WILD FOOD FORAGING Class, with Fire workshop
2024-03-09 10:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, March 9, 10 a.m.
Join us as we explore the ethno-botanical treasures of this wild area. We will learn about the common in-season wild foods, and the many introduced wild foods (mostly from Europe), as well as the many native foods that have been used for millenia. And we’ll see how the rains have affected this area. We might see wild mushrooms.
We will also be examining the plants that would be useful for making fire without matches.

At the end of our walk, you’ll have a chance to practice a few ways of making fire without matches. You can never have enough practice with these skills. See if you can do it!

A wonderful way to spend a Saturday with like-minded folks. We will also make a wild salad from what we find in season, and we will probably cook up some wild soup too, so be sure to bring your bowl.

Hahamongna, exact location to be sent.
Bring a camera and notebook for your benefit. Carry water.

Books by Nyerges will be available at the walk.

WILD FOOD WALKABOUT
2024-05-04 10:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, May 1, 10 a.m.

WILD FOOD WALKABOUT
In this class, we’ll walk about the watershed area in search of the seasonal plants. After our rains, we’ll see lots of the greens that develop in winter and spring in California. Who knows? We might even see mushrooms, though mushrooms are very unpredictable.
We’ll discuss edible, medicinal, and useful plants we find, and collect greens for soup.
Where it’s safe to do so, you’ll also learn to make fire without matches, and then we’ll make and cook soup!
Dress comfortably. Bring your bowl, and your water canteen for our walk. If you have an ethno-botany notebook for plant samples, bring it along so you can continue to keep records of your findings.
We’ll meet in the Arroyo Seco, with the exact spot sent out after you register.
$65 (senior/student $45)

EAT TO YOUR HEALTH: A Wild Food Foraging Walk
2024-07-13 10:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, July 13, 10 a.m.
EAT TO YOUR HEALTH: Wild plant FORAGING
Your food should be your medicine! We will walk in a local area and learn which (wild) foods can be great food, and great medicine! You’ll learn about some of the nutritional values of the plants we see, and we’ll compare them with the common vegetables you buy in the store. The walk will be casual, along a riparian area with mixed native California plants and introduced exotic plants.
We will see a variety of the plants currently in season. Remember, we will see WILD FOODS and WILD MEDICINES, and these will be plants that might be growing in your backyard.
We will see both natives and non-native plants on this walk. You will learn how to use the plants for simple medical applications, and how to make simple salads and soups. Most of the plants we will see are widespread.

Location sent with registration.
Dress appropriately for the weather, and carry water. Bring a bowl for soup and salad!
$65 (seniors/students $45)

MYCOLOGY: the fungus among us -- ON-LINE
2024-08-07 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
August 7 at 7 p.m., and August 14 at 7 p.m.
These are two on-line classes delving into the world of mushrooms. We will explore some of the most common mushrooms found in the west, dividing them between the gilled fungi and non-gilled fungi. Lots of images to see, and this is good for beginners and more advanced mycology students.

Sponsored by Pasadena City College. Call (626) 585-7608 for information and registration. Cost to college is $65.
Taught by Christopher Nyerges.

BUSHCRAFT: MAKING A PACK WITH JAMES RUTHER
2024-09-28 10:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, September 28, 10 a.m.
BUSHCRAFT with James Ruther, Master Carver of Spoons and other mundane artifacts

THE BAG OF HOLDING

Man has been trying to figure out how to carry more stuff around since the dawn of time. In this class, we’ll go back to the roots of the most basic types of packs and we will emphasize the do-it-yourself pack.

We’ll begin with the trousers pack (from Ruther’s favorite book “How to Survive Anywhere “), and then the hobo bag, and the basic Indian net pack. You’ll see how each of these is made.

Then, you will have a look at the Otzi pack. Otzi, or Iceman, was the man who had been buried for 5000 years in the Austrian Alps, and his bronze age gear has been studied extensively. You’ll see what Otzi carried, and how he made it. And today, in addition to teacher James Ruther, there will be a guest joining — the famous wilderness expert Nathan Machain who will also be showing his Otzi pack.

You will also learn about the Roycraft pack, and get a history of backpacks.

Each participant will be guided to make an historical bag to take one home — either the Roycroft pack or the net bag.

A true Bushcraft class, with skills that have stood the test of time.
Class will be approximately 3 hours, led by School of Self- Reliance staff member James Ruther, L.M.

This is an excellent introduction to a number of basic BUSHCRAFT skills! Learn from a real authority.
LOCATION sent with registration.
$65 ($45 for seniors and students)

"TIL DEATH DO US PART?" -- lecture based on this book
2024-10-04 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Awareness Center Yoga, 2801 E. Foothill in Pasadena
awarenesscenteryoga.com/events

SURVIVAL SKILLS, URBAN FOCUS, 5 weeks, on-line.
2024-10-25 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Friday, October 25, 7 to 9 p.m., SURVIVAL SKILLS class, URBAN Focus, five weeks. On-line
Pasadena City College Extension. Call (626) 585-7608 for information and registration. Cost to college is $75.
Class topics include uses of wild plants for food and medicine, storing food and water, sources of water you hadn’t thought about, finding and purifying water, what to do when the power goes out, alternatives to the flush toilet, emergency shelters, tools, first aid, contents of a “survival pack,” and more. THE BEST BARGAIN IN TOWN!

We cover all the basics, and answer the many questions you may have.

Taught by Christopher Nyerges.

TRADITIONAL ARROW-MAKING WORKSHOP
2024-12-28 10:00 - 13:30 UTC
Saturday, December 28, 10 a.m.
You will learn at least two common methods that arrows were made in the past. You will learn each step of making the traditional arrow, and then each student will make one. You will learn all the steps along the way, from selection of wood, shaft straightening, to adding the nocks, points, and feathers.

You will also see and learn about a few other of the common, and silent, weapons of the past, such as the atlatl, slings, nets, etc.

Bring your knife, and fine files if you have them. Otherwise, tools will be provided. Location 2, Hahamongna Watershed Park.
Bring water, and a snack if needed.

Bushcraft Skills: Fishing-related: Make a Fish Spear, net, etc. -- plus discussions of knives and tools -a Hands-on Workshop
2025-03-01 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, March 1, 10 a.m.
BUSHCRAFT SKILLS: Making a simple FISH SPEAR, NET, and other Traps. PLUS discussion of survival knives and assorted tools.
. And a few other skills if time.
These are very basic bushcraft skills for taking fish to survive.
Bring your knife, since we’ll make a simple spear and learn its many variations. Also, how to make line and fish hooks.

Also we’ll make a basic net, and you’ll learn all aspects of this style of net-making, with its many applications.
Even if you never go fishing, these skills have multiple applications.

Hahamongna Watershed Park, Location 2 But please RSVP for exact location…

SURVIVAL SKILLS Class, ON-LINE
2025-03-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Friday, March 7, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., SURVIVAL SKILLS Class, Five Weeks, $75
One of the best deals in town!
on-line class
FIVE CONSECUTIVE FRIDAYS

Sponsored by Pasadena City College. Call (626) 585-7608 for information and registration. Cost to college is $75.
This course consists of five two-hour classes, on five consecutive Friday nights.
The Class topics include the following:
Wild Plants for food, medicine, and other uses, focusing on plants that are currently in season.
Everything we need to know about Water: How to find it, how to purify it, how to store water — and more.
How to make fire with both primitive and modern methods. You’ll learn the 4 Principles by which fire is made.
How to make and use a shelter when you get stuck in the outdoors. Simple lean-tos to more complicated shelters will be shown.
Tools and supplies will be discussed — you know, all the stuff you buy for your pack.
Other topics include natural navigation, finding fibre from natural sources and making cordage, dealing with no electricity or no toilet, and more.
The conversation and questions from students makes this lively and engaging. Taught by Christopher Nyerges.

INTRODUCTION TO BIRD-WATCHING AND BIRD LANGUAGE
2025-04-10 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join us for this special birding walk where you are introduced to the art of bird identification, and bird language.
Our teacher is Kayla Michael, from Wyoming, who is only here for a short while. Besides being a bird expert, Kayla bicycles wherever she can — she’s bicycled thousands of miles, and often spends time in remote wilderness areas. You’ll get to talk to her about her unique history as well

Bring binoculars if you have them!
Thursday, April 10, from Noon to 2.

$30.

SURVIVAL SKILLS INTENSIVE
2025-04-12 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m. SURVIVAL SKILLS INTENSIVE
In this program, we will cover how to make fire with primitive methods without matches, as well as some modern methods.
We’ll learn how to build an emergency shelter, how to create soap from plants, and how to make cordage. All hands-on!
We will learn to find water and ways to purify water, identifying and using wild foods, and more.
Total walking about 1 and a half mile.

Dress comfortably and bring a notebook.
Pricing: $65. (Seniors/students $45)

A great day to get into the mountains with like-minded people.
This can be used as part of our “Weekend Warrior” Certification series.
Bring a bowl, knife, and water. Dress comfortably. Bring snacks if you need some. Bring your special tools if you want to share as part of a show and tell.

Books and products are available at all classes.

PLANT WALK & FORAGING FOR TEA
2025-04-26 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Plant Walk & Foraging for Tea — special collaboration with Herb Club LA
April 26, Saturday, 10 am to 1 pm

Location: TBD (will be updated upon registration)

Prices: $45 (Senior/student 35)

Event information:

The School of Self Reliance (Christopher Nyerges) and Andrea Jimenez, a certified naturalist and herbalist, from Herb Club LA are teaming up to create a foraging plant walk and tea experience.

Andrea Jimenez is an LA native who has a passion for bridging the connection between community, land, and health.

In this collaboration we will be uniting for an exploratory plant walk and participate in brewing our own teas with expertise from both the School of Self Reliance and Andrea Jimenez (Herb Club LA).

We will be walking and exploring native and non-native plants in our environment, their uses, how different cultures used them, for food, medicine, and tea.

We will identify and forage local plants that offer both nutritional and medicinal value.

We will learn practical skills and apply them by enjoying freshly brewed herbal teas created from that harvest.
Bring a notebook, and comfortable walking shoes! Bring water as well.

Allow extra time for parking & being on time.

You can register for this unique offering through the eventbrite link here, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/plant-walk-foraging-for-tea-tickets-1301597395849

LEARNING THE BASIC PLANT FAMILIES -- a new class!
2025-04-27 12:00 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
LEARNING THE PATTERN METHOD OF IDENTIFYING PLANT FAMILIES
Sunday, April 27, Noon

Taught by certified Herbalist Cash Robertson

This is a new class we will be offering.
You will learn the specifics of how to identify key botanical Families, which is very important if you plan to eat any wild foods.
Utilizing the book “Botany in a Day” and ” Shanleya’s Quest 1 and 2″ by Tom Elpel (books available for purchase at the class for a discounted rate), you will spend time studying the 8 most common plant families found world wide through discussion, show and tell, and “Botany” card games. You will learn to memorize the easily identified characteristics of these plant families.
We’ll do a short walk along a trail to see and learn, the plant families.
Many of the plant families we will encounter and identify are entirely safe and we will collect with a goal to sample at least a wild soup, so be sure to bring your bowl.
Besides learning about the common plant families, basic food and medicinal uses of the plants, you’ll learn a little about which plants are good for fire-making, and which are good for cordage/basketry.
Leisurely walk. Bring a canteen of water, a bowl, and a camera.
Suitable for all ages
NOTE: This class is a prerequisite for the Second 8 most common plant families
Taught by certified herbalist Cash Robertson.

URBAN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE -- TO BE RESCHEDULED...
2025-05-04 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Urban Disaster Preparedness and Response
POSTPONED — TO BE HELD AT A FUTURE DATE
$50, ($35 students and seniors )

This workshop seminar will be conducted by Nathan Machain.

We will cover the following topics:

How to keep your plans on P.A.C.E.

When should you shelter in place?

When is it time to evacuate?

How to stay in touch with your loved ones during a crisis

Realistic Bug Out locations

Urban navigation

Hidden resources

Preparation for fort home

Preparation for your vehicle for evacuation, and as an alternate bug out location

How to put together a Bug Out bag that fits your specific needs and environment

If you already have a Bug Out bag, please bring it with you to class

WILD FOOD FORAGING WALK -- with salad
2025-05-15 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Thursday, May 15, noon

WILD FOOD FORAGING: LUNCH TIME PLANT WALK
Join us to learn some of the basics of wild plant identification, and how to use certain wild plants for food. We’ll discuss some of the common “safe” botanical families, and how to determine if you have the right plant. Learn how to prepare some simple dishes.

Join us for a walkabout in a wild area in the city! We’ll also explore native and introduced plants that grow here. You will be able to take cuttings to grow at home.
We will see introduced tree, native trees, native plants, many introduced European plants. Minimal walking.

Bring water, and a bowl (we might make a salad). A few of the plants found here we rarely see anywhere else.

$45 ($30 seniors/students).
5835 Burwood Ave., Highland Park, CA 90042

IN DEPTH MEDICINAL AND EDIBLE PLANT walk -- with focus on chaparral and native plants
2025-05-24 10:00 - 13:30 UTC
Saturday, May 24, 10 a.m. MEDICINAL AND EDIBLE PLANT walk
CALIFORNIA FORAGING ….. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FORAGING

In this walk, we’ll be looking at some of the common plants — wild — native and non-native, with a focus on the chaparral environment. A true California foraging class! You will see and learn about the edible, and medicinal, uses of these wild plants of the chaparral.
As Hippocrates said, our food should be our medicine. As we explore, we will identify many of the wild plants found along the trail. Most will be common plants that could be found in your backyard and local neighborhood which can be used for food and medicine in these times.
It’s often surprising to learn that some of the best medicine-foods are not grown on farms at all. Learn the two foods that author Michael Pollan suggests you eat.
Join us for this class and we’ll try some wild teas, soup, and probably more.
Bring water and bring your bowl.
Location sent upon registration.

URBAN SURVIVAL SERIES -- FOOD and WATER STORAGE -- IN THE CITY
2025-05-29 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
FOOD IN THE CITY. FOOD AND WATER STORAGE
Thursday, May 29, Noon

We will start with basic home food storage. What should YOU store? How long do these foods last? Can you dry some of your own foods?

We will also talk about the abundant food in the cities, if you know where to look: We will explore the trees on city streets, weeds, neighborhood gardens, and trading.

What grows good in your yard? Are there food items from your trees and bushes? Do you have edible weeds? Do you grow prickly pear cactus?
Learn how to eat the older nopales

We will cover the basics of securing a water supply, including local streams, and even rain and solar stills, as above. We will address various methods of water purification, such as SODIS. And we will share the many ways you can store water in your own home.
Traditional food storage involves drying, canning, picking, and freeze-dried. We’ll discuss each of these. In an emergency, you’ll want food not dependent on electricity for storage.

Learn some of the basics of food storage, and how to create your own food storage system. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

$45 ($30 student/senior).

Free Lecture: ETHNOBOTANY OF THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY
2025-06-19 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Christopher Nyerges will give a free public lecture on the USES OF PLANTS, used traditionally by native peoples, both native and non-native plants. Lecture will be at 6 p.m. on June 19, at the Hart Park House, 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd in Sierra Madre. The Hart Park House is roughly in the middle of the park.
Talk is sponsored by the Sierra Madre Historical Society.
Books by Nyerges will be available.
Participants will see many of the locally-grown plants and learn about their uses.
Holly-leaf cherry in fruit

MAKE A GOURD, MAKE A SPOON!
2025-06-28 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
MAKE A GOURD! MAKE A SPOON!
Saturday, June 28, 10 am.
We’re going to practice traditional bushcraft skills. You will learn to clean and carve a gourd. We’ll wash and clean it, and cut it to create a bowl. You’ll learn by doing all the steps to have a functional bowl.

Then under the guidance of Spooncarver James Ruther, you will learn the details of making a useful spoon. You will cut the wood and learn the steps that it takes to reduce the wood to a functional and beautiful spoon.

Great skill for children and adults. Bring your knives if you have any. If not, we will have extras for you to use.

$65 ($45 for students and seniors)
This class qualifies if you’re working for the Bushcraft certificate
Books and knives will be available for sale.

LUNCHTIME PLANT WALK IN THE ARROYO
2025-07-03 12:00 - 14:00 UTC
LUNCHTIME BOTANICAL WALK
Thursday, July 3, Noon

NOTE: BE SURE TO RSVP TO GET THE LOCATION.

We’ll walk in a section of the Arroyo Seco and see lots of Native California Plants. You’ll learn about their history and unique traditional uses from the Old Days.

We’ll see edible and medicinal plants. We’ll do some foraging, and depending on what is available, we might make a salad, so bring your bowl, and bring your canteen.

Directions sent upon registration.

GOURD WORKSHOP, mid-day
2025-07-10 12:00 - 13:30 UTC
mid-day GOURD WORKSHOP
Thursday, July 10, noon.

Here’s another ancient skill that you’ll enjoy learning. Each person will work on turning an ornamental gourd into a bowl for eating, or perhaps a canteen, ladle, or plate.
There are several skill sets involved, and we’ll talk you through them so you’ll understand the mechanics of making a gourd that you’ll be happy to use.

We’ll bring tools, but if you have a good knife, hacksaw, fine files, bring them! Not a highly-complicated craft, but requires patience. You will select a gourd that we bring, and clean it, decide where to cut it — no two gourds are alike — and then clean the inside and smooth the sharp edges. You’ll end up with a new skill and a bowl or dish that you can use right away.
You’ll also get to take seeds home so you can grow your own if you have the space.

$45. [$30 for seniors/students] RSVP for this one so we bring enough gourds! Location given after you register.

WILD FOOD COOKING -- edible wild plants of Southern California
2025-07-26 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
WILD FOOD COOKING WORKSHOP
Learn Edible Wild Plants of Southern California
Saturday, July 26, 10 a.m.
$65 ($45 for students and seniors)
We’re going to explore a local area, and do our best to create a local meal provided by nature.

We’ll create a meal with a salad, soup, vegetable dish, egg dish, pancakes, and a drink, from plants that we collect today and from plants that were previously collected. Our walk will not be long — it will be somewhat leisurely. We will collect along the way, learning how to identify food plants, as well as other non-food plants that we encounter.
Foraging has gotten popular — learn how to ethically forage, and how to properly identify wild plants. A great survival skill!

We never know exactly what we’ll find, but we are likely to have wild greens for salad and soup, buckwheat for pancakes, herbs for tea, cactus for an omelette, and possibly some wild fruits for a dessert item. But we don’t really know until after we do our walk about.
THIS COUNTS TOWARDS THE ETHNO-BOTANY CERTIFICATE.

Location sent out when you register.
$65 (senior/student $45)

LUNCHTIME NATURALIST & FORAGING WALK
2025-07-31 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Thursday, July 31, Noon
FORAGING WALK
Join us as we explore the landscape with a naturalist’s eyes. We’ll learn about plants used by generations of indigenous peoples. We’ll see the many plants used for generations of people for wild foods, medicines, and utility. We’ll see California native plants, and we’ll see non-native edibles and medicinals.
And, if we get that far, we’ll explore some of the uses of yucca and other natural fibres.

Bring water, and your bowl. Hahamongna Watershed Park, Location 2.

Regular $45 (senior/students $30)
Exact location sent with registration

LUNCHTIME SHELTER WORKSHOP
2025-09-11 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Thursday, September 11, Noon, LUNCHTIME SHELTER WORKSHOP
We need shelter not just from the cold, but from rain, wind, even the sun. The location and circumstances dictate what sort of shelter we build. And in an emergency, we have to be very creative about how to make a shelter, or to find something to adapt as a shelter.
You will learn about setting up a tent, and some simple shelter ideas from tarps.
Learn the most basic of wilderness shelters, and work on at least two primitive shelters. Bring gloves!

You will also learn about some of the useful plants of the area.

Meet at Location 2, Hahamongna Watershed Park.

LOCKSMITHING CLASS
2025-09-13 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Basic Locksmithing Class taught by Keith Farrar and James Ruther

You will gain a basic understanding of how locks work, and you will learn the art of opening a lock without a key.
Class Size Limited. Please RSVP for Class Location.
Class size limited due to need for personal instruction.
$5 of the $65 class fee is the cost of the tools you take home. (Additional tools available to purchase)
In this introduction to the art of lock-smithing, you will learn how a pin tumbler lock works, as well as how to pick a standard pin tumbler lock.
A pin tumbler lock is the most common lock found on homes. Understanding the inner-workings of a pin-tumbler lock, including how to re-key your lock and how to pick your lock are valuable pieces of knowledge while working toward self-reliance.
Our class will take you through the details of the pin tumbler lock and you will learn how pin tumbler locks are picked open. You will work through the process using locks that are super easy to pick through locks that are very difficult to pick. By class end you will understand exactly how this process works and you will find success opening several locks without keys, using only bypass tools.
You will work through various steps of difficulty from a single pin (to get the feel) to a 5 pin lock with a difficult pinning order.We’ll look at high-security locks, pick guns, plug spinners, and other basic locksmith tools.You will also learn how to proceed to more advanced studies in the field of lock-smithing.

HEALING with NATIVE PLANTS with ENRIQUE VILLASENOR
2025-09-20 10:00 - 14:00 UTC
Saturday, September 20, 10 a.m.
HEALING WITH NATIVE PLANTS WITH ENRIQUE VILLASENOR
ETHNO-BOTANY SERIES: – part of our certification program.

This is a rare opportunity to learn in the field with Enrique Villaseñor, associate of Dr. James Adams, and co-author of “Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West.”
In this Session, we focus upon MEDICINAL PLANTS.
Enrique Villaseñor, a co-author of the book “Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West”, will conduct today’s class on traditional medicinal plants. This class, as part of our Ethno-botanical series, will include a walk, and a workshop where students will learn how to make the healing medicines. Villaseñor will discuss the appropriate medicinal uses of elder, white sage, black sage, California sagebrush, mugwort, prickly pear cactus, and other plants that may be present on the trail. Students will learn specific recipes for making foot soaks, liniment, and other herbal medicines.

Enrique Villaseñor is a multi-ethnic Healer, naturalist, cyclist and author with indigenous ancestry. Enrique learned traditional healing from his mother and Dr. James Adams, Professor Emeritus from USC. As part of this process, Enrique has researched and taught traditional healing, participated in field studies, has co-authored several papers with Dr. James Adams, and is a co-author of the fourth edition of Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West.
In his 35 years as a teacher, he taught elementary, middle, and adult school, he was was an Instructional Advisor, where he focused on training teachers. Among his many other achievements, working with several agencies, he designed, built, and maintained the award-winning El Oro Way Habitat, a two-acre, outdoor classroom with primarily California native plants and trees.
NOTE: It is suggested that you bring a folding chair.
We’ll discuss some of the ideal literature about healing with herbs, and some of the herbs you can grow in your own yard.
Books will be available, as well as pre-made herbal linaments.
If you have special requests, let us know ahead of time.

THIS IS A FIELD TRIP. Location given after registration.
Class fee $65. (Seniors/students $45)
Cover of the latest edition
Note: Private field trips are available on arrangement.

SEASONAL FORAGING: Autumn session. Wild Food and Useful Plants by the Season
2025-09-27 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday, September 27, 10 a.m. WILD FOOD AND USEFUL PLANTS BY THE SEASON

This series of workshops, one per season, will show you nature through the seasons, from a forager’s perspective. The essence of this class is to develop seasonal knowledge and observational skills: How to look, where to look, what to look for. Plus, we will also focus on responsible and sustainable gathering methods, including collection of seeds and cuttings so you can grow plants in your own backyard.

palo verde seeds
Learn how to eat the older nopales

You’ll learn how to identify and collect foods, medicines, soaps, fire-materials, and other useful parts of plants. You’ll learn to think like foragers of the past, who had to have an intimate knowledge of the seasons, and foresight for the future. (For example, sometimes you do NO foraging in an area if the plant or seed is not abundant.)

Join us each quarter for an insightful walk into a wild area, with a focus on interpreting what’s available that season. Each session will include demonstrations, hands-on practice, and sampling of the seasonal foods. Each session includes a list of what is normally available in that season.

AUTUMN
In early autumn, it is usually dry, and plants are in a dormant phase. It’s typically hot, and dry. Streams will be dry, or running low. You’ll only find the hardiest of plants for eating, such as mustards. There still might be some manzanitas left to collect, and the acorns will just be starting to mature and to fall. Though it’s still early for toyon berries, you’ll be able to observe what sort of crop will be coming. You’ll be able to take note of what to look for in the next few months.
You never know what to expect, but you might find some greens as well, usually the hardiest greens, and the late-blooming greens. This is a good way to look at the environment at a lean time, with an eye to the future.
We’ll also share a few bushcrafting skills.

Location: San Gabriel Mountains. Meeting location to be sent upon registration.
Class fee:$65. (student/senior $45)
www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com

NOTE: We offer a program where you can work at our non-profit in Highland Park doing various tasks, and earn your way to classes. Contact us at christopher_nyerges@yahoo.com

THE ART OF MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS -- a series
2025-09-27 17:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
THE ART OF MANAGING RELATIONSHIPS
This “class” is primarily focused on waking participants to the purpose for and means to see “relationships” in their higher perspective of the overall Purpose for embodiment in a human body. “Class” is in quotes because the term “class” is used as a communication convenience. That is because this “class” will serve as a Guidant on the path of Seeking why and how to have and manage relationships. This “class” will require at least 3 committed class members to attend at the frequency or one “class: per month attendance.
Central to our focus in this “class” is gender and all its ramifications. This “class” will focus on human relationships and will include significant others, marriage partners, progeny, siblings, relatives, acquaintances, co-workers, et al. The goal is to find the universal Principles in all relationships, and to discover their overall Purpose, as well scientific ways to manage those relationships.
The class coordinator, Prudence Boczarski-Chukwudi, is uniquely qualified to lead the participants to their collective AHAs! because of her over 40 years of study in all aspects of the topic. Prudence, in addition, was close assistant to the original author of this class, Richard E. White (aka, REVVE or Key Q. Ell), and was mentored to explore and live the Principles taught in the class. Prudence’s experimentation has led to her own insights regarding relationships that will be helpful to those in need of some guidance in this, sometimes treacherous, endeavor called “forming and keeping relationships.”
A Zoom link is available to those who wish to join electronically. After paying the class fee of $51 per class and $500 for the 10-class series, by sending your check or cash to WTI at 5835 Burwood Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90042, send your email address for a link to the Zoom class.
Regular fee is $51/class. $68./couple; $34./ students & elderly
Please join us in taking a deep look into relationships and what makes them work.

FREE SURVIVAL SKILLS LECTURE - BURBANK CENTRAL LIBRARY
2025-10-03 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Christopher Nyerges will speak about outdoor survival skills at the Burbank Central Library, Friday, October 3, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Library is located at 110 N. Glenoaks in Burbank.
You will learn about plants, water, fire, tools, all with an application to urban survival scenario and the need to possibly evacuate.
A short video will be shared.
Books by Nyerges will be available for purchase.
Survival School! – Burbank Public Library
