First Peoples Outdoor Institute · Short Courses
Useful skills.
A clear place to start.
Focused outdoor and professional learning, from ecological field skills and outdoor cooking to inclusive facilitation and supervised target-sport introductions.
Each course follows three practical steps. Choose a standalone session or ask about a sequence for your team.
Upcoming dates TBA. Format, location, fees and the final teaching team are listed with each offering.
Short course
Bushcraft 101
Be more useful to yourself outside.
Practise the everyday skills that make a day on the land more comfortable, useful and considered. Work with equipment, knots and shelter principles, and connect each choice with the conditions and the care of the site.
- Build and explain a day kit
- Practise three useful knots and shelter principles
- Plan a low-impact group field day
What you will do
Compare day-kit choices, practise a small set of useful knots and work through a shelter-planning exercise suited to the site. Discuss changing conditions and when a plan needs to change with them.
Who it suits
Adult beginners, field teams refreshing everyday outdoor habits and professionals who want more confidence with practical preparation.
Teaching plan
Ali Tapaquon, drawing on his outdoor and hunting experience. Additional instruction is matched to the activity scope.
Takeaway: A personal day-kit checklist and a practical field-day plan.
Short course
Plant Identification & Herbal Literacy
Look beyond the name on the leaf.
Practise describing and identifying plants, then examine how information about their use is shared. Keep close observation alongside cultural context, responsible sourcing and a clear sense of what you do not yet know.
- Describe leaves, stems and growth form
- Use an identification guide and record confidence
- Evaluate a plant-use claim and its source
What you will do
Examine visible plant features, build observation sketches and compare identification resources. Work through examples of how a claim about a plant might be checked and whose knowledge or permission is relevant.
Who it suits
Curious adult learners, educators and professionals who want a careful introduction to plants and herbal literacy.
Teaching plan
Zac for ecological observation and identification methods; Ali Tapaquon for land-based reflection and a student-herbalist perspective informed by his Wild Rose College studies.
Takeaway: A plant-observation sheet and a framework for asking better questions about plant information.
An educational introduction focused on observation and literacy. It is not clinical herbal training or medical advice.
Short course
Ecological Field Skills
A useful record begins with a clear method.
Move from general impressions to structured observations. Practise describing habitat, recording effort and keeping enough context for another person to understand what you did.
- Describe a habitat with a structured field sheet
- Run a simple plot or transect exercise
- Report a finding and its limits
What you will do
Try a site-appropriate plot or transect exercise, compare field sheets and discuss how timing, observer differences and sampling choices affect the findings.
Who it suits
Early-career environmental practitioners, students and professionals refreshing foundational field methods.
Teaching plan
Zac, drawing on environmental consulting, wildlife and habitat survey, and monitoring experience.
Takeaway: A reusable field-sheet template and a short practice record.
Short course
Field Notes & Mapping
Make notes your future self can trust.
A memorable field day deserves a usable record. Bring together sketches, location notes, observations and questions without losing their context or recording information that is not yours to share.
- Sketch and locate observation points
- Separate observations from interpretations
- Prepare a clear, shareable field record
What you will do
Create an annotated site sketch, record an observation point and compare what different records communicate. Review a small set of field notes for missing context, uncertainty and sensitive information.
Who it suits
Researchers, educators, consultants and anyone whose outdoor notes need to make sense after the day is over.
Teaching plan
Zac for field documentation and mapping practice; Ali Tapaquon for knowledge relationships and sharing boundaries.
Takeaway: An annotated field record and a personal note-taking checklist.
Short course
Seasonal Observation Walks
See what changed since your last visit.
A shorter, guided encounter with the season. Follow a question through a place, compare what the group notices and leave with a reason to return.
- Observe a place at three different scales
- Record three seasonal signs
- Plan a useful return observation
What you will do
Pause at selected observation points, sketch or describe a small detail and connect it to the wider habitat. End by choosing a question to revisit as the season changes.
Who it suits
Adults looking for a shorter introduction to land-based observation. Route and access details are provided with each walk.
Teaching plan
Ali Tapaquon and Zac, with the balance of land-based discussion and ecology shaped by the site and season.
Takeaway: Three observations and a question worth coming back to.
Short course
Land Relationships & Field Practice
Put relationships into the way you work outside.
A practical workshop for teams working where ecology and Indigenous knowledge meet. Use listening, a field scenario and reflection to work through the responsibilities that shape a visit, a project or a record.
- Identify the people, place and responsibilities
- Work through a field decision with different knowledge sources
- Revise one team practice and explain why
What you will do
Work through a fieldwork scenario, identify the people and knowledge involved, and practise explaining what should be recorded or shared. Explore how Two-Eyed Seeing can support learning with distinct knowledge systems, without flattening their differences.
Who it suits
Biologists, scientists, academics and environmental teams seeking thoughtful professional development.
Teaching plan
Ali Tapaquon for Indigenous engagement and organizational learning; Zac for ecological field-practice context.
Takeaway: A field-decision checklist and a specific change to bring into your team’s work.
New course plan
Firearms 101
A responsible introduction to the range.
A planned, supervised introduction to recreational sport shooting. Get familiar with range expectations, responsible handling and the role of basic equipment, with qualified instruction at an approved shooting range.
This is not the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC), does not qualify you for a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL), and does not award firearms certification.
- Understand range rules, communication and handling responsibilities
- Recognise basic equipment and the purpose of sights
- Join an instructor-led introduction to sport shooting
What you will do
The proposed format combines a range briefing, safety demonstrations, equipment orientation and closely supervised introductory shooting. It also covers where to find current information about licensing, storage and transport responsibilities. Equipment setup and any live-fire activity are led by the qualified instructor.
Who it suits
Adults interested in a responsible introduction to target shooting. Legal participation requirements, supervision arrangements, equipment and the range's rules will be confirmed before registration.
Teaching plan
An appropriately qualified firearms instructor at an approved range. The instructor, venue and activity plan are to be confirmed; no instructor credentials or range partnership are currently claimed.
Takeaway: A clearer understanding of range participation, your responsibilities and appropriate next steps for further supervised learning.
Official RCMP safety-course information · Alberta shooting-range approvals
New course plan
Archery 101: Recurve & Compound
Meet the equipment. Learn the range. Practise with guidance.
An introduction to target archery with recurve and compound bows. Explore how the equipment differs, how to take part responsibly on a range and what a supported beginner practice session involves.
- Compare recurve and compound equipment with an instructor
- Learn range etiquette, communication and equipment-care expectations
- Take part in supervised introductory target practice
What you will do
Start with equipment orientation and a range briefing, then work through instructor-led beginner practice. Discuss suitable equipment, personal readiness and how to continue learning without rushing beyond your experience.
Who it suits
Adult beginners and groups seeking an introduction to recreational target archery. Equipment suitability and participation arrangements will be confirmed with the course details.
Teaching plan
An appropriately qualified archery instructor. The instructor, venue, equipment provision and final format are to be confirmed.
Takeaway: An understanding of the two bow types, range expectations and a sensible plan for continued supervised practice.
New course plan
Outdoor Cooking 101
Cook for one. Feed a crew of 15 or more.
Plan and prepare outdoor meals for yourself, a small group or 15+ people. Build the practical habits that connect a good menu with portions, equipment, timing, food safety and care for the place where you cook.
- Scale a menu from one person to groups of 15+
- Organise equipment, food handling and the cooking workflow
- Prepare a shared meal and practise low-impact cleanup
What you will do
Work through menu and portion planning, dietary needs, packing and storage, and the division of tasks for a group meal. Practise an instructor-led cooking session using equipment suited to the site. Discuss stove or cooking-fire choices, where permitted, alongside current conditions, cleanup and waste management.
Who it suits
Individual campers, outdoor educators, field teams and people who cook for groups. The course can be scoped around solo meals, a small crew or planning for 15+ diners.
Teaching plan
An instructor with relevant outdoor-cooking and group-food-service experience. The instructor, venue, equipment, dietary arrangements and group format are to be confirmed.
Takeaway: A scaled menu, shopping and equipment lists, and a workable cooking-and-cleanup plan.
New course plan
Anti-Racism in the Outdoors & Education
Change the conditions for participation.
A practical course for educators and outdoor leaders who want to recognise racism, respond thoughtfully and make participation more equitable. Work with realistic scenarios, learning materials and everyday decisions that shape who feels welcome and supported.
- Identify barriers in programs, materials and participation practices
- Practise responding to racism through facilitated casework
- Build an action plan for more inclusive outdoor learning
What you will do
Examine how assumptions, program design and institutional habits can exclude people. Work through scenarios involving harmful comments, unequal treatment or concerns raised by a participant. Practise a response that supports the person affected, addresses the behaviour and identifies appropriate follow-up. Finish by revising one program practice and planning how to review its effect.
Who it suits
Outdoor leaders, educators, facilitators, researchers and organizations responsible for group learning or field programs.
Teaching plan
Ali Tapaquon, drawing on Tatâga Inc's work in Indigenous engagement, reconciliation, governance and equity. Additional contributors will be introduced where their participation is agreed.
Takeaway: A participation-barrier checklist, a response plan and one concrete change to put into practice.
Who teaches
Experience that fits
the fieldwork.
Ali Tapaquon and Zac bring their respective backgrounds in Indigenous engagement, outdoor experience and ecological fieldwork to the course plans. Specialist courses are planned with instructors whose qualifications and experience fit the activity.
Teaching roles describe the course plan. Ali and Zac bring their existing professional and outdoor backgrounds; the final instructor team is listed with each offering. Elders, Knowledge Keepers and guest professionals are named only when their participation and teaching scope are agreed.
More about Ali and ZacCustom learning
What does your team
need to practise?
Tell us the skill, the group and the setting. We can discuss a focused workshop or course sequence, with the right expertise and a clear practical outcome.