About

Our Mission

Mentoring students outdoors to foster confidence, resilience, and kinship with nature.

Whole Earth Nature School is about more than developing outdoor skills, we are about developing thriving human beings. Through the pathway of nature connection and wilderness skills, our students are given the support they need to flourish. Our outstanding staff ensure lots of personal support and attention goes to each and every student. Through fire making, students learn patience, resilience, and safety. Through hiding, they learn stillness, observation and awareness. Through wildcrafting, they learn caretaking, pattern recognition, and self-sufficiency. Through group play and challenges, they learn leadership, respect, and confidence. Whole Earth Nature School is a place where each student is given the right balance of freedom and support to be their best self.

CORE VALUES

Discovery:  We believe in pushing the boundaries of our knowledge, understanding, and abilities. We strive for internal growth and acknowledge that true growth comes from a diversity of perspectives, opinions, and backgrounds.
Accessibility: We believe the boundless gifts of the natural world should be accessible to everyone. We strive to ensure that our programs are equitable and inclusive and provide a positive experience for all.
Connection: We believe in the importance of connection between ourselves and our planet. We strive to deepen those connections through compassion, deep listening, mindfulness and honoring each other.
Creative Fun: We believe that the most engaging education is that which comes through play. We strive, through our meaningful work, to build character in our students and have a lasting influence on their lives through enhancing their creativity.
Responsibility: We believe that part of respecting our planet and one another is always taking responsibility for our actions by being willing to make things right. We strive to be humble, embrace our failures and mistakes, and learn and grow from each one.
Safety: We believe that all risks we take in the interests of learning and growing must be done in a safe and appropriate environment. We strive to create spaces where we can all challenge ourselves safely. 

We are committed to Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

We believe that access to nature is a human right and recognize that structural inequities impact participation in outdoor experiences. Through staff training, student financial support, and culturally responsive curriculum, we commit to providing greater access to inclusive nature experiences so that everyone can benefit from the healing power of nature.

We acknowledge that our program activities take place on the traditional homelands of indigenous people, including tribes and bands of Kalapuya, Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw, and Molalla peoples, who have lived and cared for this land since time immemorial. They were forcibly removed from their homelands and moved onto reservations by EuroAmerican colonizers. These tribes are still thriving today as part of two sovereign nations: the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. We commit to including land acknowledgements in our programs, strengthening relationships with tribal nations and Indigenous people, learning from Indigenous educators, and with permission, including Indigenous education and traditional ecological knowledge in our programs.

Volunteer

Meet the Founders

Ana Bradley, Matt Bradley, and Rees Maxwell

Founders’ story

Whole Earth Nature School was founded in the fall of 2009 by Rees Maxwell, Matt Bradley, and Ana Bradley. Each of their life journeys had brought them through deep nature connections and trainings, culminating in that fateful day when their paths crossed at a credit union; the teller, Matt, spoke first. “Rees, I’ve been meaning to talk with you.”


The three of them gathered every day after, sharing stories of the profound impact that nature connection had in their own lives, and discovered a shared vision to create opportunities for all people to receive personalized nature mentorship. They quickly took this passion for living in kinship with the earth, and an understanding of the many barriers to experiencing that. Within two weeks they were at their first school meeting kids in their classrooms. They brought them out to show them how easy it was to connect with the diversity of nature right in front of them in the surrounding alleys, avenues and parks. Thus Whole Earth Nature School was born, and their first program Coyote Kids was launched.


Since then tens of thousands of youth have received personalized mentorship outdoors, and experienced the benefits of confidence, resilience and kinship with nature. We are continually working to decrease barriers to nature connection, while increasing our understanding of the limitless diversity of the human condition and adapting our pedagogy to better support every student.

Whole Earth Nature School was created because our founders saw that there was a need for a different kind of nature connection experience in Lane County. While there are good environmental education programs in our area, there were no programs offering the type of immersive nature connection and wilderness skills experiences that we wanted to see. It is important to us that our students’ experience is hands-on and based in real outdoor experiences. More than simply observing, we want our students to interact with their environment, activity engaging with nature and each other through their learning process. Students eat wild plants and use them for medicine. They move from human trails to deer trails, following the tracks of wildlife. They use mud and charcoal to camouflage their faces and bodies to blend into the landscape and observe nature, unseen.


Another key aspect of what makes our program unique is the use of live action storytelling and themed camp programs to hook the interest of students and help them to more easily immerse themselves in the natural world. We often theme our nature camps around archetypal story elements found woven throughout all popular culture, and this allows kids to relate to the experience more quickly. It also allows them to live inside a story while being introduced to the core concepts and connective outdoor experiences we are offering. 


Whole Earth Nature School was originally created as a private company (LLC). In January of 2012 we transferred all operations over to a newly created nonprofit entity. Whole Earth Nature School is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Admin

Ilana Jakubowski
she/her

Executive Director

Ilana grew up in the Willamette Valley and loves every bit of this beautiful bio-region we are honored to live in.

Ilana has worked in early childhood education, social services and outdoor education for over 18 years. She holds a Certificate in Waldorf Early Childhood Education, a Masters of Social Work and has a wealth of non-profit administration experience.

Outside of work, Ilana spends time camping and delights in exploring all the hidden nooks and crannies of Oregon’s wild areas. She is also a part of the Salsa dance community in Eugene, and can often be found on the dance floor.

Ilana is passionate about Whole Earth Nature School’s mission and is thrilled to be a part fulfilling this vision!

Hales Wilson

they/them

Outdoor School Director

Hales is an avid mushroom forager with a love for animals and a background in biological science and the veterinary field in their early career and education. They grew up hiking and camping in Arizona as part of a parent-child outdoor group and taught youth about animal care at the Phoenix Zoo.

Hales made the switch to higher education leadership working in Residence Life and Campus Activities at Colorado State University. Most recently, Hales worked at the University of Oregon as the Coordinator of LGBTQ+ Education and Support Services for the last four years.

Hales brings a lot of experience and interest in equity work, particularly supporting students in crisis, integrating trauma-informed care practices into programs, and creating inclusive working and learning environments. Hales also loves to dance and is a stellar storyteller!

Joe Ramagli
he/him

Development and Outreach Director

Joe brings to Whole Earth a breadth of experience in communications and donor relations. He’s also worked as a legal advocate for children, marginalized communities, and farmers, and is committed to protecting our environment so that future generations have the opportunity to connect in deep and meaningful ways with nature. From cycling through the Colorado Rockies to hiking the Ridgeline Trail with his family, Joe finds solace and inspiration in the natural world.

He is excited to have joined the Whole Earth community, where he gets to bring his love of people and nature together in his work. Joe is passionate about Whole Earth’s mission as he continually sees the growth and joy in his two children as they come home from their Whole Earth programs.

Ana "The Larch" Bradley
she/they

Special Projects

Julie Hubbard McNall
she/her

Bookkeeper

Julie is compelled to keep all the rest of the nature nerds around here responsible. But she also loves to play outside when she gets the chance.

  • “Numbers person”
  • Jolly soul
  • Mother

Dawn Bach
they/she

Camps Director

Dawn has been working in Education for over a decade and working with children for even longer. They grew up in East Tennessee and spent most of their time outside, exploring the ecosystem of the Great Smoky Mountains. After living in Florida briefly, they moved to the Willamette Valley and began studying Education and Natural Resources. 

Dawn worked in more traditional classroom settings for several years before volunteering in wildlife rehabilitation and education. These experiences drove them to seek work in nature and more non-traditional education environments.

Outside of work, Dawn enjoys gardening, gaming, and wildlife viewing. Dawn loves animals and has two cats, a dog, two rabbits, and several mice. They are also a falconer with an American Kestrel named Calcifer.

Board

Aimee Reichert

President

Areas of Expertise

  • Environmental Education, Wilderness Therapy, Organization Strategist, and Program Direction

About

  • Bio coming soon!

Kelly Rush

Treasurer

Areas of Expertise

  • Communications
  • Trauma Informed Care

About

  • Bio coming soon!

Leah Rosin

Secretary

Areas of Expertise

  • Community Engagement, Marketing, Event Planning

About

  • Digital content & marketing strategist
  • 4J parent leader & Whole Earth Parent
  • Former wildland firefighter, goat milker, and Oregon farm kid

Now Recruiting!

Member at large

Now Recruiting!

Member at large

Staff

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Meadow Scott
she/her

Mentor Support Specialist; Instructor

Meadow Scott is a mother, educator, adventurer and self-proclaimed plant geek. Growing up in Alaska instilled a deep love of wild places, and Meadow spent plenty of time romping around in the wilderness. She lived in a treehouse for many years, kayaked in Prince William Sound, and even spent a winter mushing sled dogs near Denali. Her thirst for adventure took her around the world as well, backpacking and working on farms in such far-flung places as Iceland and Australia.

Becoming a mother led Meadow on yet another adventure and she quickly discovered the joy of sharing nature with small people. She especially loves the way young minds just drink in new experiences like moss soaking up the first rain of winter. Meadow spent as much time as possible outdoors with her two kiddos, watching them learn through direct experience, and gently guiding their understanding Earth’s complexity.

As soon as her own kiddos started school Meadow began a new chapter in her life as an environmental educator. Starting with the Prince William Sound Science Center in Alaska, then Partners for Sustainable School here in Eugene, and finally with the Whole Earth Nature School, Meadow has enriched her skill as an educator with many years of experience, both in the classroom and outside of it. Meadow shares a contagious enthusiasm for the natural world, and loves watching kids’ innate curiosity lead them into discovery and deep connection with nature. She believes that these quiet moments nourish a sense of place and belonging that eventually leads to stewardship of our Earth and all the critters we share it with.

Meadow is a lifelong learner and has a passion for all things green and growing. When she is not leading camps, she is enjoys studying ecology, gardening or natural history. She is a Master Gardener, Certified Permaculture Designer, and an amateur botanist. She practices all of these disciplines in her family’s backyard homestead where she can frequently be found petting plants.

 
  • Alaskan Homesteader
  • World traveler 
  • Mud lover
  • Secretly a plant

Terance “Dirt” MacKenzie
he/him

FOREST Assistant Director; Instructor

Terance was raised in Coburg, Oregon. He graduated from the Northwest Youth Corps Outdoor high school. While with the Youth Corps he worked with crews on a variety of conservation projects all over Oregon and Washington building trails plus restoring habitat for animals and plants. His family taught him to love the forest and everything in it while helping him learn how to identify plants and mushrooms, how to hunt and fish and most important how to have fun and get muddy. He has been a counselor for a number of youth programs including: City of Eugene’s Safety Town, Sempervirens Outdoor School located in the California Redwoods and Portland based Trackers Northwest.

  • Longest-running instructor
  • Director of challenging team building activities
  • Head Ogreseer
  • Tink
  • Head baker of wood cookies
  • Ninny Bane
  • Loud
Andre Site Photo

Andre "Moss" Bunton
he/him

COS Site Director

Born breathing air enriched with oxygen exhaled from the Sitka spruce trees of the Tongass temperate rainforest in Juneau, Alaska, Andre has been getting lost in the wilderness since he can remember, both literally and figuratively. Be it running beneath the canopy and across the muskegs of the Alaskan mountainsides alongside middle and highschoolers with the Lynn Canal Running Camp, or kayaking with visitors from all around the world through the glacier fed seas full of salmon, porpoises, sea lions, orcas, and humpback whales, he has always been awestruck by connection to the natural world, and all the possibilities that await to be co-created within.

As a mathematician, Andre has let his curiosity guide him throughout his studies, and that is where he discovered his passion for science communication. This led him to teach math and science classes for both youth and college students in the academic setting. But, Andre knows that the proper and most effective environment for learning is one that includes getting outside and involved. That is what brings Andre here, to Coyote Outdoor School.

You might’ve seen Andre on the dance floor, be it blues, west coast swing, or salsa. Or perhaps you’ve heard him singing with Mind The Gap, the University of Oregon’s gender inclusive a cappella choir. Maybe you even took one of his Cardio Kickboxing classes at the UO Rec Center. Whatever it was, it probably involved music and movement.

  • Mathemaniac
  • Echo smith
  • One who savors getting just a little bit lost in the woods
  • Seeker of fragrant scents
  • Bioluminescent disco dancer
  • Awestruck questioner
  • Compadre of the newts
Now Hiring

Site Support

_DSC1454 - Nature Teach LLC

JoJo Jorissen
she/her

Instructor

Growing up in northern California, Joelle spent much of her childhood among gnarled oak trees and the Russian river banks. As an only child, days were often spent outside exploring the magical lands surrounding her home. Joelle found much joy in finding the best hiding places.

Spending time outside continued to be a passion and after finishing college with a B.A. in anthropology, Joelle worked on various organic farms in California, Montana, and Oregon. While helping to grow delicious food and partnering with Farm to School, Joelle found she loved working with kids. In 2017 she received her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Southern Oregon University along with a multiple subjects Oregon teaching license. But again-nature called and four walls could not contain her.

Joelle has worked as an outdoor educator, farm educator, substitute teacher, and kids yoga instructor. She is passionate about sharing the magic and healing power of nature with kids of all ages. In her spare time, Joelle loves wandering outside, following animal tracks, exploring plant life, hanging upside down, playing on the river, tending her garden, and adventuring with her dog Myla.

  • Upside down hanging enthusiast
  • Wandering in nature lover
  • Wildlife tracking student for life
  • Beaver believer
  • Friend of plants and trees
  • River rat

Justin "Lonestar" Watt
he/him

Instructor

Coming soon.

  • Ukulele songwriter
  • Pizza chef
  • Gnome Leader
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Meg "Sparrow" Frank
she/her

Instructor

After obtaining her B.A. in Child Development and Learning and her M.A. in Elementary Education, Meg taught Intervention K-5 and 1st grade in North Carolina. After moving to Oregon, Meg wanted to shared her passion for the outdoors with children to give them the same energizing experiences and appreciation for nature that she gained as a child. Meg captures students’ high energy and channels it into learning and helps students learn their limits with the right balance of autonomy and support. She also makes challenging experiences like campers’ first overnights comfortable by role-modeling preparedness and being super supportive!

  • Elementary teacher
  • Creator of artistic things
  • Crafter of little kid adventures
  • Lover of fire
Photo Coming (1) (1)

Instructor

Coming soon!

  • Coming soon!
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Tim "Timber" Warren
he/him

Instructor

Tim spent his formative years exploring the dunes of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, romping through the marshes and climbing trees. He loves camping and playing in the wilderness. While in the Boy Scouts of America, he learned the basics of how to be in the wild; learning knots, fire structure and tending. Tim volunteered at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve cleaning up beaches, mapping and discovering new trails, making trail markers, and care tending the facilities. Tim developed a passion for sharing his nature connection with others while working at the Museum of Natural History in Brewster, tending the aquariums and learning the local species of birds. Seeing the people’s expressions when learning about each animal or local lore, he noticed how important it is to include nature in our lives. Tim loves hiking, wood carving, learning primitive skills and teaching in the woods, passing on his excitement and curiosity of the natural world! Tim is driven by the desire to inspire the next generation to connect with the woods.

  • Finder of Things
  • Shaper of wood
  • Binder of knots
  • Wildlife Tracker
  • Fire Bender