Survival Skills Series: Science & Philosophy for Outdoor Survival
Instructor - Chris Esposito, Courtney Knickerbocker and Ellis Knickerbocker
Learn the skills necessary to make you feel at home almost anywhere on Earth. With an emphasis on Florida, each lecture is followed by a lab and/or field demonstration to give you the confidence and skills needed to venture comfortably into the wild. Share a day in the field with experienced instructors to help take your skills to the next level. Come to an understanding that a survivalist is also a caretaker of any place they find themselves.
Survival Course Schedule:
Febuary:
Introduction - Earth Connection and Knife Safety
March:
Survival Tooks and Kits - Components, knots and cordage
April:
Shelter - Building a shelter
May:
Fire - Science, safety and structures
June:
Water - How to make wild water safe to drink
July:
Orientation & Navigation - Solar, Celestial and Modern Techniques
August:
Ecology - Habitats, structure, resources and hazards
September:
Plants - Important plants to know and learn
October:
Awareness/Movement - Tracking and the Rhythms of Nature
November:
Animals - Their role in traditional life
December:
Cooking and Food - Cooking methods and survival nutrition
January 2010:
Caretaking - Taking care of nature and yourself
Sweat Lodge finale and course closing
Meet Your Guides
All instructors are graduates of Florida Master Naturalist courses
Chris Esposito
Chris started exploring outdoors skills at the age of 8 and since has been camping and exploring the natural areas near his home. He began taking courses at Tom Brown's Tracker School in 2003 and has been practicing and teaching survival skills since then. His focus is on the use of primitive tools and technology in survival applications, and on natural movement and awareness in outdoors settings.
Courtney Knickerbocker
Courtney is a master's student at the University of Central Florida who is studying the dynamics of plant communities in natural systems impacted by human development. She has attended field schools in anthropology and ethnobotany in China and in the rainforests of Guyana. She has studied wild edible/medicinal plants extensively and has focused on the identification and use of native Florida plants. She is a weaver in the native Navajo tradition and a general practitioner of the fiber arts.
Ellis Knickerbocker
Ellis has been studying the art of tracking since 2001 having taken many intensive courses on the subject including search and rescue. He has studied edible and medicinal plants and herbalism with George D'Arcy and with Tom Brown Jr. at the Tracker School. Ellis is a Florida Master Naturalist that has been wandering through the woods for many years and is currently interested in teaching the science and philosophy behind outdoors survival. He has been running sweat lodges in Orlando for several years and has been mentoring students in holistic life skills for over twenty years
Meets first Saturday of Month from 1-4 pm starting February 7. Join us for one class, or the entire year-long series.
Education Center, 604 N Thornton Ave, Orlando $29 per session, or $290 for entire series.
