This post is Part 3 of a series of posts on Nature Connection. To start with part one, click here.
Nature is all about relationships and interaction. If you live a modern urban life, it can be hard to make time and find ways to interact with the land, so I want to offer a bunch of practical ideas and resources. Feel free to skim through and see what speaks to you. Here’s what has worked for me as someone who thrives on a lot of time in nature, but lives in a big city:
1. Up your nature literacy
When I was working in the Mayan community of Yaxunah in southern Mexico, I met 10-year-old kids there who had won birding competitions, where they had to identify bird songs by ear. There are 555 bird species in their region, and the kids didn’t have field guides. Sadly, most of us urban humans are not very land-literate. Maybe none of us will achieve the natural knowledge of a Mayan 10-year-old. That’s ok, though; just like you don’t need thousands of friends to feel a sense of community, you can greatly benefit from getting to know a small handful of species. If you’re drawn to trees, get a field guide and learn five. If you’re into birds, learn three birds. That’s all it takes to start.
2. Weave nature media into your life
I am constantly reading books, listening to podcasts, and learning directly from knowledgeable people. Continual learning in this way generates the momentum and inspiration I thrive on. Reading, listening to podcasts, and in-person learning are my preferred mediums, but if you like watching videos, there’s so much out there too.
Some of the books I’d recommend, mostly focused on eastern North America:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer – If you haven’t read this book, stop reading this blog and go buy a copy now.
Sam Thayer’s foraging books – All of them are amazing; Nature’s Garden is a good first.
Naturally Curious day by day by Mary Holland – Truly fascinating, bite-size nature facts for every day of the year. A good bathroom or bedtime book.
Beginner’s Guide to Trees of the Northeast by Mark Mikolas – A perfect first tree guide.
Reading the Forested Landscape by Tom Wessels – This is a great book that will open your eyes to the larger patterns of the land and how to interpret them.
Favourite Podcasts:
Future Ecologies – Well crafted stories made by nature nerds in the west coast. I’m a fan.
Ologies – Very funny, informative interviews with different “ologists”.
The Canadian Bushcraft Podcast – Caleb Musgrave is an Anishnaabe bushcraft teacher with a wealth of knowledge and experience. The episodes on Indigenous food systems and Sugar Bush are great.
Video and social media: There’s so much content now, but watch out for the endless scrolling!
I’d check out @Blackforager on Instagram, Learn Your Land on YouTube, and apparently Sam Thayer is on TikTok, but I’ve never looked.
3. Walk like a naturalist + Go Foraging
I try to go for a walk in a nature spot every day for at least 15–30 minutes. Naturalists, much like 4-year-olds, walk comically slowly. We constantly get distracted by bits of moss, cool birds, and tracks in the mud. Try slowing down. Just observe the species you see. What makes them unique? It’s okay to not know their names. If you can walk with a knowledgeable person, you’ll learn a lot faster.
Once you can recognize some plants or mushrooms, foraging for wild things you can eat is the most satisfying way to put that knowledge into practice. You can teach yourself with good field guides (Sam Thayer is the go-to author), but you need to be able to identify with 100% certainty before eating anything. If you want to speed up your learning curve significantly, take classes! We offer the Forest Feast program of course, but there are lots of great teachers out there to choose from. In Quebec, most will be in French. Some I can vouch for are: Un Goût de Forêt, Gourmet Sauvage, and Rivers and Roots.
4. Craft with your hands
I’ve loved making things with my hands for a long time. In a world overflowing with crappy disposable objects, the feeling of being handy and resourceful, using natural materials you’ve gathered, and making something beautiful that you can actually use is incredibly satisfying. Weaving with willow, carving wood, making gear to use on your outings (e.g., a spoon, a knife, a basket)—anything that gets you out of your head and into your body will do.
There’s infinite craft content online, but I suggest doing it with friends or taking a class since part of the appeal is to get off screens and to be more present.
In Montreal, check out Le Milieu for community craft events or Les Affutés, which offers a ton of different craft workshops. I teach the carving and felting classes there. Wise Oak’s Firekeepers program (Fall 2024) will have a lot of practical craft skills woven into it if you’re looking for a deeper dive.
5. Immersions in Wilderness
I daydream constantly about going on remote wilderness trips. Canoeing down rivers is my absolute favourite way to immerse myself and reconnect with life and the land. On a canoe trip, you get to practice the ancient skills of reading moving water, cooking with fire, interpreting the weather, observing birds, harvesting tea and wild edibles, and living outdoors. I find it takes about five days for me to drop my city mind and enter that special flow state that wilderness living brings out, so I try to get out for trips of at least a week if possible.
If this is what you’re looking for, check out the many outdoor clubs and associations out there. In Montreal, there is theMcGill Outdoor Club (cheap gear rentals and trips), Les Portageurs (canoe tripping club), the Alpine Club, and many more. Don’t rush into going on remote trips, though, if you don’t yet have basic outdoor skills like navigation, fire lighting, setting up rain tarps, and basic survival skills. Go step-by-step!
I know how challenging all of this can seem if you’re just getting started. This is a lifelong journey. 15 years ago, I started picking dandelion roots and chanterelles as a teenager, and with time, I’ve simply realised that the learning is infinite. I will probably never know all the 17,000 plants that grow in Canada. Knowing everything is neither possible nor desirable. Pick one thing that seems appealing, and see where that takes you.
Wise Oak Wilderness was created to help you skip a few years forward in your journey so you can enjoy the rewards sooner.
If what you want to learn is foraging, wild cuisine, and wild food culture, check out Forest Feast.
If you want to work with your hands and learn the skills that will make remote expeditions possible, check out the Firekeepers Program.
Stay wild,
-Jesse
