The Fellowship

Join the Ministry

there is a place for you in the fellowship of Tourmaline Tracking Ministry.

The Way In

One Fellowship.

The ministry is a living community of practice. Membership means showing up for yourself in the field, in study, and in service to yourself and your needs.

Green Foot Traveler

Walk the land. Carry the knowledge.

Green foot travelers are the eyes and ears of the ministry in the field. You do not need prior experience — only the willingness to walk with intention, observe with care, and report what you find. Travelers participate in tracking surveys, attend ministry gatherings, and contribute field observations to the data network.

Commitment

Flexible

Includes

Field surveys, ministry gatherings, open data access, traveler newsletter

Requirements

Completion of the Initiate orientation (one weekend)
Agreement to the ministry's field ethics code
Participation in at least two field surveys per year

Ecologist Deacon

Study. Practice. Steward.

The deacon path is the ministry's core formation program — a multi-year journey through field tracking, data science, old-world disciplines, and contemplative practice. Deacons are the backbone of the ministry: trained observers, skilled practitioners, and committed stewards of a bioregion.

Commitment

Multi-year formation

Includes

All traveler access + data center assignment, deacon council, mentorship, staff discipline training

Requirements

Active green foot traveler for at least one year
Completion of the Practitioner field course (six months)
Sponsorship by an existing deacon
Commitment to a bioregion data center assignment

From the Fellowship

Those Who Walk With Us

I came to the ministry as a skeptic — someone who loved the outdoors but had no patience for ceremony. What I found was a community that takes both the science and the spirit seriously. That combination changed how I move through the world.

Maren K.

Green Foot Traveler, Cascades Region

The deacon path is the most demanding thing I have ever done. It is also the most meaningful. I know this land now — not as a visitor, but as a steward. That is the ministry's gift.

Tobias R.

Ecologist Deacon, Carpathian Center

I joined as a traveler three years ago. I had never tracked an animal in my life. Now I lead field surveys and I am halfway through the practitioner course. The ministry meets you where you are.

Adaeze N.

Practitioner, Great Rift Region

Ministry Gatherings

Where the Fellowship Meets

The ministry gathers three times a year — once at each solstice and once at the autumn equinox. These gatherings are open to all travelers and deacons and include field surveys, skill workshops, council meetings, and communal practice.

Summer Solstice

The Long Walk Gathering

A three-day field immersion at one of the ministry's data centers. Tracking surveys, staff discipline workshops, and the annual deacon ordination ceremony.

Autumn Equinox

The Turning Gathering

A two-day council and skill exchange. Deacons present field reports from their bioregions; travelers share observations from the year's surveys.

Winter Solstice

The Still Gathering

A one-day contemplative gathering focused on meditation, reflection, and the ministry's annual data review. Held at rotating locations.

Stay in Touch

Not ready to apply yet?

Join the newsletter and walk with us from a distance. When the time is right, the path will be here.

Field Dispatches

Tracking reports, gathering invitations, and fellowship news — no more than once a month.

Apply

Begin Your Journey

Fill out the form below and a ministry deacon will be in touch within two weeks to discuss the path that is right for you.