Alderleaf Wilderness College

I attended the Permaculture Design Course at Alderleaf Wilderness College in August of 2015, and it met all expectations. Instructors were professional and demonstrated a deep knowledge of their fields, leveraged the collected knowledge and life experience of the students, and gave us a great course. The setting is delightful, with its garden and forest trails, and staff were friendly and supportive. The nature awareness sessions have had a substantial impact on my frequent hikes, and my daily life. I made terrific acquaintances and learned a tremendous amount about nature awareness and sustainable living, much of which I was able to put into practice within weeks. This PDC offered a chance to visit the Bullocks’ homestead on Orcas Island for 3 days. Our instructor, Dave Boehnlein, spent years living and working with the Bullocks and was able to give a special introduction to this outstanding example of permaculture in practice. The 2nd instructor, Paul Kearsley, also works with the Bullocks and added a great deal to the course. Because I was there, I must comment on the review titled, “Bad Experience.” I don’t recognize this reviewer’s description of the course or AWC’s policies. I was present for every full group session, including the orientation where the co-founders told us the history of AWC, and about policies on the site. This reviewer’s claim that the owner told us marijuana use was acceptable is absolutely false. I was there, and that was not said. It was made very clear that smoking tobacco was only allowed in a very small designated area, and I was not left with the impression that marijuana was included in this policy. I don’t understand how the reviewer could have misinterpreted that conversation as he has. It’s a real shame that he quit the course as early as he did. Personally, I had a wonderful experience, made friends, and absorbed a huge amount of information. I certainly never felt that my safety was at risk. more

I had taken courses at this college previously, and was very happy with the training they provided. My class mates were primarily adults with like minded desires to learn on those previous courses. The same can't be said for the recent Permaculture Design Course I attended. On the first day of this two week course the owner of the college stated to the 25 students, and multiple instructors present that, "Alcohol, marijuana, and other drug use is acceptable but please use these discreetly." Needless to say we had multiple young students showing up for class highly intoxicated, as well as using through out the day. Including during the optional evening classes in front of the fire, during a fire ban I may add, while using axes and assorted knives. A real recipe for disaster! After a confrontation with two young students who decided to use next to me, I decided to leave due to the unsafe environment that I found myself in. I certainly wasn't willing to risk my career because I was around drugs, or those who used them. The potential of losing my passport, security clearance, and failing a drug test was simply to great. Needless to say, the owner of the college didn't seem to care less that I left or the reasons why in my opinion. He back tracked on his comments regarding drug use on his property the first day by stating that the college does in fact have a drug policy. After five previous courses there, I've never seen nor heard of this so-called drug policy. Regardless, he willfully created a permissive environment regarding drug use by certain students on his property that put adult students like myself in a very unsavoury situation. To add insult to injury, he refused to refund my hefty tuition fees. Alderleaf may be fine for short duration courses if you live close by and can leave if things get out of hand. However, it is definitely not an environment that is conducive to learning. In my opinion it's simply a 'stoner college' were young people go to party on their parents hard earned money. more

I recently completed the Wilderness Survival Intensive, and Wild Edible and Medicinal Plant courses back to back. It was overall a great seven day learning experience. Both courses were very thorough, and professionally taught by the four instructors involved. The instructors were knowledgable, friendly, and very helpful. I could tell that they loved teaching their unique skill sets, and were all well rounded in the outdoors. As somebody who has taken multiple "survival courses" over the years, for professional and personal reasons, I can easily say that these courses were the most enjoyable! The days were packed with learning opportunities, and a wealth of information. Time and money both well spent! I can't wait to return. more

"The Wilderness Survival weekend course is amazing! The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about what they are doing. I especially appreciated how encouraging and supportive they were with us as we learned some challenging skills." more

There I found Hands on knowledgeable, enthusiastic instructors with practical application of this knowledge. I would recommend this class to everyone more

I took the 2-day wilderness survival class with my niece and my 13 and 14 year-old daughters. This course is fabulous. the instructors are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The approach and philosophy are very appropriate. More Les Stroud, less Bear Grylls. Perfect. This is a great way to get closer to nature and learn some useful skills. The girls came back excited to tell mom all about it. more

Experiential immersion with topnotch instruction. Quirien more

This course was absolutely amazing! It consisted of three(3) intense "hands on" days preparing a deer hide using "traditional" methods of scraping, brain tanning, stretching, wringing, smoking etc.! The bonus after all that work was a nicely tanned hide for you to keep as a testament to your efforts and the methods you learned! The instructor (and staff) at Alderleaf are outgoing, friendly and informative. This course met and exceeded my expectations! I would recommend this or any of the courses they offer if you are interested in the outdoors lifestyle! more

I completed the 2 day weekend survival course with Steve Nicolini teaching and it was fantastic. He taught us basic necessities of wilderness survival and packed in so much in the 2 day program. I learned how to build a wild shelter, purify water, make fire with bow-drills, create a steam pit to cook food, identify wild edible plants, and more! He also gave an intro on how to track and trap and how to process a chicken. It was incredibly informative and very affordable. Steve is an excellent teacher, I would be happy to take classes from him again. Overall an incredible experience and I left feeling like if I was stuck in the wild I could take care of myself. Awesome course! Looking forward to studying more with them in the future. more

The Wilderness Certification Program at Alderleaf Wilderness College opens up your mind to the beauty of nature. You uncover the inner workings of something that you can explore the rest of your life and gain an appreciation of where you have come from. more

“My experience [at Alderleaf Wilderness College] has been nothing but positive. Alderleaf has opened my eyes to a fascinating world and how important it is to respect it.” –Ryan Foris more

I graduated from the 2011-2012 nine month Wilderness Certification Course in May. It was an amazing time of my life. I learned so much and gained an incredible new perspective on the natural world. There need to be more schools like Alderleaf! more

Although Alderleaf Wilderness College did have some knowledgeable instructors and interns who loved teaching the curriculum and genuinely cared about teaching the students, I was largely disappointed with the school. My expectation was to learn extensive skills for wilderness survival and sustainability, however I ended up leaving the program after a few months. Even after an interview, several phone conversations, and reading the website information in detail, certain information was misrepresented. Alderleaf's history, class format, and instruction were among the most notable. Upper management, the most senior of instructors, were often unavailable and engaged in unethical business practices. Instruction outside of the classroom setting for off campus students was hard to obtain, and a lot of the curriculum was expected to be learned outside of the class without the assistance of an instructor. The program attempted to teach too many subjects within too short a time. The result was an untimely sequence of events that was not thorough enough to gain adequate understanding. I don’t know if their have been any changes since I left Alderleaf's 2011-2012 Wilderness Certification Program, but my advice to you is to visit the college in person and make sure the curriculum represents what you really intend to learn. more

I have taken four classes/workshops with Alderleaf Wilderness college over the past year. The classes have been informative and there has been plenty of hands on time to practice the skills that were taught. The instructors have been knowledgeable, helpful, and considerate. Instructors were attentive to students' needs and to promoting a safe learning environment. I look forward to taking additional classes with Alderleaf in the future and I would recommend Alderleaf to anyone who is interested in learning more about outdoor/wilderness skills. more

I attended and completed the year-long Alderleaf Certification program in the 2009-2010 year. I treated Alderleaf much like I treated my first semester of traditional college; The year-long program provides the opportunity to work on a wide variety of topics and allows students to find which of those topics are worth pursuing in the future. Working closely with the instructors during office hours and spending lots of time out of class with books and in study groups along with copious amounts of field time is necessary for those looking to take home marketable skills from the program. I highly recommend applying for on-site housing, I waited too long and I regretted not being on site. I will emphasize that the value of this program lies in presenting potential opportunities in different fields rather than changing a city dweller into master scout Geronimo. more

I'm in their year-long wilderness certification program, and it has been an awesome year so far! They teach such a wide variety of nature-related skills, and have awesome instructors who do it, too! for me, it's kind of been the perfect foundation to begin my nature-based education, and a great place for me to keep learning and learning. more

I’ve taken the tracking apprenticeship and several weekend courses with Alderleaf Wilderness College and highly recommend them. The instructors are very knowledgeable and the classes are always organized and efficiently run. I’ve gotten my money’s worth each time. more

I have attended sevearl of Jason's programs at Alderleaf and have hired him for a couple of custom programs. His teaching stye, attention to detail and preparation have made him a favourite of many students. more

If you want to learn about wilderness survival and primitive skills from extremely knowledgeable instructors, Alterleaf is for you. I attended their 5-day wilderness survival course and learned more than I ever thought possible in that short time. Jason Knight and Filip Tkaczyk are both incredibly knowledgeable in all of the areas they teach. There was no pressure, just a positive environment to learn. We were able to learn survival skills, make tools (to later take home) and go on field trips to track animals and learn about the topography, flora and fauna. All in all, I can't recommend them enough. I can't wait to go back for another class! more

Alderleaf if a great place. I travel down there from Alaska because they have some great tracking and trailing classes and host Cybertracker evaluations. They have excellent instuctors whether it is tracking or bird language or many other skills and knowlege you may seek. more