Candice spent her childhood years in Los Angeles, and there was a piece of land that separated her family’s backyard from the freeway. Candice and her siblings called this space “Neverland” and they spent hours every day engaged in imaginative play between the woods and wildflowers that inhabited this land. As a mother raising two young daughters in Los Angeles, Candice realized the landscape of “play” had substantially changed from when she was a child, and found raising children in a city very limiting.  After her family learned about forest schools, their lives completely changed. Candice discovered her mission of creating accessible nature programs for her communities, and founded Davis Forest School in early 2018. Candice also co-founded Atlanta Forest School in Atlanta, Georgia in 2019. Candice attended UC Davis as an undergraduate student and managed the local teen center for the City of Davis during her college years. She also volunteered as a camp counselor for several summers through the City. Candice has her MBA with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior from California Lutheran University. She is Wilderness First Aid and CPR certified, and trained in nonviolent communication. 

Binuta (they/them) spent their early years between the lush tropics of Kerala, India and the dry desolate city scapes of the Middle East. Even as they missed the rich landscape of their home, the nomadic lifestyle of the early years led them towards a life-long quest for a simpler, more harmonious way of belonging to the world.

Having settled in Davis in 2007 to raise a family, Binuta soon committed to balancing a life of community engagement with solitude and contemplation. At the Davis Forest School, they design and lead self-guided nature explorations for children and families through parent-child programs and the Little Coyotes Kinder program. Their aim is to have every child go through a Forest School program in their community — awakening them to the deep bond they share with the earth and recognizing the healing power of that connection.

Binuta has a degree in Architecture and Sustainable design. In addition to raising two unschooling kiddos, Binuta is a Hakomi (mindfulness) coach, and also teaches yoga and meditation through the Davis Yoga Collective and the Prison Yoga Project.

Adrian is a master’s student in the Graduate Group in Ecology at UC Davis. Originally from the San Fernando Valley, he moved to Northern California to pursue his undergraduate degree in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, also at UC Davis, and has remained in the area since. His love for the outdoors was sparked by childhood fishing trips with his family, fostering an early appreciation for natural resources. This passion now drives his current research on Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River. When he’s not in the field, Adrian enjoys running, exploring new cuisines, and discovering new music. He aspires to continue his work with salmon to help sustain and protect California’s fish populations.

Allison is a 3rd generation Sacramento local and loves the American River, the Pacific Ocean & all natural bodies of water she’s had the pleasure & privilege to visit. When Allison’s son was just an infant in March 2020, she found great refuge and peace by visiting the American River almost every single day of 2020 and beyond. She still visits multiple times per week with her family and always finds joy, solace, connection and comfort in our beautiful American River. 

Allison is a UC certified California naturalist, having trained with Brena Seck @ Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Allison has been teaching & performing hoopdance and creating hula hoops since 2007. She attended both UCSC and UCD and is a UCD graduate. She loves being a mom to her son, ZG! She loves dancing at outdoor concerts (especially Stick Figure), as well as visiting the rivers, the ocean and its beaches, tide pools and shores. She also enjoys creating stained glass art. Allison enjoys bringing people to these wonderful wild places around us, and she strives to help others find joyful connection with themselves, their communities and their environments.

Bryan is a student in the Redwood SEED Scholars Program at UC Davis. This is a four-year, inclusive residential college program for students with intellectual disabilities. Bryan really enjoys the inclusive culture on campus; he is a trombone player in the UC Davis Marching Band and University Campus Band and runs 100 meter sprints in the Track and Field Club. He loves to support Davis sports teams. If he’s not playing with the marching band at a sports game, he’ll often be found in the stands to cheer on the Davis team.

One of Bryan’s favorite UC Davis classes has been the Early Childhood Laboratory where he interacted with young children in an applied early childhood setting. He really enjoys spending time with young students at the Davis Forest School, especially swimming in the creek in the summer, and hopes to continue to take more classes focused on child development.

CC Edwards is a PhD student in Entomology and studies mosquitoes (yes, mosquitoes…)! She was born and raised in Houston, Texas (she is huge Astros fan!) and went to Baylor University for her bachelors in molecular biology and did her masters in biology at Texas Tech University before moving out here to California. She got interested in biology and entomology through similar programs like the Davis Forest School. She enjoys sharing her love of nature, science, and bugs with everyone! In her free time, she likes getting coffee with her friends, roller skating, running, and trying new crafts (she loves to crochet!) and recipes she found online.

Courtney worked as a forest mentor a few years ago and is very happy to be back. Courtney grew up in Davis and is now raising her kids, 8 and 5, with her husband here too. Her background is in costume production and sustainable clothing and textiles design. She is currently also working at American River College as an instructional assistant in the theatre costume shop. Her favorite place to hike is in coastal redwood groves. Her favorite place to swim with her kids is the Yuba River. At home, she grows a vegetable garden and mini orchard and supports her daughter raising chickens. Visiting Putah Creek is a wonderful chance to stay in tune with the seasons and explore all the life so close to home. Courtney’s looking forward to supporting the kids in safe and curious nature play.

Born and raised in San Diego, CA, Crystal grew up hiking Cowles Mountain and exploring the tide pools of La Jolla. She met a naturalist on her first day of sixth grade camp and knew she wanted to be just like her when she grew up. As an undergraduate student, Crystal worked as a research assistant for the Mabry Lab and did extensive field work out in the Quail Ridge Reserve of Lake Berryessa. She went on to earn her B.S. in psychology, teaching credential, and Master’s in science education from UC Davis. She taught high school chemistry for 2 years before taking time away to have a family.

Since becoming a parent, Crystal learned how important outdoor play is for children to engage in and sought activities for her family to participate in. She began attending the Davis Forest School Parent/Child Program with her son and quickly fell in love. She is delighted to be able to give back to the program that changed her life and her parenting. Crystal loves animals, gardening, and learning and teaching others about the natural world!

Fermín is a student at UCD, studying Landscape Architecture. He loves to make buildable art with plants! Even though he was born in central California, he was raised in a little rural town in Jalisco, Mexico the first 8 years of his life (that is where he developed a knack for the outdoors!) He lived in Los Angeles for a good 10 years until he came to Davis last fall. Davis reminds him of his little town in Mexico and he loves it here. Though he is going to be an architect, he thinks it is fresh to be around little humans. He has always found ways to be around good honest company, being the second oldest of 4, working with the VEX IQ robotics elementary and middle school programs during HS, being an active counselor for the UCD Cal Aggie Camp program, and now a mentor for DFS!

Meet Fred, a Ph.D. student at UC Davis, from the vibrant city of Houston, Texas. He embarked on his academic journey at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he earned his BS in Biology, igniting his passion for the environment and those who call it home.

Beyond academics, Fred finds joy in giving back to his community, regularly volunteering at the Sacramento Farmers Market. When he’s not immersed in his studies or lending a helping hand, you can find him gliding through the streets on his rollerblades or scaling indoor rock walls in pursuit of a challenge. As a former intern in Yellowstone National Park, Fred has been involved in outreach programs aimed at getting folks of all ages excited about the natural world around them. 

Jenna Kohls is 39 years old, mother of 2 children, and recently married. She loves music, dance, playing the guitar, her husband, her home, and her children. Jenna was raised on a farm in the Delta region of California, and spent most of her childhood outdoors, connecting to plants, animals and frolicking through wildflower fields. Over the past 39 years, Jenna has studied various healing and teaching professions. She holds a Ashtanga yoga certification, is certified by Mindful Schools, is a certified Massage Therapist, volunteered with the Awareness Institute, worked with Trackers Earth in Berkeley, CA, has 10 years of experience founding and directing nature-based preschools, has been a preschool teacher for 20 years, and is completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development at Sac State. Jenna also spent over a decade designing and leading yoga, ballet, and movement classes for preschool and school-age children who are experiencing poverty and not provided physical education. Jenna founded Starlight Cottage Playcare, Dragonfly Forest School, and co-founded Muck and Wonder Farm School in Sacramento.

Jessie was born and raised in Los Angeles, California amidst the hustle and bustle of city life. Apart from a few causal camping trips, she didn’t get her nature fix until college time when she and her friends would go on backpacking trips, float in Lake Berryessa, or ski in Tahoe, to name a few. Throughout college, Jessie worked in a research lab studying how nature can help strengthen the bond between parents and their children, utilizing “care farming” techniques such as therapeutic gardening and hanging out with donkeys. Besides her job working on a flower and citrus farm, Jessie is a hopeful environmental scientist or nature writer. In her (very limited) free time, Jessie can be found practicing yoga, playing the trombone or piano, needlepointing, playing with her kitties, or skiing over the winter weekends in Tahoe.

Lina was born in Germany and is the eldest of five siblings. She grew up playing in the woods behind her family’s apartment in Gothenburg, Sweden with her sister and their close friend. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 8 years old and although she no longer had the forest at her fingertips, she and her friends found little nature spots wherever they were to be found, with the consensus that the more expansive, and wilder, and freer, the better. She earned a BS in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution at UCLA where she also taught outdoor education seminars as a guide through their Outdoor Leadership Training Program. After working in environmental consulting for three years in downtown LA, she moved to Davis to continue her education in ecology at UC Davis. She co-taught at Kindergruppe Waldwichtel, a German immersion forest school in Davis from 2017-2020 and became a certified California Naturalist in 2020. She finds great joy in getting outdoors with children, including her own two, and believes that a personal connection with nature fosters well-being and a sense of global responsibility.

Mari was born in Paredones, Michoacan Mexico and immigrated with her family to the US in 1997. She has six sisters and four brothers. She comes from a farm working family, often picking fruits  or pruning grapevines. She studied Chicano Studies at UC Davis  and obtained a minor in History and Philosophy of Science. Mari has fond memories of the land in Mexico, as a kid she would climb trees, jump in puddles and fly kites with her brother Meño. Mari enjoys working with students of all ages and abilities. Mari also enjoys gardening, exercising and writing.

Molly was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She spent her summers camping, backpacking, and exploring nature with her family. Some of her most fond childhood memories include playing in the Yosemite rivers and making fairy houses in the garden. These childhood experiences in nature have shaped her love and appreciation for the outdoors and continue to influence her day to day life. Molly has over seven years of nannying experience working with children of various ages from infants to middle school. Her favorite activities as a nanny were taking children on adventures through San Francisco, especially Golden Gate Park, where they could discover, connect, and play in nature. Molly is graduating this quarter from UCD with a BS in Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity. Before completing her undergraduate degree, Molly spent a year living and volunteering at Coyote Family Farm in Sonoma County where she learned valuable agriculture and community building skills. She has been working for the past two quarters at the UC Davis Arboretum Nursery, learning to propagate, prune, and care for plants. Some of Molly’s interests include flowering plants, species biodiversity, creating art, spending time in nature, writing, practicing yoga, playing guitar, and rollerblading.

Samin, a transfer student from Sacramento Community College, is now part of the College Corps program at UC Davis. Raised in Sacramento, she developed a deep appreciation for nature and wildlife, spending much of her time hiking along the American River trail. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she remained active by hiking for up to six hours a day, often accompanied by neighborhood children, encouraging them to explore and appreciate the outdoors. Samin’s passion for the environment is matched by her academic goals, as she is on a premedical track aiming to become an emergency medicine physician. Now at UC Davis, she is eager to further explore the area, meet new people, and engage with the community through meaningful activities. Her commitment to both her personal and professional growth makes this opportunity at UC Davis an exciting next step in her journey.