WHO I AM

I grew up on an old colonial farm in the village of New Marlborough, MA, a skip outside Great Barrington in the southern Berkshires. I was raised to explore, learn from, and cherish the natural world, and my love affair with the wild is still going strong after more than 50 years. My husband, Paul, and I raised our girls on the land I grew up on. Together we enjoyed homeschooling, traveling, and further immersing our family in living on and off the land. My daughters and I received wilderness training and work experience from Flying Deer Nature Center in East Chatham, NY and together we began taking kids into the woods two decades ago. My girls grew up quickly and moved on, but I couldn’t stop the fun of being with kids in the woods. Since then, I have been offering nature-based programs to children and adults of all ages. Trained as a Citizen Tracker through Keeping Track in Vermont, I enjoy exploring the who, what, and where of the creatures that call the wild their home. I am also a passionate gardener and a former criminal investigator. Currently, I can be found teaching aqua aerobic classes at Berkshire South Regional Community Center, still working with Flying Deer Nature Center co-directing the girls rites of passage program for the last 14 years, hosting wilderness workshops for The New Marlborough Land Trust, maintaining the family farm and hanging out in the woods. My latest endeavors include a seat on the board of directors for the New Marlborough Land Trust and studying the problem of plastic in our world with Beyond Plastics at Bennington College. I am passionate about the work I do and enjoy every second I spend with kids (and women!) in the woods.