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Educational Staff

Our outdoor education team are dedicated educators who love witnessing individual and group growth. We believe that accessing the outdoors is a basic right for all people and that we have the open space to provide it. While here, we want students and schools to foster lasting connections, and leave with a richer sense of self and community. 

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Pika/LINA

Naturalist

Lina (she/her) was born and raised in Seattle, WA! She graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Environmental Studies, and has taught environmental education in a number of incredible places, including in the Tetons, near Mount Rainier, and on the Olympic Peninsula. She is so excited to learn about the people and places around Walker Creek Ranch. While not looking for beautiful plants and exciting animal sightings with students, she enjoys baking and cooking new recipes, taking care of an ever-growing houseplant collection, making greeting cards for friends and family, and playing board games.

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Mantis/ Brooke

Naturalist

Brooke (she/they) grew up on the coast of Long Beach, California. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz where she earned her degree in Environmental Studies. In recent years, she has found herself working on native plant restoration, insect collecting, bird identification, and educational outreach. In their free time, you can find her playing guitar, hiking, making collages, and swimming in the ocean! 

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Chia/ma'ayan

Naturalist

Ma'ayan (they/she) is excited to be starting their 3rd year as a Naturalist. Despite growing up in Santa Clara county, at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, they did not spend much time outside or hiking. Instead, in university at Colorado College they chose to pursue a degree and career in software development. However, now she's developed a love for facilitating exploration and fostering deep appreciation and love for the natural world. Having transitioned from a corporate desk job (software engineer), they know the transformational powers of appreciating and learning about the outdoors. You can find them nerding out about birds, ooh and ahhh-ing at mushrooms, and squealing at the sight of salmon. Outside of work Ma'ayan is a community organizer, juggler and aspiring good friend!

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Ripple/julia

Naturalist

Julia (she/her) grew up in Connecticut where her love for nature grew over summers of camping on the beaches of Long Island Sound. She comes with a bachelor's of psychology, years of experience working as a guide and educator for youth, and a passion for connecting people to the healing power of nature. She enjoys forest bathing, cold plunges, snowboarding, writing, and traveling with her pup.

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Turtle/Kerrigan

Intern

Kerrigan (she/her) grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Through working as a camp counselor and backpacking guide in the Rocky Mountains, she developed a love for working with youth in outdoor settings. Kerrigan loves sunrise hikes, knitting, and bell peppers!

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Cricket/Robyn

Intern

Robyn (she/her) is a recent graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine, where she majored in biology, focusing primarily in marine ecology. Robyn grew up in Rockport, Maine, where she developed her love of cold ocean dips, forest wanders, and rocky intertidal critters. After working as a science educator in Maine and Alaska, she is thrilled to find herself in California, where she is excited to continue sharing wonder and curiosity with other people in the outdoors! In her free time, you can find Robyn reading lots of books, playing guitar, hiking/climbing/swimming/exploring, or diving into a new crafty project.

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Bluebird/Sam

Intern

Sam (she/her) was born and raised in California’s Central Valley and is a recent graduate of Long Beach State University with a degree in Environmental Science and Policy. Sam found a love for nature while exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains in her youth and has since fallen in love with the diversity and splendor of California’s ecosystems. In her free time, you can find Sam curled up with a book, exploring local coffee shops, hiking or camping, and spending time with friends. 

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Wolf/ Laurel

Intern

Laurel (she/her) was born and raised in Marin County, where she spent her childhood hiking, camping, and developing a passion for conservation. She is a recent graduate of UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources with a focus on Justice and Sustainability. She loves gardening, traveling, cooking, making new animal friends, and simply being outdoors. In her free time, you can find her cozied up by a creek and reading a good book. 

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Alexa/ Cardinal

Intern

Alexa (she/her), was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) with a degree in Environmental Studies. While attending UNL, she worked at the university's Outdoor Adventure Center as the Gear Manager and worked at the daycare in the pre-toddler/toddler classroom. She is excited to combine her love of working with kids with her love of the outdoors. In her free time, you can find her playing soccer, biking, reading, and painting. 

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