KFS COMES FULL CIRCLE WITH YURT BUILDING CLASS

When Hilary Petterson signed up for Joshua Sage’s renowned yurt-building class in 2012, she was basically living a nomadic lifestyle. She had just graduated college and was traveling around continuing her education in traditional and primitive skills learning as much as she could from all the top instructors around the country. So, winning the drawing for the yurt that had been built at this class in Rexburg, Idaho couldn’t have been more fortuitous.  

“I lived in it for a year while I was in school and I still have it to this day,” she said. 

Now at the helm of Kaniksu Folk School (KFS), Petterson wants to share the yurt-life with others. To that end, she has invited Joshua Sage to teach a 3-day course in yurt-building at Pine Street Woods during the upcoming Spring folk school season. Capped at 13 participants, the class will provide the knowledge, skills, supplies, and tools to build a 17-foot yurt that will remain at Pine Street Woods for events and educational programs. Cost is $300 for the 3-day workshop taking place over Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29.

A yurt is a circular building typically made with a collapsable wooden framework and canvas, felt, or animal skin covering. It is an ancient building technique used by nomads in Mongolia, Siberia, and Turkey. It has become popular in recent years for glamping (luxury camping) and as part of the tiny house movement.

While the yurt built by participants at this class will be a non-permanent, lightweight structure, Sage’s instruction can be adapted to build a permanent structure with insulation, snow load roof, and even potential buildouts. 

“With the housing situation as it is right now, people are looking for alternative living options. A person could reasonably build a basic livable dwelling for under $1,000 including the cost of this class and all of the building supplies,” Petterson said.

The Pine Street Woods yurt will be built with Sun Forager canvas and wood products grown, harvested and milled on site from Kaniksu Lumber at Pine Street Woods. 

“I just think it’s a really cool circle that enriches our community when housing is so tenuous,” she continued. “Bringing Joshua here to teach the class speaks to Kaniksu Folk School’s focus on delivering quality education taught by highly skilled artisans. It’s really an honor to have him leading this.” 

Joshua Sage is a graduate of the Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Colorado and is certified as a National Outdoor Leadership School instructor. Having more than 20 years experience building yurts, he has earned a reputation for quality craftsmanship and professional instruction.  

“This is a hands-on workshop that will teach you to build all aspects of a yurt,” Sage explained. You’ll receive instruction on how to build one using only hand tools or in combination with some power tools. You can build a 12’ yurt for as little as $150 to $600, not including the deck.”

Kaniksu Folk School provides nature-based education for adults and teens. Its mission is to enrich lives and foster an ethic of stewardship through the sharing of traditional crafts and music. Petterson aims to fold more stewardship projects into the folk school to demonstrate how these skills impact conservation. She says that expanding the natural building initiative empowers people to take their shelter into their own hands.

“Yurts are low impact nomadic structures that really are a way to live more gently on the land.”

To learn more about Joshua Sage’s yurt building course, the spring Kaniksu Folk School class line-up, or other Kaniksu Land Trust educational initiatives, visit www.kaniksu.org/education.