.

Learn the 5 voices of the birds, and start getting acquainted with the messages they are sharing around us.

May 27th & 28th: May: Amphibians, reptiles, spring ephemerals & more birds!

Listen to the sounds of birds and frogs, and witness the sprouting spring ephemerals.

We will learn the local amphibian and reptile species and explore the swamps and wet areas.

We will also study bird life history, ID and habitat as well as do a bird sit and mapping exercise.

June 15th & 16th: Insects & Ecological relationships

We will learn the big families and ecology of various insect families, and use nets to gather and examine them.

We will also spend time exploring the dynamic relationships between insects, habitats, and the various species we are encountering.

July 15th & 16th: Summer Plants + Trees

We will tour many different habitats and explore the diversity of plant life around us: Hardwood, coniferous understory, dry landscapes, to river edges and marsh. From flower parts and botanical characteristics to medicinal and utilitarian uses.

September 16th & 17th: Mushrooms, mosses and lichen

We will learn the big families, gather, and likely find some to safely eat! Appreciate their diversity, their role and the surprising stories that they tell.

October 21st & 22nd: Exam and presentations

An engaging and fun field exam. Students who have signed up for the whole program will share a short presentation on a chosen topic.

(This session is NOT available to “Drop ins”) ***

Location:

On a friends’ private property 7 minutes from Montebello in Papineauville. The land has 400 acres and includes various ecosystems that offer unique learning opportunities. There is acces to a river, a spring fed stream, hardwood forests, conifer forests, fields, an old quarry, swamps, and mountains.

*** Coyote Programs will not provide transportation and participants are therefore responsible for getting on the various locations of the program.

Price:

1155$ + tx for the full program
175$ + tx per drop in session
It is possible to pay in multiple installments through our registration platform.

We will send a welcome email with all the information 1 week before the program starts. We will also send you a link to organize carpooling.

Presence of children:

Parents are expected to take full responsibility for their kids knowing that the content is geared towards an adult audience. Let us know you will be signing up with your child, as spaces are limited. In the past this has been a very rewarding experience for families, though occasionally a little distracting for the parent. We trust your judgment in making the decision.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

What are the camping conditions like?

This course is for people who have experience camping through the seasons, or who are willing to learn on their own about these topics. Be prepared to be autonomous for sleeping and eating outdoors in camping conditions, throughout the year. The facilities include a rustic campground in the woods- composting toilets, a few fire pits for cooking, and several large tarps set up in case of rain. We will be 150 meters from the parking area so be prepared to hike your camping gear in, and we’ll never be too far from the cars if you need to go back to get something.

March camping conditions will be more challenging than the others because of the cold. There will be limited access to indoor space in a nearby chalet for a number of people who need to sleep indoors, as well as one or two heated prospector tents where people can sleep. Otherwise you will be in your tent or a shelter in the snow. We will have extra sleeping bags and wool blankets if anyone needs as well.

What’s October all about?

Part of the weekend will be presentations of independent study topics, the other part will be an exam. Participants are encouraged to pick an independent study topic to research and present to the group for at least 5 minutes.

Examples include:

Describing the ecology of muskrat dens
Presenting a certain kind of mushroom
Discussing an experiment you conducted on the way tracks age
Talking about your attempts to sneak up and touch a deer
Analyzing the results of bird observations at your bird feeder
etc.

The exam will consist of walking across the land, and being asked questions about ecology, identification of species, and track and sign interpretation.