Belonging to the Land: A Field Workshop

Name: Belonging to the Land: A Field Workshop
Start: 2026-04-19T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-04-19T15:00:00-05:00
Location: 62883 Highway 1089, Mandeville, LA

Schedule

Sun Apr 19 2026 at 09:00 am to 03:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

62883 Highway 1089, Mandeville, LA | Mandeville, LA

What does it really mean to belong to the land?
Modern trails, maps, and GPS make exploring nature easier than ever, but every year, hundreds of people across the country become lost or injured on what were meant to be simple hikes. Often, the difference between a safe adventure and a dangerous situation comes down to preparation, awareness, and decision-making.
In this immersive outdoor program, visitors will learn practical skills used by explorers, naturalists, and wilderness travelers to safely navigate natural landscapes.**
Participants will experience hands-on lessons in wilderness preparedness, land navigation, resource awareness, and mental readiness; while exploring one of Fontainebleau’s beautiful forest trails.
This program is designed to build respect for nature, confidence in outdoor skills, and a deeper understanding of how humans have historically lived with the land.
During this guided field experience, participants will explore several key wilderness concepts:
-Mental Preparedness
-The “Failure Cascade”
-The 5 C’s of Survival
-Land Navigation Skills
Participants will practice:
-Reading a map
-Using a compass
-Orienting themselves in the landscape
-Identifying natural navigation cues such as the sun and terrain features
-Resource Awareness
Discover how experienced wilderness travelers think about resources such as:
-Water
-Food
-Energy
-Light and time
-Temperature
-Physical condition
Plants and Natural Resources
Along the trail, participants will also learn to identify useful local plants and natural signs in the forest.
**This program will REQUIRE registration through RecDesk at pelicanpark.recdesk.com.
We will be limited to 25 participants ages 16 and older.
**Registration will open 2 weeks before the program is scheduled on 4/5/2026.
No added fee beyond entry to the park and we will meet at the Visitors Center.
Please note: this is a program of Fontainebleau State Park's Interpretive Services led by Interpretative Ranger Garrett Shelton. Please send any questions to Ranger Garrett at [email protected]