Wilderness Survival Institute (WSI)

1. - is the military-type of survival - the type taught to pilots and combat soldiers. This doesn't have much of a place in the hikers, campers or hunters world in the US. Stop and think how many people know when a military aircraft goes down, and the military Search and Rescue apparatus that is in place and functioning almost immediately.
   
   
2. - is the one that we consider the best, but not the one we teach, and that is the "Primitive-Style" of survival. Does that sound strange? Consider the primitive-style as a LIFESTYLE...living off of the land, being able to identify, on-sight, thousands of plants and knowing their nutritional and medicinal abilities; acquiring meat without the use of firearms or even a bow & arrow; fire building without matches or modern appliances.
   
   Sound difficult to learn? Not really! But as we stated, this is a LIFESTYLE, it takes dedication beyond modern, specialized man's belief to become adept enough at these skills to have your life depend on them for your survival in an emergency situation. It is a fascinating learning experience for anyone willing to try it, and we HIGHLY recommend trying it... but, we do not teach it. It can not be taught in an afternoon, a weekend or even a week. You can learn many basic principals in that time, but you are weeks and months (and in some skills, YEARS) of practice away from proficiency.
   
   
3. - is the reason we have been around as an organization for over 25 years. Prior to World War II, most Americans had a remarkable level of self-sufficiency compared to today's "modern" and "sophisticated" society. An ever increasing level of affluence, combined with more and more leisure time, modern roads and automobiles, drew millions to take up camping, hiking and other outdoor activities. These modern-Americans began dying, in increasing numbers, year after year, for no other reason than ignorance. Ignorance of once basic skills.