About
Whole Earth Nature School offers hands-on outdoor activities such as fire making, hiding, wildcrafting, group play and challenges, and an Apocalypse Survival Race. Participants eat wild plants, use wild plants for medicine, move from human trails to deer trails, follow the tracks of wildlife, and use mud and charcoal to camouflage their faces and bodies. The program uses live action storytelling and themed camp programs, including nature camps themed around archetypal story elements found throughout popular culture.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Week-long day camps and overnight camps; 3–5 day programs for fifth- and sixth-grade students; 2 hours weekly plus monthly outings; full-day once a month on Saturdays
• Session duration: Week-long immersive experiences for ages 5–17; 3–5 day programs for fifth- and sixth-grade students; 9-month experience and 9-month series
Whole Earth Nature School was founded in the fall of 2009 and in January 2012 all operations were transferred to a newly created nonprofit entity. It is based in Eugene, Oregon and operates as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The leadership team includes founders Ana Bradley, Matt Bradley, and Rees Maxwell, along with Executive Director Joe Ramagli and Operations Director Meadow Scott. The mission of Whole Earth Nature School is “Mentoring students outdoors to foster confidence, resilience, and kinship with nature.”
Whole Earth Nature School offers summer camps at local parks and wilderness retreats, a state-funded Outdoor School for fifth- and sixth-grade students with a focus on land-based education, and residential, hybrid, non-residential, and remote programs. The organization runs a flagship 9-month experience called F.O.R.E.S.T. Canopy and a 9-month series called F.O.R.E.S.T. Understory. Program activities take place on the traditional homelands of Indigenous people including tribes and bands of Kalapuya, Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw, and Molalla peoples, and the organization states a commitment to including land acknowledgements in programs, strengthening relationships with tribal nations and Indigenous people, learning from Indigenous educators, and, with permission, including Indigenous education and traditional ecological knowledge in programs.
One parent reports that their child “adores the programs and camps put on by Whole Earth” and that “he always has an adventure and learns so much.” Another parent states that “these camps provide more than just outside play time” and that “the kids come away with a real knowledge of ecology and our place in the wilderness.” A third parent says they “appreciate that the kids have experiences that are just outside their comfort zone” and that “the instructors provide a safe and caring environment for all children to grow and learn,” noting that their girls “have learned a lot of new skills and gained great confidence in being outdoors.”
Last updated April 14, 2026.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Week-long day camps and overnight camps; 3–5 day programs for fifth- and sixth-grade students; 2 hours weekly plus monthly outings; full-day once a month on Saturdays
• Session duration: Week-long immersive experiences for ages 5–17; 3–5 day programs for fifth- and sixth-grade students; 9-month experience and 9-month series
Whole Earth Nature School was founded in the fall of 2009 and in January 2012 all operations were transferred to a newly created nonprofit entity. It is based in Eugene, Oregon and operates as a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The leadership team includes founders Ana Bradley, Matt Bradley, and Rees Maxwell, along with Executive Director Joe Ramagli and Operations Director Meadow Scott. The mission of Whole Earth Nature School is “Mentoring students outdoors to foster confidence, resilience, and kinship with nature.”
Whole Earth Nature School offers summer camps at local parks and wilderness retreats, a state-funded Outdoor School for fifth- and sixth-grade students with a focus on land-based education, and residential, hybrid, non-residential, and remote programs. The organization runs a flagship 9-month experience called F.O.R.E.S.T. Canopy and a 9-month series called F.O.R.E.S.T. Understory. Program activities take place on the traditional homelands of Indigenous people including tribes and bands of Kalapuya, Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw, and Molalla peoples, and the organization states a commitment to including land acknowledgements in programs, strengthening relationships with tribal nations and Indigenous people, learning from Indigenous educators, and, with permission, including Indigenous education and traditional ecological knowledge in programs.
One parent reports that their child “adores the programs and camps put on by Whole Earth” and that “he always has an adventure and learns so much.” Another parent states that “these camps provide more than just outside play time” and that “the kids come away with a real knowledge of ecology and our place in the wilderness.” A third parent says they “appreciate that the kids have experiences that are just outside their comfort zone” and that “the instructors provide a safe and caring environment for all children to grow and learn,” noting that their girls “have learned a lot of new skills and gained great confidence in being outdoors.”
Last updated April 14, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.