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Riparian - Observations within an
Old Growth Forest Riparian Area
We invite you to watch this 30 minute video which examines the ecosystem held by an old growth forest located in an Inland Temperate Rainforest in British Columbia. This riparian area is now feeling the presence of clearcut logging as a road is built along its edge.
Don Elzer shares his thoughts and observations within this footage that we call “Riparian”
Wildcraft Forest School - Bushcraft Series
Through guided exercises, participants map their own response strategies across these timeframes. They consider their living environment, responsibilities, available resources, and potential vulnerabilities. The goal is not to create a perfect plan—but to develop a clear, adaptable framework that can evolve as conditions change.
Participants are encouraged to ask practical, grounded questions:
- What would I do first if systems failed?
- How will I access water, food, and warmth?
- What resources do I already have—and what do I need?
- Who is part of my support network?
The program also emphasizes the importance of community resilience. Through group scenarios, participants collaborate to solve evolving challenges, share resources, and make decisions under changing conditions.
These exercises highlight a key insight:
- Resilience is not just individual—it is shared.
- No one prepares for everything alone. Strong networks, communication, and cooperation are essential components of long-term stability.
Equally important is the development of psychological resilience. Participants are introduced to simple techniques for maintaining focus, managing stress, and avoiding overwhelm. In uncertain situations, the ability to remain calm and think clearly is often the most valuable skill of all.
Throughout the experience, bushcraft practices serve as grounding tools. Building a shelter, tending a fire, or sourcing water shifts preparedness from abstract thinking into lived experience. These activities replace anxiety with action and uncertainty with capability.
By the end of the program, participants will leave with a Personal Resilience Framework—a practical, personalized plan supported by real-world skills and a clearer understanding of how to navigate disruption.
This is not about fearing the future.
It is about becoming someone who can meet it with steadiness, awareness, and confidence.
Who Should Participate
- Individuals seeking a grounded, practical approach to preparedness
- Families wanting to build resilience together
- Those feeling uncertain about how to respond to disruptions
- Outdoor enthusiasts wanting to connect skills with planning
- Anyone looking to replace anxiety with clarity and capability
No prior experience is required.
1-Day Workshop
A focused introduction to resilience thinking and foundational skills:
- Understanding how disruptions unfold and impact daily life
- Short-term to long-term resilience planning
- Staying mentally grounded and focused under stress
- Introduction to shelter building and tools for basic living
- Fire and water fundamentals (warmth, boiling, purification)
- Essential tools and equipment to consider securing
- The role of community and support networks
- Sensory awareness exercises
- Guided solo sit for reflection
3-Day Retreat
A deeper, immersive experience focused on application and integration:
- Expanded 1-Day workshop and hands-on practice
- Emergency food strategies and long-term food planning
- Food storage and winter resilience considerations
- Energy awareness and dependence on modern systems
- Shelter building and adaptation under changing conditions
- Water sourcing in varied environments
- Group-based resilience scenarios and collaboration exercises
- Developing a Personal Resilience Action Plan
- Extended solo time for clarity and reflection
- Evening council circles for shared insight and discussion
Accommodation
Participants stay in comfortable, pre-built bushcraft shelters that provide an immersive yet supportive environment.
- Forest-based setting
- Primitive aesthetic with comfort in mind
- Optional glamping-style upgrades available
Formats & Pricing
- 1-Day Workshop: $190
- 3-Day Retreat: $650
What You Leave With
- A clear understanding of how disruptions unfold over time
- Foundational bushcraft skills (shelter, fire, water, tools)
- A personalized, adaptable resilience plan
- Increased confidence and reduced anxiety about uncertainty
- Practical strategies for both individual and community resilience
- A deeper sense of capability, awareness, and calm
Points to Ponder
Preparedness is not about expecting the worst.
It is about being ready for change—without fear, without panic, and without losing your sense of balance.
The Personal Resilience Planning Intensive helps you move from uncertainty to capability—so you can meet whatever comes next with clarity and confidence.
2026 Dates
tba
Participants learn foundational practices such as shelter building, firecraft, water sourcing, and tool use. These are not presented as extreme survival techniques, but as stabilizing anchors—skills that provide immediate capability in situations where modern systems are unavailable or unreliable. The ability to create warmth, secure water, and establish a sense of safety has a direct impact not only on physical survival, but on mental clarity and emotional steadiness.
Alongside these practical skills, participants are guided through a structured planning process that reflects how disruptions typically unfold:
- The First 24 Hours: Immediate priorities, decision-making, and staying calm
- The First Days and Weeks: Managing resources, adapting routines, and stabilizing
- Long-Term Adaptation: Adjusting to new conditions and creating sustainable systems
Personal Resilience
Planning Intensive
Preparedness with Clarity and Calm
In an increasingly unpredictable world, preparedness is often misunderstood. It is either avoided altogether or approached through fear-based thinking that leads to overwhelm rather than action. The Personal Resilience Planning Intensive offers a different path—one grounded in clarity, practical skill-building, and calm, thoughtful preparation.
This program is designed to help participants move from uncertainty into structured, realistic readiness. Rather than focusing on a single type of emergency, it prepares you for a range of disruptions—environmental, economic, or infrastructural—that may unfold over time.
At the heart of the experience is the integration of hands-on bushcraft skills with personal resilience planning.
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REGULAR REGISTRATION
Personal Resilience Planning Intensive
Regular Registration Cost:
- 1-Day Workshop: $190.00
- 3-Day Retreat: $585.00
Rates are in Canadian Dollars per person
You may register using these secure Paypal links:
You may also register by Interac or
Wells Fargo Transfer. Send us an email and we will send you instructions.
- Glamping Camp Accommodation is extra.
If you have questions please email us or call 250.547.2001
1-Day Workshop: $190.00
3-Day Retreat: $585.00
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