Traditional Hide Tanning Class April 7-10th 2011

Hey Everyone

We're still looking for a couple o more folks for our bi-annual Hide Tanning class happening in Honeywood in just under two weeks. If you are interested or know anyone who is please let us kno ASAP.

Here's some info below as well as a link to our website.
www.earthtracks.ca

Traditional Hide Tanning Workshop

Have you ever wanted to make your own brain-tanned buckskin? Or wanted to make beautiful soft leather from the hides of deer and other animals?
We are offering a beginner class in traditional hide tanning to take the participant through the entire process. From where to get materials to tanning hides and what you can do with your newly tanned, soft buckskin. You will learn each step in this process and have the ability to honour these animals by using them in a respectful manner. We will be focusing on tanning deer hides and will guide participants through every stage of this ‘transforming’ process. Working with hides will come naturally to those who wish to learn this ancient method of working and tanning leather. All materials will be provided.

When: April 7-10th & November 3-6th 2011

Where: Sticks and Stones Workshop - Honeywood, near Shelburne, Ontario.
Price: $350, includes all course materials, green hide, tools and materials (bring your own tools if you have them.)
Space to set up your tent for the 3 nights or bring a sleeping pad for the workshop floor style accommodation in the Round House Workshop.
Wholesome Dinners are provided for the Thursday through Sunday. Coffee/tea and good drinking water provided.
Bring your own Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks, Full Kitchen facilities available: fridge/stove wares – Bring your own dishes, fork, spoon, knife, bowl, plate, cup/mug.

Space is limited to 10 students, Don’t wait apply soon.
No Experience is Necessary!

“simply the passion learn”

For more information please contact us at earthtracks@gmail.com or call 519 217 4921

Earth Tracks 2011 Calendar

Earth Tracks Calendar 2011

Algonquin Winter Tracking Trip - February 20th-25th -- Algonquin Park

Earth Tracks Tracking Club - February 27th 10a.m. – 4p.m. – Grey County

Drum Making Workshop - March 26th-27th – Hockley Valley, near Orangeville

Traditional Hide Tanning - April 7-10th – Honeywood (near Shelburne)

Minnesing Swamp Overnight Canoe Trip – April 23rd-24th – Angus area

Headwaters Primitive Skills Gathering – May 6-8th – Kimbercote Farm, Beaver Valley

Magnetewan River Canoe Trip – May 21st-27th – Ahmic Lake to Georgian Bay

Edible and Medicinal Plants Class – June 9th – 12th – Wolf Den Hostel, Dwight

Urban Edible and Medicinal Plants – June 24th – 26th – PINE Project, Toronto

The Art of Survival – July 14th – 17th – Parry Sound Area

The Way of the Naturalist Canoe Trip – July 18th -23rd – Algonquin Park

PINE Project Youth Summer Camps – July 4th – August 12th – Toronto

PINE Project Youth Summer Camps – July 18-22nd & 25th – 29th – Huntsville Area

PINE Project Youth Over-Night Camps – August 1st – 5th & 8-12th – Huntsville Area

The Way of the Wild: Survival Quest – August 14th – 20th – Parry Sound area

The Art of Mentoring – August 22nd – 27th – Norval Outdoor School, near Georgetown

The Algonquin Experience Canoe Trip – August 31st – September 5th – Algonquin Park

The Spirit of Plants – September 8th – 11th – Location TBA

Autumn Glory Canoe Trip – September 15th – 18th – Algonquin Park

Headwaters Fall Gathering - September 30th – October 2nd – Location TBA

Traditional Hide Tanning Class – November 3rd – 6th – Honeywood (near Shelburne)

Herbal Medicine Making Class – November 18th – 20th – PINE Project, Toronto

Herbal Medicine Making Class – November 26th & 27th – Hockley Valley (near Orangeville)

That's it. A couple new additions will be added in the near future. If you have any questions or would like more information please contact us through email: earthtracks@gmail.com or phone 519 217 4921

http://www.earthtracks.ca/

Herbal Medicine Making Class

The Herbal Medicine Making class just finished on Sunday and it was a resounding success. This is one of my favorite classes to teach and is one of the highlights of the year. I love transforming all of the plant material that we harvest each summer into high quality herbal medicines. As a group we managed to make 3 lip balms, 4 healing salves and roughly 10 different tinctures! It is a very 'hands-on' experience and we go through each step of the process so that participants can go home with the knowledge and experience to do this on thier own. It feels good to share this information and plant wisdom with people and this years group of students was eager to learn and showed great passion and enthusiasm for learning about herbal medicine. I thank everyone who came to the class and look forward to next year when we will do it all over again.

In Light

Alexis

P.S. I will be uploading photos to our Earth Tracks Flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthtracks/ in the next couple of days. You can also find more information about this class and others on our website at http://www.earthtracks.ca/

Wildlife Tracking Workshop this Weekend

Title: Tracking – Another Tool for the Naturalist – Identifying & Interpreting Animal Tracks

Date: November 27, 2010 Time: 10 : 00 AM - 5 : 00 PM

Location: rare Administration Centre, 1679 Blair Road City: Cambridge ...

Contact Info Contact Name: Brenda Pearce Email: blpearce@raresites.org

Phone: 519-650-9336 ext.125

Web: http://www.raresites.org/

Join Alexis Burnett, a Naturalist, Tracker, Wilderness Skills Practitioner and Canoe Guide and Jason Bracey, a local teacher and rare volunteer for this combination event of a presentation and a hike. Alexis will share his knowledge and passion in teaching you how to identify and track animals as well as interpreting the story that the tracks tell you about the behaviour of the animal. After the talk, Jason will lead the group on a hike and Alexis will help participants put their new skills to use. It is recommended that you dress appropriately for the weather and bring the following items: proper footwear for hiking over uneven terrain, water bottle, lunch, notebook, pen, small measuring tape or ruler and a camera.

NOTE: This event is limited to a maximum of 20 participants.

COST: $25.00 (rare Event Discount Card invalid for this event)

Winter Wildlife Tracking Class

I am super excited to share with you the dates for this years Winter Wildlife Tracking Class -- February 9-13th. I have added another day to this experience and am looking forward to spending more time in the field tracking and learning from the animals that we follow. Come and joing us as we track and trail such animals as the river otter, marten, eastern wolf, flying squirrel, fisher, deer and moose. Our days will be spent tracking in the field each day followed by follow up research and further study at night. This is a great opportunity to 'push/grow' your tracking skills and learn more about the animals that live in the forests of central Ontario. The location for this class will be announced soon, please contact us with any questions or to register for this class. earthtracks@gmail.com www.earthtracks.ca

Encounters with a Fisher

I've been spending a lot of time sitting alone in the woods this fall. Watching and observing wildlife, experiencing nature through the change of the seasons and pondering the next steps for Earth Tracks. It has felt really good to spend this much-needed time. To sit quietly, refocus and saturate myself in the present moment while also looking ahead to the future. It reminds me of all the synchronicities in my life that have brought me to this place where I am at today. I am truly grateful for all of these things.

After roughly 4 hours spent sitting since before dawn, something caught my eye to the north of me on the edge of the swamp. The ducks had been 'alarming' for a little while and I wondered what had been causing this? Then came the brown mustelid (with grey highlights on the face and shoulders) bounding towards me. It was the elusive Fisher! I had never seen one of these animals in Grey county before, but have heard that they have been expanding their range south in previous years from the Bruce peninsula. At about 75 feet he turned to the west and began to disappear into a grove eastern hemlock. At this point I began making an 'injured' rabbit call and he instantly stopped and turned in my direction, his interest piqued. He then started to walk and take slow bounds towards the cause of this enticing sound, stopping frequently to look and listen to what may have been a potential meal. I was able to 'draw' him in to within 15 or so feet of me and have a good look at this beautiful animal. By his large size I could tell that he was a male as all members of the weasel family are sexually dimorphic. Meaning one gender is quite larger than the other. In the case of the mustelides, the males are always bigger than the females.
He could not see me through the naturally constructed ground blind that I had built. After about 30 seconds, he turned and headed towards the east -- deeper into the forest. As he passed an elder hemlock tree he slowed down slightly to smell the porcupine scat that was lying near its base. I wondered if he knew that the porcupine was up in that very tree at the time?
I was extremely thankful for this amazing encounter with Martes pennanti and hope that our trails will cross again.

Spending time alone in nature nourishes my entire being and these experiences help to strengthen my connection to the natural world. The lessons continue to unfold and open up a world to me that is full of wonder, joy and thankfulness to be alive.

In Light

Alexis

*“Trail Cam Pic by Dan Gardoqui of White Pine Programs – with whom I run our annual Winter Wildlife Tracking trip with in Algonquin Park.”

Many New Things Happening

Well, the fall time has set in here in Ontario and we are super busy here at Earth Tracks wrapping up our busy season, putting things to bed and envisioning our future. There are many new things in the works for 2010 including a new tracking club in Grey county, long-term Naturalist/Tracking and Awareness study program, new canoe trips on the Magnetewan River and new classes and workshops. I (Alexis) am really excited to have 100% of my time to dedicate to Earth Tracks and continue to nurture and grow this Vision that has been unfolding for over a decade now. Look for new updates and information on all the new things we have planned to follow shortly. By December we are hoping to publish our newsletter in its new format and completely have the website re-vamped and updated for the new year. Stay tuned and keep tracking.

In Light


Alexis
www.earthtracks.ca