Community Camp 2023
Activities
So many activities full of fun and discovery await. Which will you choose?
Community Camp Activities
Overview
Here are all the activities you can choose from to design your own Community Camp experience! A few things to know:
- All activities require a caregiver to attend with any child/children.
- You do not need to pre-register for activities.
- All activities will meet and leave from the Dining Hall Meadow.
- The trails are open during daylight hours for you to wander at your leisure!
- The Den, located in the Learning Studios, is a place we’ve set up for you to relax or play board games. Drop in between 8am – 8pm.
- Participate in as many activities as you like and know that quiet time is yours to take whenever you want it.
Bird like a nerd (age 7+)
Naturalists Christina and Mark have spent a lifetime birding and can’t wait to sneak up on birds with you. Learn how to listen for key features in bird chatter and song to arrive at a proper ID – even without seeing the bird. Our leisurely walk is great for beginner and intermediate birders alike. Children are very welcome to join but should have an interest in listening to bird song and learning about bird behavior.
About Christina Woolf: As our IslandWood Sr. Naturalist & Community Education Manager, Christina brings energy, compassion, joy and equity into her work as a community leader and conservation steward. Christina currently serves as a curator for the Bainbridge Island Biodiversity Project on INaturalist, a wetland monitor for WA Dept. of Fish in Wildlife in amphibian egg mass monitoring, a lead facilitator in FrogWatch USA since 2004, and a Conservation Steward & Wildlife Consultant for the Bainbridge Island Land Trust since 2006. She holds certifications as a Master Birder (Seattle Audubon) since 2011, certified Beach Naturalist (WSU) since 2014, and Certified Interpretative Guide with the National Association of Interpretation since 2015. In Fall 2023, she will complete her certification as a Washington State Master Naturalist with WSU.
About Mark Salvadalena: Mark is an IslandWood naturalist and docent and started “seriously” birding when he was a ranger at Olympic National Park. He was hooked when he experienced a couple of his colleagues magically finding birds. Of course, it wasn’t magic — they were just keenly tuned into the sounds and movements of the birds. He spent the next several years birding nearly every day, studying the songs, calls, and behavior of Northwest birds. Mark has over a decade of experience and has led nature walks for National Parks, Seattle Audubon, and of course, IslandWood!
Campfire Variety Show (All ages)
It’s a casting call! Sing a song, read a poem, share a joke or act out a family skit – you’re the entertainment! We look forward to welcoming an assortment of skills, ages, and talents at our first-ever Community Camp Variety Show. Sign-ups will take place during lunch and dinner on Saturday.
Canopy Explorers (All ages)
Take a vigorous hike down to IslandWood’s ravine, cross the Suspension Bridge, and ascend our Forest Canopy Tower to get a new perspective on your surroundings. Explore the layers of the forest from floor to understory to canopy. Examine the amazing differences between plant and animal life on the forest floor versus above at the canopy with our experienced educator guides. This is one of our most active programs, and great for folks that want to get out onto our trails and challenge themselves.
Heat Street, Staff Instructor – Heat grew up in Georgia amongst loblolly pines and southern magnolias and calls Athens, Georgia her first home. She comes from a background in food justice and sustainability which included work in community gardens where she cultivated a love of things that grow. Some of her roles in the past include advocacy work at the Houston Food Bank to an environmental educator at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Heat loves dancing, foraging mushrooms, and talking to people about trees.
Shoopie Panholzer, Community Education Admin Assistant – Shoopie grew up on the California central coast playing among the golden hills and under coast live oak trees. After years of environmental education she fell in love with science and attended Saint Mary’s College of California where she got her bachelor’s degree in Dance and environmental science. She spent summers working at a family camp in Sequoia National Park where she was in charge of the marmot age group (7-8 year olds) and the lead kids group counselor. After her third summer she started working at a ranch in Lafayette, California as a nature instructor and archery coordinator. There’s she learned that her passion is teaching kids outside about things such as tracking, homesteading, hike safety, gardening, cooking, horsepersonship, and ecology. She decided to spread her wings and move out of California to attend the a IslandWood graduate program and was a member of the 2023 masters in education for environment cohort. In the fall she will return to her studies where she will finish her masters at the University of Washington while working on a research project focused on how people form identities as nature oriented individuals and what the role of outdoor education might be in that. In her free time she loves reading, hiking, watching beach sunsets over the Olympics, and camping all with her dog by her side.
Maggie Sandusky, Staff Instructor – Maggie has worked in both environmental education and field science across the United States in Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, and now, Washington! From these experiences she’s grown to value and seek ways to intersect the two fields. Through these opportunities Maggie has been able to participate and create community conservation programs that have focused on stewardship, collaboration, and climate adaptation. She is grateful to continue to work with beautiful communities in beautiful areas such as IslandWood and strives to promote stewardship as a value of a strong community.
Finn Boss, IslandWood Graduate Student – I’ve been working in social services the past few years with youth and young adults. I’ve been dipping my toe in outdoor education, and through that, I fell in love with teaching science. I hope to become a certificated science teacher for high school. I chose the [IW graduate program] for the community and specific outdoor education program. I love shipwrecks and Michigan!
Earth Art (Age 5+)
Utilize the beauty and creativity inherent in nature to create art to take home. Exploring natural pigments, you can design a wall hanging, or camp bandana (great for kids!) combining flower pounding and painting onto the fabric with natural paints made from vegetables and berries.
About Isobel Coney: Isobel is an experienced secondary school art and textiles teacher, with commercial textile experience and three successful years teaching GCSE, GNVQ and A-level at St. Marylebone School in London. She has also worked in the United States with younger age groups (2-10), and now teaches students and teachers to develop and use art in the outdoor environment. Isobel’s projects have combined cultural, environmental and historical studies with art, with techniques spanning painting, quilting, felting, knitting, batik, print-making, hand-made paper and woodland crafts. You can learn even more at her website.
Forest Ecology Hike (All ages)
Enjoy a hike through a leafy forest among mossy bigleaf maples, towering firs, and explore several ecosystems on one hike. Learn from our naturalists how to identify wild plants, animals and fungi. You’ll likely meet some familiar wild neighbors like a banana slug, and we’ll be on the lookout for some fall fungi as well.
Miriam Robertson, Staff Instructor – Miriam grew up in Indianola on the beach and in the woods. After graduating undergrad she returned home and worked to help her family’s business through the pandemic. She found IslandWood’s Grad Program by word of mouth from community members and found that it prioritizes and focuses on many of the concepts and practices that she am passionate about. She hopes to develop curriculum that contains basic principles of how to incorporate environmental education and peace into all classrooms. Miriam is a recent graduate of IslandWood’s graduate program – class of 2023! She loves to be on her paddleboard, block print or snuggle with my pup.
Shoopie Panholzer, Community Education Admin Assistant – Shoopie grew up on the California central coast playing among the golden hills and under coast live oak trees. After years of environmental education she fell in love with science and attended Saint Mary’s College of California where she got her bachelor’s degree in Dance and environmental science. She spent summers working at a family camp in Sequoia National Park where she was in charge of the marmot age group (7-8 year olds) and the lead kids group counselor. After her third summer she started working at a ranch in Lafayette, California as a nature instructor and archery coordinator. There’s she learned that her passion is teaching kids outside about things such as tracking, homesteading, hike safety, gardening, cooking, horsepersonship, and ecology. She decided to spread her wings and move out of California to attend the a IslandWood graduate program and was a member of the 2023 masters in education for environment cohort. In the fall she will return to her studies where she will finish her masters at the University of Washington while working on a research project focused on how people form identities as nature oriented individuals and what the role of outdoor education might be in that. In her free time she loves reading, hiking, watching beach sunsets over the Olympics, and camping all with her dog by her side.
Forest to Fork (All ages)
Explore food in a whole new way in our organic garden. Learn how healthy forests and farms can co-exist in our watersheds and uncover how soil is created with our composting systems. Sample some plants straight from the earth with our garden educator and create a snack from your harvest with one of our chefs! This activity has a maximum of 20 participants.
About Megan Trumper: Megan, an IslandWood Staff Instructor, comes to us by way of the Muwekma Ohlone lands of California’s central coast. She spent her formative years tending the family garden, exploring the creek behind her house, and hiking or running in the local park. She believes that exploring those places where the urban and natural worlds meet is what first sparked her interest in ecological study and outdoor recreation, but her passions would not be fully realized until later in life. After receiving her BA in Literary Studies from UC Santa Cruz, the recession sent Megan in search of a more fulfilling career than the path she had initially chosen. Determined to work in the outdoors, she went back to school for her Park Management degree, during which time she enjoyed part time jobs in Park Maintenance, Education Outreach, and invasive species removal. Megan’s love of field work and outreach led her to a career as a Park Ranger for Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. This position challenged her to take on a multitude of roles (first responder, law enforcement officer, wildland fire fighter, park maintenance worker, educator etc.), but her passion was most fully expressed when developing and facilitating educational programming. It wasn’t long before Megan was tasked with attending a Certified Interpretive Trainer course from the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), in order to develop and facilitate interpretive training for fellow rangers along with a team of her peers.
Shoopie Panholzer, Community Education Admin Assistant – Shoopie grew up on the California central coast playing among the golden hills and under coast live oak trees. After years of environmental education she fell in love with science and attended Saint Mary’s College of California where she got her bachelor’s degree in Dance and environmental science. She spent summers working at a family camp in Sequoia National Park where she was in charge of the marmot age group (7-8 year olds) and the lead kids group counselor. After her third summer she started working at a ranch in Lafayette, California as a nature instructor and archery coordinator. There’s she learned that her passion is teaching kids outside about things such as tracking, homesteading, hike safety, gardening, cooking, horsepersonship, and ecology. She decided to spread her wings and move out of California to attend the a IslandWood graduate program and was a member of the 2023 masters in education for environment cohort. In the fall she will return to her studies where she will finish her masters at the University of Washington while working on a research project focused on how people form identities as nature oriented individuals and what the role of outdoor education might be in that. In her free time she loves reading, hiking, watching beach sunsets over the Olympics, and camping all with her dog by her side.
Sam Stephan, IslandWood Graduate Student – I’ve been in and around Sacramento, CA almost my entire life, finding joy in ceramics, botany, and not-so-serious guitar and ukulele playing. Over the past couple of years, I’ve helped steward a community garden, restored riparian habitat, graduated from college, solo road tripped across the states, and worked to create a safe space for kids to explore bees and trees and themselves in outdoor education settings. I believe IslandWood will help me solidify myself and flourish as a justice-oriented environmental educator dedicated to helping kids experience joy and wonder and learn in ways where they can be themselves.
Garden Stewardship (All ages)
Help us tend to the IslandWood garden classroom by getting ahead of the weeds and preparing our soil for veggies.
About Melissa Church: Melissa, an IslandWood Staff Instructor, grew up in Massachusetts, where coastal explorations and spending summers on an island in New Hampshire, led to her love of digging in the dirt, flipping over logs, and searching the beach for crabs. While spending her college summers at Massachusetts Audubon Society, she discovered her love for environmental education. Since then she has taken that passion and love, to many different places, from the Ponderosa Pine forests of Arizona to the shores of Carkeek park in Seattle. Through her experiences, she has learned that a classroom can exist almost anywhere and really does not need walls, and is always excited to take a new idea and turn it into a lesson that has students interact with the ecosystem around them. In her free time, you can usually find her on a deck of a boat with a good book, or wandering the coastline of Bainbridge Island.
About Sam Stephan, IslandWood Graduate Student – I’ve been in and around Sacramento, CA almost my entire life, finding joy in ceramics, botany, and not-so-serious guitar and ukulele playing. Over the past couple of years, I’ve helped steward a community garden, restored riparian habitat, graduated from college, solo road tripped across the states, and worked to create a safe space for kids to explore bees and trees and themselves in outdoor education settings. I believe IslandWood will help me solidify myself and flourish as a justice-oriented environmental educator dedicated to helping kids experience joy and wonder and learn in ways where they can be themselves.
Gentle Yoga (Age 12+)
Join us for a gentle yoga class, incorporating guided meditation, breathwork, and asana to transition you from a day full of camp activities to slowing down and appreciating the evening ahead! The class will help your mind become clearer, your heart grow kinder, and your body find ease. Yoga mats provided.
About Misty Fasig: Yoga has been a part of Misty’s life since she was a high schooler. “I love how my practice and style of teaching have evolved through the peaks and valleys of life. These days I teach a well-rounded creative vinyasa flow that incorporates a balanced sprinkling of guided meditation, breathwork, and asana. I often weave poetry throughout the class. I teach in a way to calm our minds and wake up our awareness. Our thoughts become clearer, our hearts become kinder, our bodies become stronger and at ease, and our breathing becomes liberated.” Misty teaches yoga at Bainbridge Yoga House.
Harbor Hoof (Age 10+)
Looking for a hike and a great workout? Join our Sr. Naturalist for a 2+ mile hike down to beautiful Blakely Harbor! We’ll hoof it down our watershed to the wilds of our Lower Loop, and then, after a brief harbor view, we’ll turn right back around and hoof it up back to our main campus. This is a great choice for people who like to move FAST and keep pace with our naturalist! This ain’t no mosey!
About Melissa Church: Melissa, an IslandWood Staff Instructor, grew up in Massachusetts, where coastal explorations and spending summers on an island in New Hampshire, led to her love of digging in the dirt, flipping over logs, and searching the beach for crabs. While spending her college summers at Massachusetts Audubon Society, she discovered her love for environmental education. Since then she has taken that passion and love, to many different places, from the Ponderosa Pine forests of Arizona to the shores of Carkeek park in Seattle. Through her experiences, she has learned that a classroom can exist almost anywhere and really does not need walls, and is always excited to take a new idea and turn it into a lesson that has students interact with the ecosystem around them. In her free time, you can usually find her on a deck of a boat with a good book, or wandering the coastline of Bainbridge Island.
About Christina Woolf: As our IslandWood Sr. Naturalist & Community Education Manager, Christina brings energy, compassion, joy and equity into her work as a community leader and conservation steward. Christina currently serves as a curator for the Bainbridge Island Biodiversity Project on INaturalist, a wetland monitor for WA Dept. of Fish in Wildlife in amphibian egg mass monitoring, a lead facilitator in FrogWatch USA since 2004, and a Conservation Steward & Wildlife Consultant for the Bainbridge Island Land Trust since 2006. She holds certifications as a Master Birder (Seattle Audubon) since 2011, certified Beach Naturalist (WSU) since 2014, and Certified Interpretative Guide with the National Association of Interpretation since 2015. In Fall 2023, she will complete her certification as a Washington State Master Naturalist with WSU.
Kids Yoga (Age 6+)
Explore the connection between mind, body, breath, and nature with simple yoga poses, mindful breathing exercises, a walk outside and relaxation. Yoga mats provided. This activity has a maximum of 20 children.
About Joyce Cooley: Joyce was Born in San Francisco but grew up in Bellingham, WA. She spent 23 years on Bainbridge Island and now lives in Poulsbo. Kids and her dog Paladin make her smile. She teaches yoga because it’s like magic to her. “My love for kids and passion for yoga led me to become a Yoga Kids certified teacher in 2011. The lives of all kids, from 2 to 92 are enhanced through the magic of yoga.” Joyce teaches kids yoga at Bainbridge Yoga House.
Music and Storytelling Hike (All ages)
Join storyteller and musician Avery Hill for a Species Hike around our woods! We’ll make stops along the way to get to know different plant and animal species through the stories we tell and songs we sing about them. (While this activity is appropriate for all ages, it is designed with younger children in mind.)
About Avery Hill: Avery, an IslandWood Graduate Program alumna, has been a teaching artist since 2013 and is a staple instructor of the Portland, OR ukulele community. Over the years, she has run her own studio of ukulele classes and workshops and is a regular instructor at the Menucha Ukulele Band Camp. More recently, she has maintained a YouTube channel for ukulele tutorial and has begun teaching songwriting, including at the Songwriter Soiree Retreat. Whatever the classroom, Avery strives to educate everyone’s inner musician, to elevate their self-knowledge and confidence, and to enchant them with insight, presence, and a handful of good jokes. Avery is also a performing singer-songwriter, and storyteller. Her latest album is Dreams & Ghosts: A Family Album (2015), featuring the award-winning single Hello & Goodbye. You can learn even more at her website.
Rise & Shine Yoga (Age 12+)
Join us for a 60-minute morning practice designed to awaken your senses and align your body and mind. This is an all levels, vinyasa flow. Mats are provided.
About Jen Suntrup: Jen is the Outreach Director for Conscious Classroom, an evidence-informed mindfulness and movement curriculum for 7-12 graders and a yoga instructor at hot hot Yoga on Bainbridge Island. Jen’s journey with yoga began as a means of self-care. A way for her to find balance with her professional career, and as a working mother of two. Jen is recognized professionally for her ability to bring calm, inspiration and support to any situation, no matter how challenging. She brings this same sense of calm, inspiration and support to her students, balancing her love for a creative flow with a mindful, poetic finish.
Teams Course (Age 8+)
Head over to IslandWood’s low-ropes style Teams Course and through facilitated challenges, explore your methods of communicating, planning, and supporting your family members and friends. Connect with your “team” through collaborative problem solving and fun group challenges. These are activities using different pieces of equipment that will stretch the imagination and allow campers to practice working together while having a blast.
About Miriam Robertson, Staff Instructor – Miriam grew up in Indianola on the beach and in the woods. After graduating undergrad she returned home and worked to help her family’s business through the pandemic. She found IslandWood’s Grad Program by word of mouth from community members and found that it prioritizes and focuses on many of the concepts and practices that she am passionate about. She hopes to develop curriculum that contains basic principles of how to incorporate environmental education and peace into all classrooms. Miriam is a recent graduate of IslandWood’s graduate program – class of 2023! She loves to be on her paddleboard, block print or snuggle with my pup.
Talia Schmitt, Staff Instructor – Talia brings 10 years of experience as an environmental science educator. She is a certified Wilderness First Responder and has taught outdoor education around the country for various programs including NatureBridge and the North Cascades Institute. Talia was born and raised in Northern Virginia and received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from The College of William & Mary. Her passion lies in helping school districts incorporate experiential and outdoor education opportunities into their curriculum. She founded her own hiking business, NatureWalks with Talia, which brings families, scouts and kids into the forest for guided tours and adventures. In her free time, Talia enjoys playing the guitar, mushroom foraging, salsa dancing, learning languages, and backpacking in the mountains.
About Mateus Da Costa, Campus Programs Coordinator – Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mateus moved to Southwest Florida at a young age where he began exploring the gulf coastal waters with a fishing rod and a thirst for adventure. At 17, he attended Chewonki’s Maine Coast Semester School for high school juniors where he cultivated a passion for ecology, stewardship, and sustainability. While finishing his undergraduate in Environmental Science at Florida Gulf Coast University, Mateus worked as a University Campus Naturalist leading environmental field trips for university students into the sultry swamps and estuaries of Southwest Florida. His enthusiasm for environmental education and connecting with people of all ages in the outdoors has drawn him further and further west, from the rocky coast of Maine to the sagebrush steppes of Wyoming. After completing one-year of leading science-based educational programs for youth in the heart of Grand Teton National Park with Teton Science School’s, he continued his western migration and landed in the rich waters of Puget Sound.
About Ray Cramer, Director of Youth and Family Programs – Ray grew up moving a lot as part of a military family before settling in rural Virginia for high school and college. His college passions led him to work co-founding one program to get incarcerated youth outdoors, another to create service opportunities in Appalachia, and a third providing programming and support for Washington D.C. homeless shelters. Ray worked on many farms in high school and college, so he also became interested in education for agriculture and gardening during his those years. Advocacy and interest in opening his own perspectives was highlighted with time spent among the Diné (Navajo) in New Mexico, collaborating on ways to share nature across cultures. Ultimately, the purest form of advocacy for Ray became teaching, which led him to work in 10 outdoor schools around the country, as well as become a credentialed teacher in a school with a student population of over 70% minority students, before he arrived at IslandWood in 2004. Somewhere along the line, Ray also discovered a passion for mentoring teachers, active listening, mindfulness and outdoor play. As senior faculty for the EEC program, he leads the Teaching Practicum, Advanced Instructional Strategies and Wilderness First Aid, among other professional development topics. Ray also mentors in and oversees the EEC mentoring program. Over the years, Ray counts over 400 teachers he has mentored (and learned from), including “at least” two national, two state, one county and one city teacher of the year. His approach to mentoring is strong belief in the mentee, along with the support, patience, flexibility and motivation to make the most of every moment. Ray lives on the island with his wife, two children, a border collie and a gerbil. When not working at IslandWood, you might find him sailing, biking, teaching wilderness medicine for NOLS, or out hiking.
Oscar Newman, Staff Instructor & Associate Teacher for the IslandWood Graduate Program – Oscar Newman began teaching in Chicago Public Schools in 1997. He completed teacher certification in DePaul University’s Urban Teacher Corps in 1998 – 1999 and received his Master’s degree in 2001. He achieved National Board Certification (Early Adolescence: Science) in 2002 and has renewed and maintained it. (2012, 2022) In 2004, Oscar was selected as Teacher in Residence for the Chicago Academy of Sciences’ Notebaert Nature Museum. He taught K–12 students, staffed the Teacher Leadership Center and designed teacher workshops. Oscar served on teacher advisory boards including The Chicago Academy of Sciences, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Teacher Advisory Council for Chicago Public Schools. Oscar mentored middle school and high school science teacher candidates for National Board Certification for 10 years. He also served as a mentor teacher for student teachers and first-year teachers since 2006. At Chicago Academy Elementary School, Oscar taught 6th – 8th grade science for 15 years. He was the School Science Coordinator, founded the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, led the Zoology Club, and coached soccer. Oscar is a fellow of the Michigan State University – Wipro STEM & Leadership Teaching Fellowship Program and completed coursework from 2015 – 2016 for certification in STEM Leadership. Oscar completed teacher leadership training in the New Leaders Emerging Leaders program (2017 – 2018) and partnered with the Museum of Science and Industry’s Science Leadership Initiative School Partners Program (2015 – 2022) to assess and improve science education at his school. For the 2019 – 2020 academic year, Oscar took an academic sabbatical and relocated to Washington as a student in IslandWood’s Graduate Program in Education for Environment and Community. Currently, Oscar works for IslandWood’s School Overnight Program, substitutes for the Bainbridge Island School District, and is a Teaching Associate for the University of Washington. Oscar Newman is a father of two young explorers, Eva Simone (13) and Maxwell (9). He and his spouse, Theo Lesczynski, enjoy experiencing the natural world with family and friends. Oscar loves hiking, riding his bicycle, jazz, and traveling.
Trail Run (All ages)
Join our IslandWood staff members for a leisurely 3.5-mile run along the packed gravel and dirt trails on our campus. Saturday’s run will be led by Maggie Schaefers. Sunday’s run will be led by Jess Ansley and Paige Nickum.
Maggie Schaefers, Campus Programs Coordinator – Maggie firmly believes in the power of experiential and place-based education to help shape the next generation of problem solvers and receptive citizens. Before joining IslandWood, Maggie spent time teaching English and researching environmental stewardship, rural education identity and dignity, and productive pedagogy in rural Uruguay. Her first love was the Mckenzie River in Oregon, but after living in Montana for many years, she is grateful to know both the lush green of the Pacific Northwest and the peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountains. Outside of work, you’ll find her trail running, gardening, or eating pancakes at the beach.
About Jessica Ansley: Jess is IslandWood’s Graphic Designer and avid runner! Jess lives on Bainbridge Island with her family and runs as many miles and races as time will allow!
About Paige Nickum: Paige is IslandWood’s Volunteer Program Coordinator and lives on Bainbridge Island with her family. She’s currently training for the Seattle Half Marathon!
Trail Stewardship (All ages)
Join one of our botanists on the trails to help keep this forested property and wildlife corridor healthy and biodiverse by rounding up invasive and noxious weeds to make room for natives to thrive! We’ll supply the gloves and tools – you supply the elbow grease. You’ll learn conservation management tips and tricks that can apply anywhere!
Water Wonders (All ages)
Explore the wonderful world of water at Mac’s Pond! Along the shore you’ll dip-net for critters in the pond, take a closer look at them through field microscopes and hand lenses and just like scientists, you’ll identify your catch! All critters will be returned to their aquatic home unharmed.
About Melissa Church, Staff Instructor – Melissa, an IslandWood Staff Instructor, grew up in Massachusetts, where coastal explorations and spending summers on an island in New Hampshire, led to her love of digging in the dirt, flipping over logs, and searching the beach for crabs. While spending her college summers at Massachusetts Audubon Society, she discovered her love for environmental education. Since then she has taken that passion and love, to many different places, from the Ponderosa Pine forests of Arizona to the shores of Carkeek park in Seattle. Through her experiences, she has learned that a classroom can exist almost anywhere and really does not need walls, and is always excited to take a new idea and turn it into a lesson that has students interact with the ecosystem around them. In her free time, you can usually find her on a deck of a boat with a good book, or wandering the coastline of Bainbridge Island.
Heat Street, Staff Instructor – Heat grew up in Georgia amongst loblolly pines and southern magnolias and calls Athens, Georgia her first home. She comes from a background in food justice and sustainability which included work in community gardens where she cultivated a love of things that grow. Some of her roles in the past include advocacy work at the Houston Food Bank to an environmental educator at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Heat loves dancing, foraging mushrooms, and talking to people about trees.
Maggie Sandusky, Staff Instructor – Maggie has worked in both environmental education and field science across the United States in Massachusetts, New York, Colorado, and now, Washington! From these experiences she’s grown to value and seek ways to intersect the two fields. Through these opportunities Maggie has been able to participate and create community conservation programs that have focused on stewardship, collaboration, and climate adaptation. She is grateful to continue to work with beautiful communities in beautiful areas such as IslandWood and strives to promote stewardship as a value of a strong community.
Mitchell Gage, Staff Instructor – Mitchell has a degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Science and a Masters in Environmental Education and Science Communication. IslandWood is the latest and greatest stop in his career spanning wild spaces in the American west from Idaho to Arizona, which has given him the chance to work with and in the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. He gained experience installing trails, felled trees, and removed noxious weeds in order to keep our public lands healthy and beautiful. His most recent position before coming to the island was as an Education and Interpretation Ranger in Death Valley National Park. When not working on improving ecological understanding and appreciation he likes to get out and enjoy nature by backpacking and hiking.
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