Celebrations
This page celebrates individuals in the community who are giving their time and talent to connect youth to nature.
Interview with Lorene Wapotich—manager of Thorne Nature Experience Preschool: listen to her thoughts on nature experience versus nature connection, the importance of nature programming for neurodiverse children and why she loves spring in particular.
Learn more about the importance of nature connection here.
Interview with Neil Ritter—co-founder of Laughing Coyote: listen to his thoughts on teaching primitive skills to children, taking teens on extensive expeditions, access to public and private land, and the nature books that inspired his young imagination.
Read more about how survival skills can be beneficial here and how spending time in nature leads to the protection of the environment here.
Interview with Curry Rosato—Education Manager for Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP): listen to her thoughts on how OSMP manages and stewards 45,000 acres of land in the county and uses these areas for field trips for public and independent schools. Listen to her commitment to spending time outside each day as her "daily vitamin", a practice which started in her youth when her mother encouraged her to play outside in the dirt until the fireflies came out.
Read more about youth spending time in nature here.
Interview with Kasey Schelling—co-founder of the Kiva Center. Listen to her thoughts about how the Kiva Center focuses on building relationships between people and nature with the overarching belief that "we are nature as well". Listen to Kasey talk about the Kiva Center's family programs, their focus on survival skills, herbalism, and crafts, and their addressing of the mental health crisis in teens.
Read more about human-nature relationship here.
Interview with Rachel Brett—Director of Community Partnerships at Thorne Nature Experience: listen to her speak about the “Nature Kids Program” focused on eliminating barriers for families in Lafayette, Boulder and Longmont, her experience going away to summer camp as a kid, how she was inspired by science to work with nature, and why her ideal day outside is shared with her family.
Read more about the positive impact of nature summer camps here.
Interview with Ryan Van Duzer: listen to his philosophy of getting off the couch and spending time outside, his gratefulness for the freedom of a bicycle in his youth that remains with him in adulthood, his favorite outdoor Boulder spots, and his dream day biking through the desert.
Read more about the mental and physical benefits here.