At A Glance

When: Tues, Wed, Thurs with extended overnight weeks (September - May, 30 weeks total)

Visits: To schedule a class visit or attend our info nights – Contact Us.

Tuition & Financial Aid: A $145 deposit, with 10-monthly payments of $665.

We offer a variety of scholarships and discounts, including at 10% automatic discount for Veterans or a scholarship for our Outdoor Educator Internship. For scholarships, Contact Us for information.

Our community works to keep tuition more affordable for this comprehensive training program because we believe in developing more educators who connect youth and adults to the natural world.  We highly encourage prospective students to thoroughly research other 9-month (3-days a week) Wilderness Skills Programs and compare out tuition directly to theirs.

Location: Trackers Earth’s many forest campuses

Housing: Limited local and on-site housing is available (separate from tuition)

Program Details

Duration

September 10, 2018 - May 18, 2019, with breaks Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break.

Field Days & Overnights

Weekly training days every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Field days offer hands-on projects and team-based expeditions. The program also has overnight camping and field trips.

Thursday Skills Evenings

You also attend our evening Wilderness Skills Club (one Thursday a month) and our Open Archery Range (every Thursday, Friday, Saturday).

Field Practicum & Experience

Practicum and Observational Field Days can occur outside of regular class days and are scheduled with your instructor. Ride-along with Trackers Earth programs with a primary focus on the age group and content of your choice. From that time, you write sample curriculums and schedules based on your course learning and field experience. We share this working program development as a class cohort, with all students participating in feedback to further develop your educational toolkit. We recommend at least one Practicum and Observational Field Day a seasonal term—students are welcome to schedule more. Since every student will observe at least one youth program, background checks are a prerequisite for before starting field practicums.

Overnight Camping & Seasonal Expeditions

Expeditions and overnight camping occur throughout the year. Your first week will be an overnight at Camp Trackers, our 90-acre site out in Sandy, Oregon. Our final expedition is a rite of passage, testing your skills and kit in a 5-day Wilderness Survival Expedition. Key expeditions include:

• Tracking at the Oregon Dunes
• Coastal Foraging along the Oregon Coast
• Shelter Building Overnight

Overnights average between 3 - 5 days—some maybe longer. A schedule for each season will be available two months prior, with exception of weather dependent activities that require more flexibility.

Location

Many field days take place at one of our two wilderness locations in Sandy, Oregon: Camp Trackers, 80-acres on the edge of the Bull Run Wilderness and the 91-acre Bull Run Education Center. Other Field days include excursions to other sites for harvesting and expeditions.

Housing

We offer limited on-site and local housing (cost is separate from tuition) in Sandy, Oregon — Contact Us for details.

If you choose to live in Portland, there are many excellent opportunities for individual or group housing in Trackers Community. Upon registration, we connect you with online forums within the Trackers community where you can inquire about potential housing opportunities with fellow students or other community members.

Tuition Options

We offer several payment options to meet student financial requirements. Limited scholarship awards are also available on an application and need basis.

• Financial Aid Options Limited Scholarships awards are available. Contact Us for information.
  

Instructors

Mentors include core educators at Trackers Earth. Through specialized field days and development days, you also get access to the entire community of wilderness skills teachers at Trackers Earth. Guest instructors come in to teach throughout the year.

Visits

Visit our weekend Wilderness Survival Immersion program. Contact Us for an appointment.

Potential Employment

This program is not a requirement of employment nor does it guarantee a job with Trackers. Employment with Trackers Earth is a separate application process. Most people begin with us in summer camp educator positions and a few from this seasonal staff may continue with us year-round. There are 13 students in a cohort, and throughout the year we have very limited positions available. In this program, we teach all the skills that we look for in an outdoor educator and how each student applies those skills is ultimately up to them. To learn more about available positions and how to apply visit our employment page.