Self-Reliance Specialist School

Class Dates

ATTN: This class does not qualify under the GI Bill®.

In the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters, it is plain to see that those who do the best are those who possess the knowledge, skills and mental aptitude to survive until help can arrive. We have seen  how quickly food and supplies are sold or stolen from local stores in the event of a disaster. It’s been estimated that in an emergency, the average grocery store would be out of food and supplies in a matter of hours. The more self reliant we become, the better our chances are to survive or thrive through whatever emergency we may face. Becoming more self reliant is a great idea even if you never have to face a disaster, because the skills you learn will make you more confident and greatly decrease your cost of living.

Our self reliance school is comprised of two sections, each one week in length. We designed it this way so students could attend as couples, each student attending the different sections, or individually for a two week course. Section one will focus on domestic self reliance skills, and include  skills for harvesting food from the following: 1. From the garden, 2.From the field (24 different grains.) 3. From the farm (milk, eggs, butter, cheese, honey, beef, etc.) 4. From the forest (wild plants for food and medicine), 5. For the future (preserving, dehydrating, freeze drying, canning, etc.).

Section two will focus on outdoor or wilderness skills for hunting, fishing and trapping. This section includes the same skills and techniques that we teach to our professional guides and outfitters. It is very comprehensive in content. For specific topics covered in each section, please refer to the chart below. The final day of both sections will be a combined wilderness first aid course, which will focus on the diagnoses and treatment of injuries and illnesses  with limited equipment and supplies. For a more complete description of this class, refer to the wilderness first aid course description on the site.

This course also includes evening activities which include: boat ride in Glacier Park, river floating trip, horse or wagon ride,  fishing trip, and western Dutch oven dinner, which make this course a great Educational Vacation.

IMPORTANT ENROLLMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Please download the enrollment application. Print it out, complete the application, and mail it to the Bridger Institute mailing address. Also please include a check made out for a deposit of 50% of the course tuition payable to Bridger Institute with this enrollment form. I understand the remaining balance is to be paid no less than 30 days prior to the course starting date.

Bridger Institute
P.O. Box 1991
Whitefish, MT 59937