Become a Master Wildcrafter
Wildcraft Forest School is the first educational center to offer a Wildcrafting Bioregional Studies Certificate(WBSC) and a Wildcraft Practitioners Diploma (WPD) for Master Wildcrafters. The school operates within a co-mentorship structure and connects students with ancient Shamanic teachings. The Wildcrafting Bioregional Studies Certificate is intended to strengthen Permaculture Design Courses and offers students an opportunity to learn and practice stewardship, restoration and harvesting in remote wildland areas. The following represents the course offerings presently avaiable for at Bioregional Studies Certificate(WBSC).

Wildcrafting Basics

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Here at the Wildcraft Forest there's always too many people to thank - and thank goodness for that! Please visit our website for updates and to learn about our special events or give us a call at  250.547.2001

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We all have a Sacred Tree, one that represents a guardian which can link us with all that is connected to the cosmos. The Sacred Tree is a grounding force and is there to constantly remind about our connection to everything. Some people have journeyed on quests to find their Sacred Tree; others without a quest have been simply been touched by their tree and it has seeded their inner knowing; others have not found their tree or have not even known that there is one to find.

Ancient Earth cultures had deep traditions that connected people to the Sacred Tree, in some cases children would journey out in the forest to find a young tree that spoke to them, they would then bind themselves to that tree so that the two would become one, this might mean tying a young soft branch into a loop. As the tree grew that branch would become pronounced and the two beings would forever have a relationship – the Sacred Tree would then become a sanctuary for the person – even after death, the tree would carry their spirit until finally the tree would die – but through its lifetime it would contribute to seedlings and life force that would become an entire forest – which would remain forever – as an evolving living entity. Ancient people knew how to create a true legacy.
By reading this, you will be encouraged, reminded or introduced to a part of your source that is there deep within you – the Sacred Tree. There are many different teachings about the Sacred Tree and here at the Wildcraft Forest  we embrace many of them as part of our Promise and our Service to regenerate planet Earth one small space at a time. I trust you will enjoy this newsletter and I encourage you to become involved with our efforts. You can read our promise for the New Year at this page.

From all of us here at the Wildcraft Forest we wish you and yours all the best for 2018.

A-ho
Don Elzer – Wildcraft Forest

The Sacred Tree
JOIN US - MEMBERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
The Wildcraft Forest has always opened its doors to people on their quest to find meaning and purpose connected to the natural world. In order to grow this effort we are encouraging supporters to purchase a membership. Our goal is to have 100 members by spring and they will have access to our growing network of Yasei Sanctuary Forests, which serve as protected forests where each is used as a base to protect and restore wild ecosystems while propagating wild and domesticated food and medicine crops in small wild dynamic gardens. Our Community Supported Wildcrafting (CSW) membership helps with the planting, growing, care and harvesting of wild systems; at the same time members learn various aspects of plant spirit medicines, which include Yasei Shinrin Yoku Programs. Members might help for the day or for a few days at a time or simply use their membership as their way to retreat into nature for quiet times.

You can learn more about our memberships and the access you receive to special events and for your own retreat.
WILD TEA AND MEDICINES
Wildcrafters are unique to the food, medicinal, and cosmetic supply chains. We harvest wild botanicals within a strict code of ethics because we believe that plants, the forest and all living beings are “sentient”. Wildcrafters are tasked with keeping a balance between humans and the natural world, so we perform stewardship initiatives that will help to propagate and restore wild areas. Through wildcrafting, new foods, drinks and medicines are being brought into the marketplace along with companion stewardship programs in remote areas that allows for the safe and truly responsible harvest of plant life.

Through volunteer efforts and through the sale of Wildcraft Forest tea, products and educational services we deliver regenerative efforts that are described by many to be “good work for the living planet, places and people”. So every time you support us, it helps us with various efforts.

We educate and develop systems of distribution so that people can rewild their communities. For example inside the package fold of Wildcraft Forest “Yasei Shinrin Yoku Tea” is a wild seed guild – that people can plant and grow. Each guild has a number so that they can go online and know what seeds they are growing and how to start them – we also explain the power of the seed guild.

Learn More...
SEEDS TO TREES
Our Seeds to Trees initiative seeks to gather the ancient genetic memory found within old growth forests and then to regenerate those species in riparian ecosystems. We operate two wild plant nurseries in remote areas of the Monashee Mountain region of British Columbia. We collect old growth tree seeds from interior mixed forests and Inland Temperate Rainforests propagate the seeds into seedlings and then plant these trees in remote riparian areas, which will not be logged. We are endeavoring to collect seeds, germinate and plant 10,000 seedlings by 2019 using the “old ways” of plant spirit medicine.

In our plant nurseries there are no chemicals used and we germinate and grow trees in the historical soils that Mother Trees thrive within. This work is very labour intensive and when we nurture and plant the trees we do so without corporate and government contracts because our work is “mission” based and our planting is often done covertly as we restore ecosystems that have been largely ignored by corporation and government.

The Seeds to Trees Program considers whole forest systems that are “wild” so we plant propagate and plant not only trees but under-story plants that represent the guild that supports each tree species. We also seed forest clearcut areas with native flowering plant species so that more pollinators will be supported within these areas. We are supporting honey bee pollination by increasing the population of wild flowers within bee foraging range which will aid in the health of bee colonies and the honey that is produced.

Through media campaigns and publications we educate, inform and advocate for the restoration of wild habitat; we demand at least a 300-year view of planning and we seek to re-wild contemporary culture.

Learn more about what we do
ROOTS AND RESINS
A Wild Medicine Gathering
March 31st & April 7th
The Roots & Resins Wild Medicine Gathering at the Wildcraft Forest is a chance for you to explore plant spirit medicine and to learn about the power that different kinds or roots and tree resins can provide. We will explore the healing properties of five different roots and resins found in the wild; how to wildcraft a harvest; and then how to create simple solutions that will enhance our well being.

Roots reach for their destination - they find their way through darkness and around obstacles that can be daunting, they have an intelligence that is dedicated towards the ultimate objective – for the plant or tree to remain healthy and alive. Roots are a conduit for water and nutrition and as a medicine they become powerful as they seek out and find an affliction and then provide the necessary power to heal it.

Resins represent a miracle in the natural world. A tree excretes a resin as a means to heal a wound and then to shield it from infection. In a resin, a tree produces its own treatment against disease and trauma, it is a characteristic that humans cannot create but have access to, through the gifts provided by trees.

Join us – visit our registration page
SHELTER REVOLUTION
June 2 & 3 and June 9 & 10
The weekend will include Workshops - Demonstrations- Presentations about Small Footprint Living - Ecological Design - How & Where to Build - Going Off-Grid. This camp is about creating solutions while keeping your costs low and practical. There is a special focus on “eco-villages” and “leadership” all while turning your “house” into a “home”.

We are misleading ourselves when we believe that the “homeless” are made up of people who have been left without shelter. In fact, the homeless problem is much larger than that. Benjamin Franklin once said, “A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” Millions of people across North America are locked within a confined sense of aloneness, supported by the bricks and mortar of their “house”, which has never found its way to become a “home”. The “houseless” problem is actually simple to solve, it is merely attached to the pleasures and will of the community and certain economic forces which will either seek to build shelter or not…but the “homeless” problem, well it’s a much tougher thing to solve because it’s tied directly to the idea of oneself and ones connection to love, community, spirit and the cosmos.

Here’s the page where you can learn more and register
What if Indigo children who are now adults are actually the driving force behind the “green movement”? We are experiencing a major shift in consciousness and this workshop series takes a practical look at the transition towards Indigo Energy and how it is influencing humanity, the Earth and the future.
Join us for the “The Indigo Series” a Wildcraft Forest Mystery School event, which consists of three different weekends:

The Indigo Healer – May 12th
There is a paradigm shift in wellness and therapy, which is moving away from the “wounded healer” and towards the “mystic”. This event is ideal for healthcare practitioners who are experiencing first hand this shift in wellness.

The Indigo Child – May 19th
Indigo children can make a real difference in the world because of their special gifts. If you think your child is an Indigo, then it is well worth exploring this dimension of energy, as it exists in nature. This is an event for parents, teachers and children.

The Indigo Leader – May 26th
There is a mega-shift in the world-view as communities’ transition towards a more mindful heart-centered community and economy. This event explores Indigo energy within communities, organizations, business and leadership.

Join us for these special events under the tree canopy at the Wildcraft Forest. There are only 75 seats available for each of these three events.

Here’s the web link where you can learn more and register
ARE YOU INDIGO?
Indigo children, possess special, unusual, and sometimes supernatural traits or abilities. These children have incredible gifts and potential, but they may be shut down when not properly nurtured and accepted. An Indigo Child is an upgraded blueprint of humanity; a term that came up when addressing the aura colors of these very different kids. Previously, auric fields were expected to be shades of the rainbow, but the Indigos' field is dominated by a royal blue color. But what we need to understand is that there have been generations of Indigo children who have matured into adults. It might very well be that the cultural mind-shift that we have been experiencing is the result of a population that might have a vast number of Indigos.
FREE ENERGY FESTIVAL
We walk with geniuses and share their frozen silence. In a world where intellectual acceptance has become institutionalized, invention from the commoners has become stifled. They live among us, along country roads and in our neighbourhoods, those people who have the extraordinary abilities to solve our great problems, however often they require support and collaboration. It is through the diversity of ideas that great strides forward can happen and that’s why we are hosting the Free Energy Festival here at the Wildcraft Forest, which is all about Free Energy for places and people.

This year we are running two weekend Free Energy Festival Camps and there are only 75 seats available per weekend – your choice is June 30 & July 1; or July 7 & 8. Each weekend includes workshops, demonstrations and presentations about off-the-grid methods and products; free energy concepts and experiments; creating a community-based utility; creating better energy for your life; and navigating the “power” grid today and in the future; the camp also places a special focus on “leadership”.

Here’s our registration page
http://www.wildcraftforest.com/FreeEnergy.html

Join us for this special membership, which includes:
  • 12 days of forest and farm-stay camping in one of our Sanctuary Forests from May to October. Use your 12 days one day at a time or more.
  • Camping membership is based on double occupancy.
  • Unlimited drop-in access.
  • Access to all of our special events which includes the Free Energy Festival, Roots and Resins, the Indigo Series and the Shelter Revolution

Special Pre-registration Discount until December 31st 2017
For the price of an Associate Membership we will include tickets to one of the following special events: The Free Energy Festival, Roots and Resins, the Indigo Series or the Shelter Revolution. Our Annual Sanctuary Forest Almanac “Associate” Membership is $50 and includes your choice of our special events but also includes 2 days of camping and is also a perfect membership for folks who are faraway and unable to visit our Sanctuary Forests. Perfect for the curious rewilder or the academic, this Almanac Membership includes 10 digital issues of the “Sanctuary Forest Almanac” which contains the latest discoveries made as we explore and regenerate ecosystems; there’s wild food facts, trends and nature profiles. It’s also a chance for you to support our good work and share the many regeneration toolkits that are contained within the Almanac.
Please remember that if you enroll in any Wildcraft Forest School program we’ll deduct this Almanac membership fee that you paid for in that given year.

Visit our Membership Page

Wildcraft Forest School: Climate Change Presentation
Don Elzer will be appearing at a Climate Change Conference in Paris in June 2018. His topic will be “Regenerative practices and rewilding amidst a changing consciousness”. Climate change and certain industrial activities are impacting biodiversity in rural and remote areas. Wild species in “local” ecosystems are transitioning to different locations. A lack of capacity for monitoring leaves these issues un-noticed. Because of the vastness of this problem, governments and institutions are unable to deliver assistance. Most often, people connected to these remote landscapes are observing these changes, but they may not have the organizational capacity to problem-solve. Often these wild edge and riparian areas are within an industrialized farming, logging or plantation interface which is also stressed. Shifts in supply and demand in the resource, food and medicine marketplaces are driving these operations to expand into wildlands placing habitat at risk; at the same time local “food security efforts” compete for these same lands. Don will be sharing tangible solutions such as the ones discovered by the Wildcraft Forest School.
Read about Wild Offsets
You are beautiful, you just need your wild...Vibe
The Wildcraft Forest “Vibe” is an effort to rewild tastes and communities so that better health and connections to nature can be realized by Earthlings. We want to rewild a 1000 cafes and neighborhoods! We are asking you to become a leader in the Rewilding Movement by transitioning tastes and consciousness within your circle of friends, your neighborhood and your community.
Learn more…

Rewild Distance Learning Programs
We have been working the bugs out of our distance-learning platform and we have now introduced “intake” dates where we start new registrants all at the same time. We have made certain technological changes which will help with the delivery of our programs as well. So we invite you to “Rewild”, the distance-learning programs offered by the Wildcraft Forest School. We offer online courses, seminars and outdoor challenges and restoration programs which provide an inspirational and creative environment for students ranging from children to adults and from beginners to professionals. We seek to share quality experiences, from leading edge artists, thinkers and do’ers locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Our scope is to link the arts, creativity, wild-dynamic permaculture, food, wellness, spirituality and activism with wildcrafting.

Learn more about Rewild offerings
Mother Tree Regenerative System
The Wildcraft Forest nurtures regenerative stewardship that supports what we call a “Mother Tree Regenerative System”. This system considers that the forest seeks to function as a living organism. As it moves and expands it creates “seed trees” also known as “Mother Trees”. The forest spirits the growth of these Mother Trees on her edge where she seeks to expand into a meadow or a savannah. She populates these edges with the spread of a great number of seeds and is assisted by messengers, which spread the seeds even further. The Mother Tree creates a forest community within a larger forest community interlocking a network of life and frequencies that link all the Mother Trees and then the greater forest nation.

We are developing a “Mother Tree Pilot Program” which will include education, protection and the restoration of Mother Trees within the southern British Columbia interior; the program will be replicated to include other parts of British Columbia and beyond.

Learn about Mother Trees
Japanese researchers have found that the emotions of pleasure and happiness are elevated with an in increase in tree density within specific settings, even in urban settings. The bigger and denser the trees, the higher the scenic beauty scores – but there is a threshold. If the trees are in a forest that is to dense – if a trail is too narrow or obscured – the scene becomes foreboding and fear will be increased.

Similarly lining one’s walls with wood can be good, however researchers found that this threshold emerges as well. They found that positive results could be found if the coverage of wood on the floor and walls of an interior were between 30 and 40 percent the highest rating of relaxation could be achieved. This was linked to lower physiological stress markers included blood pressure and pulse rate.

Deeper research might indicate that the positive environment that our physiology and mind are trying to reach for is a savannah-like environment that represent s the edge of a forest where the thick forest canopy mixes with the open allowing for more access to sunlight and a greater diversity of ecology.

Yasei Shinrin-Yoku
Teachers Training
Yasei Shinrin-Yoku Teachers Training provides participants with certification to perform our unique version of Forest Bathing, which combines the healing abilities presented by the natural world with spiritual and environmental stewardship, which encourages meaning and purpose within the context of agape relationships and the Wildcrafters Promise. Yasei Shinrin-Yoku Practitioner Certification provides participants with an opportunity to set up an independent practice and provides planning support for practitioners to establish a Yasei Sanctuary Forest. This series provides an understanding of wilderness therapies and forms of wildcrafting-based nutri-ecopsychology. Upon completion of the camps, participants will be able to apply for a Yasei Shinrin-Yoku Practitioner Certification, which can assist them in both career and self-employment endeavors especially suited for counseling, alternative healthcare, the spiritual arts, theology, energy work, education, food, nutrition and outdoor recreation.
Register for a camp, or distance learning….Learn more….
Yasei Shinrin-Yoku considers the expansion of our health, purpose and well-being as being directly related to the work that we do for the benefit of the forest. The practice considers that we and the forest are “one” and that through this presence the true natural balance of energy can be achieved that benefits both the individual and the natural world. If we invest in the health and growth of the forest then the forest will invest in us – the medium of exchange is “life-force”. Courses offer learning experiences with nature’s nutrients, which include phytocides and also include teas, oils and aromas.
WILDCRAFT FOREST MYSTERY SCHOOL
We now have a “Mystery School” which is now home to our more esoteric teachings linked to the cosmos, ancient wisdom and storytelling. The Wildcraft Forest School was founded to carry forward certain teachings that began eons ago during the time when Shamans and Firekeepers guided tribal communities within the landscapes of planet Earth. These teachings have been handed down directly from generation to generation and each time, respecting the secret wisdom found within “wild mysticism”.

Join us for a Mystery School Weekend which is held the third week of every month and there are only twelve seats available. Weekends run from January to November. Please register in advance and upon registration we will send you a Wildcraft Forest Mystery School Guidebook.
You can also join us for special events.
Learn more…

January 2018
FESTIVAL IN THE FOREST
We have changed our special event portal from Wildcraft Habitat to Festival in the Forest. Join us for great experiences all year long.
Festival in the Forest