About
Reconnecting humans and nature
Wise Oak Wilderness was created to get more people interacting with nature in a reciprocal way. All of our courses take place in-person, and are intended for adults. Nature is a process more than a place; the wild exists in cities, the backcountry, and in ourselves.
Our Philosophy
What might we learn by reconnecting with the land, learning from indigenous cultures, and revisiting the basics of being human? What would happen if we truly knew our role as a species?
So much of modern life is disembodied, virtual and indoors. We have no idea where most of our food comes from. Most people can recognize far more brands of car than species of plants. And yet for over 300,000 years, our species lived and evolved in constant contact with nature. We knew the plants and animals. We knew how to make every object we needed.
Very recently, we humans have come up with miraculous technologies and lifestyles that are incredibly efficient and convenient, except for the fact that we are compromising our life support system in a thousand ways. Humanity is not inherently bad for the planet, though. Yes, ancient humans also caused extinctions, but many indigenous cultures learned how to steward the land on a large scale in a reciprocal way and passed that wisdom on. There are ways to give and take from nature that create more ecological health, more beauty, and can be carried on indefinitely.
We think that getting outside, using your body, making things by hand, eating good food, and sharing all that goodness with others is a great starting point.
Meet the Founder
Hey there, I’m Jesse
I’m Wise Oak’s founder and lead instructor. Foraging, bushcraft, and wilderness skills are my bread and butter. I started Wise Oak to help people grow fulfilling lifelong connections to the living world, all while doing what I love, what I’m good at, and what I think the world needs. My pronouns are he/him.
My roots
Growing up on the coast of BC, the outdoors played a big part in my family culture. Three generations were commercial fishermen. My dad and older brother are leaders of Search and Rescue Teams. As kids, we spent a lot of time beachcombing, berry picking, camping and messing around in boats.
When I was a teenager, we moved from our suburban fishing town to Salt Spring Island where I roamed around in the forest and tinkered with tools in our barn. I started learning about wild plants and mushrooms, wandered down lots of deer trails, and planted the seeds that many years later have matured into Wise Oak Wilderness.
Certifications and Experience
I am certified as a Wilderness Guide and Bushcraft Instructor by the Jack Mountain Bushcraft School, and as a Wilderness First Responder and Whitewater Rescue Technician by Boreal River Rescue. These are rigorous, professional level courses, and I ended up being the only student that achieved certification on my Bushcraft instructor’s course.
Since 2018 I have worked as a lead instructor with Coyote Programs in Montreal. During this time, I have immersed myself in teaching wilderness skills to both youth and adults. Leading dozens of groups and hundreds of participants, I’ve grown as a naturalist, honed my facilitation skills, and learned how to design and lead engaging programs.
My teaching style is participative, hands-on, and adaptive. I believe learning should be fun, even if it’s hard work.
I have a background in the arts and facilitation, and completed the long term Art Of Facilitation training through Partners for Youth Empowerment. I spent a number of years traveling in Latin America and led many art camps in rural and indigenous communities in Mexico and Colombia.
I am a voracious learner (aka a huge geek) and try to read every obscure nature/outdoors book I can get my hands on, and usually have at least five craft and wild food experiments on the go.
My current passions are whitewater canoe tripping, traditional winter camping, and living a nature-immersed life while living in a city of 2 million people.
The site in Kahnawake
We are grateful to be able to host our programs on Kanien’kehá ka territory. Some classes take place in Montreal (Tiohtiá:ke), but most will be held in Kahnawake, in our friend Kawisente’s forested backyard. We share the site with Kawisente’s family, our colleagues at Coyote Programs, and all the plant and animal neighbours.
Getting there
Driving: From Montreal, it’s a 20-45 minute drive to Kahnawake depending on your starting point and traffic. Morning traffic on the weekends is typically fine.
Carpooling: We set up an online carpooling sheet to help participants organize rides, and this works out quite well.
Other Options: In rare instances where carpooling doesn’t work out and you don’t own a car, we suggest using a Communauto, getting a taxi/Uber from Angrignon Metro Station, or taking the 98 exo bus to Kahnawake and we’ll send someone to pick you up in town.
*Detailed directions will be provided upon registration
Amenities
The site is situated in a beautiful mature Eastern Hardwood forest that provides an ideal outdoor classroom.
Amenities are basic, but that’s where our bushcraft skills come in. We have a fire circle and log benches, large rain tarps if it rains, water jugs for drinking and handwashing, and an outhouse for bathroom duties. It’s like being in a wilderness base camp, right beside the city.
Please let us know if you have any specific accessibility needs.
Cultural Respect
Kahnawake is the territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka nation (the People of the Flint). Our host Kawisente Carole McGregor has generously invited us to offer classes at her home with the goal of cross-cultural learning and exchange.
As guests, it’s important to come with a respectful attitude and behaviour, both at classes and when visiting Kahnawake.
Wise Oak is not an Indigenous-run company. We do however have Indigenous instructors in class on a regular basis, and centering Indigenous knowledge systems is an important part of our work.
If you are Kahnawakehro:non, or Indigenous from another place and have questions or want to participate, please reach out.
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