Whole Earth Nature School
Whole Earth Nature School, 1158 Garfield Street, Eugene, OR 97402
About
Whole Earth Nature School offers summer camps and other programs where students take part in activities such as fire making, hiding, wildcrafting, and group play and challenges. Programs include week-long day camps, overnight camps, 3–5 day Outdoor School programs, and themed experiences such as Coyote Kids, Coyote Outdoor School, FOREST Canopy, and FOREST Understory. Students have hands-on outdoor experiences where they interact with their environment, including eating wild plants, using them for medicine, moving from human trails to deer trails while following wildlife tracks, and using mud and charcoal to camouflage their faces and bodies to blend into the landscape and observe nature unseen.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Week-long immersive experiences for ages 5–17, including week-long day camps and overnight camps; 3–5 day programs for fifth- and sixth-grade students and for participating Oregon schools; 9-month FOREST Canopy experience meeting 2 hours weekly plus monthly outings; 9-month FOREST Understory series meeting for a full day once a month on Saturdays
Whole Earth Nature School was founded in the fall of 2009 by Ana Bradley, Matt Bradley, and Rees Maxwell, and in January 2012 all operations were transferred to a newly created nonprofit entity. Whole Earth Nature School is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and was originally created as a private company (LLC) before becoming a nonprofit. The leadership team includes founders Ana Bradley, Matt Bradley, and Rees Maxwell, along with Executive Director Joe Ramagli (he/him), who came to Whole Earth Nature School in the summer of 2021, and Operations Director Meadow Scott (she/her). Whole Earth Nature School states a mission of “Mentoring students outdoors to foster confidence, resilience, and kinship with nature.”
Whole Earth Nature School describes FOREST Canopy as a profound, flagship 9-month experience and FOREST Understory as a 9-month series that builds epic skills. Programs use nature connection and wilderness skills as a pathway to help students flourish, with an emphasis on personal support and attention for each student. The school teaches through activities such as fire making, hiding, wildcrafting, and group play and challenges to build specific character traits and skills, and uses live action storytelling and themed camp programs, including theming nature camps around archetypal story elements found in popular culture, to help students immerse themselves in the natural world. Core values named by the program are Discovery, Accessibility, Connection, Creative Fun, Responsibility, and Safety.
Whole Earth Nature School runs Coyote Outdoor School as a state-funded Outdoor School for fifth- and sixth-grade students with a focus on land-based education, offering residential, hybrid, non-residential, and remote programs, including overnight programs that enhance students’ connection to self, community, and nature. Programs are offered in partnership with participating Oregon schools. The organization acknowledges that its 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 recognizes the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Whole Earth Nature School states a commitment to strengthening relationships with tribal nations and Indigenous people, learning from Indigenous educators, and including Indigenous education and traditional ecological knowledge in programs with permission.
Whole Earth Nature School states that it has experienced professionals as staff and that, through staff training related to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, it commits to providing greater access to inclusive nature experiences. The organization also states a broader commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and to land acknowledgements. Parent testimonials describe children having adventures and learning a lot in programs and camps, gaining knowledge of ecology and “our place in the wilderness,” and experiencing programs that are described as well organized and authentic in their commitment to teaching respect for natural surroundings. Another parent testimonial notes that instructors provide a safe and caring environment, and that children have experiences just outside their comfort zone, learn new skills, and gain confidence in being outdoors.
Last updated July 14, 2026.
• Ages: 5–17 years old
• Schedule: Week-long immersive experiences for ages 5–17, including week-long day camps and overnight camps; 3–5 day programs for fifth- and sixth-grade students and for participating Oregon schools; 9-month FOREST Canopy experience meeting 2 hours weekly plus monthly outings; 9-month FOREST Understory series meeting for a full day once a month on Saturdays
Whole Earth Nature School was founded in the fall of 2009 by Ana Bradley, Matt Bradley, and Rees Maxwell, and in January 2012 all operations were transferred to a newly created nonprofit entity. Whole Earth Nature School is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and was originally created as a private company (LLC) before becoming a nonprofit. The leadership team includes founders Ana Bradley, Matt Bradley, and Rees Maxwell, along with Executive Director Joe Ramagli (he/him), who came to Whole Earth Nature School in the summer of 2021, and Operations Director Meadow Scott (she/her). Whole Earth Nature School states a mission of “Mentoring students outdoors to foster confidence, resilience, and kinship with nature.”
Whole Earth Nature School describes FOREST Canopy as a profound, flagship 9-month experience and FOREST Understory as a 9-month series that builds epic skills. Programs use nature connection and wilderness skills as a pathway to help students flourish, with an emphasis on personal support and attention for each student. The school teaches through activities such as fire making, hiding, wildcrafting, and group play and challenges to build specific character traits and skills, and uses live action storytelling and themed camp programs, including theming nature camps around archetypal story elements found in popular culture, to help students immerse themselves in the natural world. Core values named by the program are Discovery, Accessibility, Connection, Creative Fun, Responsibility, and Safety.
Whole Earth Nature School runs Coyote Outdoor School as a state-funded Outdoor School for fifth- and sixth-grade students with a focus on land-based education, offering residential, hybrid, non-residential, and remote programs, including overnight programs that enhance students’ connection to self, community, and nature. Programs are offered in partnership with participating Oregon schools. The organization acknowledges that its 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 recognizes the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Whole Earth Nature School states a commitment to strengthening relationships with tribal nations and Indigenous people, learning from Indigenous educators, and including Indigenous education and traditional ecological knowledge in programs with permission.
Whole Earth Nature School states that it has experienced professionals as staff and that, through staff training related to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, it commits to providing greater access to inclusive nature experiences. The organization also states a broader commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and to land acknowledgements. Parent testimonials describe children having adventures and learning a lot in programs and camps, gaining knowledge of ecology and “our place in the wilderness,” and experiencing programs that are described as well organized and authentic in their commitment to teaching respect for natural surroundings. Another parent testimonial notes that instructors provide a safe and caring environment, and that children have experiences just outside their comfort zone, learn new skills, and gain confidence in being outdoors.
Last updated July 14, 2026.
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