The Driftless Region is a diverse mosaic of varied forests, scattered marshes, wandering rivers and sloughs, remnant savannah and prairie, and farmland. The flora and fauna here is correspondingly diverse and delving deeper into this learning can be really enriching, grounding, and rewarding, and can help us be more beneficial residents and stewards of this place.
As a small group we will endeavor to study, experience personally, and set a foundation of understanding of this ecosystem, the myriad lifeforms that share these wilds with us, and how we can more responsibly fit and participate in it. We will take moderate walks in different ecological zones, have discussions and lessons on various aspects of the landscape, and participate in exercises that help embed this knowledge in us.
Activities with learning about our local trees, foraging edibles, tracking local wildlife, birding by sight and ear, reptiles and amphibians and invertebrates, and understanding the adaptations of our local mammals will help us get to know this place more deeply and personally.
Whether you are a new landowner in the area or already have some experience in components of and interaction with our local ecosystem, this program should add to your knowledgeability, inspiration, and tool kit for continued learning and discovery.
Some fitness and ability to climb hills and move through diverse terrain will be necessary for this program.
Date: Saturday and Sunday, June 20-21, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM each day
Lunch will be provided.
Ages: Adults (13+ with a participating adult are welcome)
Location: La Farge, WI area
Instructions: Be sure to dress for fairly full days of being outdoors. Bring a backpack with snacks, water bottle, and any other needs for being out for moderate durations in varied locations. I also encourage bringing any field study aids like a magnifying glass, binocs, camera, and notebooks (but all are optional). And throw your favorite field guides in the back of the car too!
Please let us know of any mobility challenges and also any allergies or sensitivities to the outdoor environment.
Sliding Scale Course Fee Guidelines
Supporter Level Ticket: $310
If you move through the world with financial ease and the means to fulfill many of your wants as well as your needs – you are able to eat out when you want, abundantly meet your needs through employment or can comfortably not work, have access to family wealth, own property, etc. – consider paying at this level, which will help us ensure the long term sustainability of our programs while keeping our offerings accessible to those with access to fewer resources.
Sustainer Level Ticket: $260
If you are able to meet your needs with relative ease while budgeting your educational and entertainment spending – for instance, you are able to take classes and eat out occasionally as long as you are mindful – consider paying at this level, which will help sustain the work of the Folk School at a modest level.
Supported Level Ticket: $210
If you struggle to fund your basic needs and have limited access to resources in your family and community, or if you would not be able to access this offering without a discounted payment option, consider paying at this level. We value your presence and contributions to our community and do not want any economic circumstances to be a barrier to attendance!
Instructor Bio
Nicholas WazeeGale is a lifelong student of the natural world, traditional cultures, and sustainability. His life is intricately tied to the Driftless landscape through foraging plant and fungi foods, hunting and fishing, tanning skins, making traditional handcraft, and obsessively observing and tracking the myriad unfoldings of the living landscape. He is a long time instructor with the Driftless Folks School and other outdoor education institutions, contracts as a professional wildlife tracker with the Wisconsin DNR, and teaches at the Kickapoo Valley Forest School. He is a certified Wilderness Guide through a year long wilderness living immersion course and holds both a Professional and Specialist Certification in track and sign via Tracker Certification North America.
Find him online at…
Instagram: @naturalnuances and/or @wildrootshandcrafts
Facebook: Nicholas WazeeGale
Website: www.wildrootshandcrafts.com