Passionate about the outdoors since his first memory, Skeet grew up fishing and playing among the river valley’s and lakes of Ontario.  He has traveled extensively throughout North America and Western Europe, learning from everyone and everything he becomes connected with.

Skeet is passionate about and loves to connect with the natural world and with other people who share this love with those who are dedicated to Preserving the Ways of the Wild.

With a deep connection to the diverse habitats and the abundance of wildlife among Ontario, Skeet Sutherland grew up immersed in nature, within a time and space that is hard to find today.  He has been instrumental in helping others connect deeply to the natural world and to the communities that support them since 2000.    He holds a diploma in Ecosystem Management from Sir Sanford Fleming College.  During his time at college he worked as a lab assistant and on a volunteer basis, Skeet developed a series of award winning stewardship events, restoring native brook trout habitat.  As a ecological consultant, Skeet has personally educated and assisted over 150 landowners and conservation organizations, restore native habitat on over 5000 acres of land throughout southern Ontario.

Training with Tom Brown Jr and the Tracker School, Skeet gained invaluable experience over the years as a student, an intern, an apprentice and as an instructor, mentoring 1000’s of people throughout the vast habitats of the USA, in the skills of tracking, wilderness survival, awareness and stewardship philosophy.  Tom helped Skeet hone his passion by giving him the opportunity to share it with others among the school’s diverse students.

Accrediting much of his success working with Tom Brown Jr. and the Tracker School to the solid naturalist foundations established through the Kamana Naturalist Training Program and the Deep Nature Connection mentoring services, tools and resources offered through the 8 Shields Institute.  Jon Young has been instrumental in helping Skeet unpack what he learned from Tom Brown Jr. and the Tracker School and has also given him the opportunity to share those teachings with others.

Skeet currently works with the 8 Shields Institute as a mentor for various programs such as Village Talk, Living a Deeply Connected Life, the Art of Mentoring Leadership Training program, among others.     

Continuing to connect people with the natural world, Sticks and Stones Wilderness School (founded-2008) provides various programs and mentoring services, including skills workshops, apprenticeship opportunities, intergenerational gatherings and one-on-one mentoring.  Currently residing in Muskoka, Skeet works among a diverse team of mentors, amidst the abundant wildlife and diverse ecosystems of the Algonquin region.  With his wife and two children, the Sutherlands enjoy tending the wild places they live, the permaculture farm, which is at the center of camp and share the atmosphere and stories from this work with others, as a way to grow connection and empower ecological and cultural stewardship as a way of life.  

Skeet has worked both as a mentor and consultant with various First Nations communities in both Canada and the USA, helping to co-create nature connection programming that is culturally relevant to the people and places from those communities.  

Skeet is one of the co-founders of the Headwaters Earth Skills Gathering (HG) and continues to host the gatherings annually, enabling 100’s of people each spring, to connect around skills, stewardship and community.  In collaboration with other organizations throughout the world, Skeet has helped to bring the Bird Language Leaders project (BLL) to Ontario

As part of the original stakeholder team that enabled AOM to arrive in Ontario, Skeet has trained extensively in all layers of the AOM and is part of the leadership team that facilitates the weeklong program.   He is also dedicated to providing opportunities for continued training that enables the Art of Mentoring and you can find him connecting with people in this way at the BLL, HW and all of the SSWS offerings