ABOUT EARTH NATIVE WILDERNESS SCHOOL
Founded in 2011 in Austin, TX, Earth Native Wilderness School tirelessly works to help our students build lifelong connections to the outdoors. We do this through offering unique, fun, and informative courses that not only enliven but also lead our students down an incredible path of discovery and greater self-reliance.
So much of our lives these days are co-opted by electronics, cramped indoor spaces, and stress. But there is a whole other world waiting for us outside, one full of mystery, wonder, healing, and connection. So many studies have revealed how much people need nature and that regular time spent outdoors leads us to healthier, happier, less stressful, and more fulfilled lives.
At Earth Native we understand that while wonderful, nature can also be daunting and intimidating at times. We therefore strive to be a bridge helping people and communities not only learn new life-enhancing skills that lead to greater confidence and fun in the outdoors, but also to provide a space for people who are interested in learning more about the wonder of nature to come and develop their skill and connection in a community setting.
Earth Native School offers courses for kids and adults in Bastrop and Austin on all kinds of exciting topics that include:
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Wilderness Survival Skills and Bushcraft Skills
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Wildlife Tracking and Animal Behavior Studies
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Ethnobotany – The study of Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants
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Hand crafting wooden Bow and Arrows the old way
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Ancestral skills like Flint Knapping (creating stone tools), Basket Making, and Natural Clay Pottery
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Navigation
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Awareness
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Natural Building
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Sustainable Living
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And much more!
We have classes and courses that range from one day to 8 months and everything in-between.
For more information on our upcoming course schedule please visit our home page.
Our Bastrop Campus
Our beautiful 58-acre wooded campus sits between the towns of Cedar Creek and Bastrop, TX and is the perfect setting for our school. It is just a short twenty minute drive from Austin and is the home of a ton of incredible native plants and wildlife.
Our land sits on the banks of Cedar Creek, which is one of the rare year round spring fed creeks in Central Texas. From our stunning native pecan bottom area (which includes some huge old growth pecan trees) to our rolling hills covered in White Oak, Cedar Elm, and Mesquite, opportunities for exploration and adventure are never more than a step away.
Wildlife on the land is abundant and includes, white-tailed deer, turkeys, armadillos, bobcats, raccoons, grey-foxes, coyotes, and eastern cottontails.
Our Founder
Dave Scott can trace his deep love for nature and the outdoors back to his earliest childhood memories exploring the banks of Williamson creek as a child. After spending a childhood filled with outdoor recreation Dave became a member of a Search and Rescue team in Colorado where his passion for self-reliance and wilderness survival was kindled further through helping others in wilderness emergencies.
Dave then went on to serve as a Military Police officer in the US Army. After exiting the military Dave began pursuing his passion for the outdoors full time, studying wilderness survival, wildlife tracking, youth and adult mentoring, naturalist studies, and sustainable living skills.
Dave has been involved in Environmental Education since 2003 and, in addition to Earth Native Wilderness School, has instructed at several wilderness schools across the country including the Wilderness Awareness School and Alderleaf Wilderness College.
