Rachel was gifted a multifaceted childhood that reverberated with romps in gulf coast waters, swimming in secret swimming holes on her great grandfather’s farm and concrete jungle adventures in Houston’s 5th Ward, her birthplace. She was lucky enough to have a nuclear tribe with massive appreciation for the natural world and almost all her memories of family trips were immersed in the striking beauty of nature.

After graduating with a degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and getting a “real job”, Rachel very quickly realized that a regular laboratory nine to five under fluorescent lights was most definitely not for her. So, she did what every conflicted young adult does and joined the United States Peace Corps. Even though nature had always been a place of comfort and solace for her, her service as a Coastal Resources Management Volunteer in the Philippines was what truly helped her come to the life changing realization that humans will only protect what they love and only love what they understand. It was in this space that her career in environmental education began, and since then has shown no signs of slowing. 

Following her Peace Corps service, she took a solo sojourn through southeast Asia before settling back in Houston. While living in the big city she split her energy between teaching Yoga for Harris County Senior Citizens Programs and as a Horticulture Program Assistant for post-adjudicated youth within the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. A series of unfortunate events in 2017 caused yet another reevaluation of purpose and place and she soon found herself in the national parks of northern Virginia and California teaching overnight environmental science education with Nature Bridge. At Nature Bridge she revisited life lessons and the importance of equity, inclusion, social/emotional learning and how vital they are to our relationship with our fellow humans and the natural world. 

Rachel is stoked to be a part of the Earth Native team! When she isn’t refurbishing her great-grandfather’s farm she’s most likely on some body of water riding a board with a fin attached to it, scheming on her next dive trip, or nose deep in a good book and she’s even been known to do all three at once.

Jack was born in Indianapolis and raised in south central Indiana. Every summer of his childhood was spent in southeastern Kentucky in the backwoods surrounding Dale Hollow Lake. It was there that his fascination with the forest began. As an adult, Jack moved to Washington State to attend the Alderleaf Wilderness Certification Program, it was in this program that his deep love for the outdoors resurfaced and sparked a desire to pursue outdoor education full time. After spending 3 years studying and apprenticing at Alderleaf Wilderness College, where Jack honed his skills in birdwatching, wildlife track and sign identification, wildlife trailing, plant identification, bow making, knife forging, and bushcraft and survival skills, he joined the Earth Native Instructor team as a Youth Programs Instructor.
 

Jack currently holds certifications in Wildlife Track and Sign Identification, Wildlife Trailing, Permaculture Design, and Wilderness First Responder. He spends his free time camping and hiking, going out into the woods to decipher the track and sign puzzles that animals leave behind and to watch birds.

David Croft is a native of the Texas Hill Country and grew up as a “free-range child” with outdoor experience in all parts of Texas.  He has interests and experience in Primitive Technologies, SCUBA diving, caving, sailing, flying and wildland studies of all kinds.  

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In his early college career he studied psychology/geology at the University of Texas and was active in sub-marine and submarine research both with the UT system and the Department of the Interior.  After several years of developing his carpentry skills into a design and construction business, his latent interest in medicine and emergency response led him to become a certified EMT with special skills.  From there he took on firefighting, EMS response and ultimately full time work at the Seton system first as an Emergency Room Technician then as Operations Manager for Seton’s Emergency Services.  During that period he finished a pre-med degree and assumed much of the responsibility for Seton’s disaster response including response to Hazardous Materials Incidents in the region.  He also represented the Seton System at the region’s Interagency Disaster Council.  

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David then returned to school full time to complete a degree in Environmental Management with a focus on Natural Hazards.  As an intern at the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, he worked to develop and evaluate emergency response/notification strategies for HAZMAT incidents that threaten water quality in the district.

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After graduation, he was recruited by the City of Austin Office of Emergency Management to write the healthcare response plans for Austin/Travis County and then by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to help design and implement a Facility Management Information System.  David then joined the City of Austin's Wildland Conservation Division helping to care for and manage the City's preserve lands.  

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David became a Master Naturalist in 2004 and has volunteered in various capacities including teaching primitive technologies for the Capital Area Master Naturalists, Westcave Preserve, the Native Prairie Association of Texas, Scouting and YMCA.  He is the Emergency Operations Coordinator for El Ranchito Summer Camp and enjoys teaching “Primitive Technologies”, “Natural Hazards of Texas”, “First Aid off the Grid” and other topics.

Trent grew up running barefoot through the creeks of Conroe and Porter Texas, picking blackberries and carving walking staves. His love for the outdoors started in those muddy waters and continues to grow every year. 

He went to school and obtained his associates of arts with the idea of becoming a philosophy professor but soon realized that the best way he could be a teacher is if his classrooms were the woods, rivers, and hills. Prior to joining Earth Native’s teaching team, Trent worked for three years in an environmental leadership program, where he was the lead field instructor. He is CPR, First Aid certified, a certified rope and rock-climbing instructor, and has been involved in bushcraft and wilderness skills learning for many years.

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His favorite pastime is handline fishing with handline rigs he carves himself. He also enjoys hobby blacksmithing and leatherworking. His main passion however is to teach others the skills he has learned to inspire people to develop the same love he has for nature.

Lauren has always been fascinated by the powerful relationship between nature and people. Born in San Antonio, Texas to a military family, she spent much of her childhood abroad. The need to frequently relocate created a love for exploring, and taught her to find a sense of place in nature. Quiet moments impressed on her the importance of people's connection to their surroundings and the healing power of time in the dirt. 

In college, she studied anthropology and environmental science thinking about the effects of people on the health of ecosystems, and vice versa. She volunteered with many San Antonio organizations, like Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, the San Antonio Zoo, and Texas Master Naturalists, tapping into the wealth of knowledge found in community. After graduating, she completed an AmeriCorps service term with the Conservation Corps in Saint Paul, Minnesota. As a member of the Youth Outdoors program, she led seasonal crews of high-school students in natural resource management and community conservation projects. 

As an Earth Native Instructor, Lauren is always eager to impart curiosity, enthusiasm, and respect for the natural world. She enjoys teaching bushcraft skills, wilderness medicine, and natural awareness. Her personal experience as a mother and public school teacher has only reinforced her advocacy for allowing kids to be wild and learn from nature.

James can trace the first spark of his journey to become a naturalist back to his childhood when his aunt began showing him how to forage for edible plants. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, James began studying wilderness skills and nature education full time at Alderleaf Wilderness College in Western Washington State where he completed the school’s Wilderness Certification Program, with Honors, and the Alderleaf Instructor Apprenticeship. After studying at Alderleaf for two years, James attended the Wilderness Awareness School’s Anake program in Duvall, Washington where he further honed his naturalist, nature mentoring, and wilderness skills.

Prior to joining Earth Native, James taught nature education programs for Quiet Heart Wilderness School and was a volunteer youth instructor at both Alderleaf Wilderness College and the Wilderness Awareness School and served as a team leader on the Conservation Northwest Citizen Science Project. 

James is certified Level III in Wildlife Track and Sign Identification and Level II in Wildlife Trailing through CyberTracker Conservation International, an international standard for evaluating the field skills of Wildlife Trackers. 

When he’s not running around in the woods with kids James enjoys following animal trails through the woods and honing his bushcrafting skills. 

Born into a military family, Eve’s earliest memories of his childhood are in Adak, AK, a tiny volcanic Island in the Bearing Sea where he witnessed the power of nature alongside bald eagles, caribou and sea otter in the awe inspiring and rugged tundra landscape. These powerful early childhood experiences helped to instill a lifelong respect for and connection to nature. 

After serving seven years in the U.S. Airforce, Eve relocated to western Washington where he attended a wilderness residency program at Alderleaf Wilderness College. At Alderleaf, Eve experienced profound personal growth through his naturalist studies and the connections he made to the local outdoor community. In 2018, Eve graduated from Alderleaf Wilderness College with honors and received certificates in permaculture design, ecological studies, and outdoor education. Eve is also certified as a Track and Sign Level III Tracker through CyberTracker International.

Eve’s passions include all things nature related, music, laughing, and sharing his love of nature with others.

Wes is a Houston native and grew up hunting, fishing, and building forts in the piney forests of east Texas. His childhood backyard connected to tens of thousands of acres of wilderness in the San Jacinto River floodplain. Nearly all of Wes’s free time as a child all was spent outdoors where he built a lifelong bond with the natural world. Following this passion, Wesley left Texas for college in Florida, where he studied biology, geology, and archaeology.

Prior to joining Earth Native’s teaching team, Wes worked for a decade as a field archaeologist in the Everglades and across other areas of Florida, a position that felt like a “dream job” to a nature lover such as himself. Spending so much time studying how natural ecosystems connect to human life has given Wesley a deep understanding of human pre-history in North America, native plant communities and their relationships to soil types and topography, mapping and navigation in wilderness areas, and a chance to hone his wildlife tracking skill. Over the years, Wes’s love for the natural world has shaped his life in so many positive ways and one of his biggest passions is sharing his knowledge and experiences with the next generation of young naturalists.

Jon spent his childhood in Washington and Missouri, exploring the forest that surrounded his home, going on outdoor adventures with his family and friends, and learning to play several musical instruments. 

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Jon was first exposed to the world of outdoor education in elementary school when he attended his first class trip to Earth’s Classroom, a nature school in Rosebud, Missouri. This experience led him to enroll in the school’s Natural Resource Career Experience program where he learned about career opportunities in Environmental Education. 

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The camping and hiking he did with his family growing up flourished into an interest and love for backpacking and the trees he he climbed led him to a passion for rock climbing. The endless summer days spent on Table Rock Lake led to his interest in marine biology and the joy of taking a boat through any body of water. 

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After graduating high school, Jon immediately left his small town to work at a summer camp in the San Bernardino mountain range of Southern California. It was here that Jon realized outdoor education is where he was meant to be. He went on to the University of Missouri, where Jon studied Parks, Recreation, and Tourism with an emphasis in Natural Resource and Recreation Management. During this time he continued to pursue his own nature connection, taking on roles such as a climbing instructor, camp counselor and herb farmer. 

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Prior to joining the Earth Native team, Jon worked as an outdoor educator in the Adirondack mountains where he helped his students develop an appreciation for the natural world. For a time this work allowed Jon to live and work in the Adirondack Mountain range of upstate New York, and later in the Blue Ridge Mountain range of western North Carolina. During his time in New York, Jon was fortunate enough to be hired as an adventure guide where he led trips all over the Northeast instructing rock climbing, sea kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, and backpacking.

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Jon is thrilled to continue this passion helping others develop connections to nature and outdoor skills. 

Raised in Southwest Houston, Kimberly always wanted to trade the fast-paced city life for a life filled with wild animals and tall trees. Being the eldest of five, Kimberly always found comfort and peace laying underneath trees, watching the clouds go by. 

Growing up in a big city, it was hard to find green spaces to connect with as a child. Luckily, Kimberly was able to connect to nature through stories her family would tell her about growing up in a small town in Guatemala. Listening to stories about hiding in the trees, running through streams, and sleeping in hammocks underneath the stars always amazed her and she desperately yearned for a childhood like that. It was her family’s stories that inspired Kimberly to care and learn more about the outdoors. 

As she grew older, Kimberly spent a lot of holidays hiking and swimming at Brazos Bend State Park and Guadalupe River State Park. During these outings, she always felt a sense of belonging and never wanted to leave these dreamy state parks. These places felt magical and unreal to her and captivated her imagination unlike the city. 

It wasn’t until she was a student at Texas State University that Kimberly’s love for teaching others about wildlife and conservation exploded. Being able to learn about wildlife in Guatemala and Ireland in her college years made her realize how powerful first-hand experiences are and wanted to help others have those experiences. 

During the school year, she was a Glass-Bottom Boat driver and would drive visitors around Spring Lake to show off the beautiful freshwater springs. During this time, she was also a freshwater aquarist and helped maintain the health of the Texas Blind Salamander and San Marcos Salamander. In the summer, she was able to chat with people from all over the world as an environmental interpreter at the Downtown Aquarium – Houston. Kimberly was also able to SCUBA dive for the aquarium to help maintain the appearance of the tanks and health of her fish friends. 

After earning her degree in Wildlife Biology with a minor in Geography from Texas State University, Kimberly joined the Earth Native Instructing team in order to pursue her dream of working outdoors full-time helping others develop a love of nature to match her own.

Callie was born and raised in the east Texas Piney Woods. Her love of nature blossomed at an early age listening to the woods come alive in the morning with bird songs and squirrel chirps from her grandparents’ back porch. Callie’s childhood was divided between time spent in the woods with her brothers creating hideouts that felt like a whole different world, and the basketball court. 

Callie’s early childhood experiences outdoors inspired her to study Geography at the University of Texas where she majored in geography on the landscape ecology tract and minored in geography. 

In the early 2000’s, Callie discovered permaculture and began studying the practice through the Austin Permaculture Guild, eventually receiving her Permaculture Design Certificate. To this day she remains fascinated by the natural rhythm that Permaculture provides not only to agriculture but to permaculture communities themselves. Callie is continuously striving to live connected with the land in her off-grid home in Caldwell County. Her dream is to one day live in a Permaculture Paradise.

Alyssa was a city kid who moved to the country when she was young and immediately fell in love with the open spaces and the animals that came with it. These interests led her to pursue a degree in Wildlife Biology at Texas State University where she learned about animal behavior, plant identification, and animal tracking. While at Texas State she had the opportunity to intern at the San Antonio Zoo where she got the chance to work closely with animals and learn more about their characteristics and behavior. Later, while working as a youth recreational instructor, Alyssa realized she had a passion for teaching and sharing nature experiences with children and began pursuing a career in environmental education. 

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Before joining the teaching team at Earth Native Alyssa worked in parks and recreation as a Park Ranger in New Braunfels and later designing and managing youth programs with the town of La Grange’s Parks Department.

Anne Vincent had the privilege of being born into a family that knew and loved wild places. Growing up in Southeast Texas, she was very much at home in the tannin darkened waters of big thicket. Cypress, pine, blue heron, gators, and sugar sand bars on the Neches unfolded some of their mysteries and taught her a love of nature that would ultimately influence her path in life.

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By the age of 13 her summers were either spent in an 18 foot royalex old town canoe, with a three horse motor and her dog, being resupplied on weekends at predetermined points by a proud father, or solo sailing from Sabine pass to Matagorda Bay.

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After graduating from college Anne went to work for Texas Parks and Wildlife at Pedernales Falls State Park, before her love for adventure led her to several seasons of whitewater guiding and search and rescue in Colorado. She then moved on to Americorps Rocky Mountain and an internship with the National Outdoor Leadership School where she worked on all aspects of backcountry expedition programming.

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Almost all the wonder that she can feel she finds in nature. Many years she spends more nights in tents than indoors. Anne is motivated to share the beauty and intricacy of natural systems, foster greater public understanding of our remaining wild places through responsible use, and share with a new generation the gifts of awareness, competency, leadership and risk management that are learned naturally through life outdoors.

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Before coming to work at Earth Native Anne spent several years working as an Urban EMT and is currently working to become a fellow at the Wilderness Medicine Institute council on trauma. Anne holds certifications in cultural and natural resource interpretation, guiding, is a leave no trace master educator, and is trained in swift water and technical rope rescue. Anne holds degrees in English and Anthropology from the University of Texas. When she’s not out sharing her love of nature with others, she enjoys multi-day whitewater expeditions, mountaineering and racing sailboats. 

Emma grew up in Sacramento, California where she gravitated to the outdoors from a young age. Bugs and creatures of any kind have always been her biggest fascination as she spent much of her childhood camping, hiking, and exploring all of the nooks and crannies of California. She had the opportunity to spend the summers in Lake Tahoe, where there was no shortage of wildlife to be inspired by and exploration to be done. 

While attending California State University, Chico, Emma had the chance to study in Athens, Greece and further grew her love for the gorgeous outdoors and spent most of her time in the waters of Eastern Europe. She holds a degree in Exercise Physiology and has a passion for the workings of the human body and what it’s capable of. This ties in wonderfully with her love for nature as it challenges her to spend lots of her time hiking, biking, running, fishing, climbing, and swimming. The more animal encounters within these activities, the better. 

Emma continues to be excited for all of the outdoor adventures to be had in Texas! Before joining the Earth Native team, Emma was a lifeguard for 8 summers, programmed summer camps, and was a Special Education teacher. Emma believes inspiring children to love learning and the outdoors is the most important work to be done. 

In her free time, you can find Emma out on the golf course, exploring new swimming areas, or in the kitchen trying out all kinds of recipes!

Alyssa grew up in Windsor, ON, Canada - across the Detroit border, an industrial town with limited greenery. A shy and quiet child, she found comfort in being independent and using art as a creative outlet. She would often sit outside and find inspiration from the plants and wildlife. 

After moving to Austin in 2017 to be with her husband, Nick, she was determined to find a career path that allowed her to spend time in nature and inspire others to connect with the natural world, something that was largely missing from her own childhood. 

Alyssa worked in the landscaping industry for nearly three years which helped her develop solid native Texas plant identification skills, as well as strong leadership and management skills. She also spent a year of service with the 4-H Capital AmeriCorps program as a Natural Resources & Garden Science instructor at Title I elementary schools in the Austin area helping students learn how to plant, grow, maintain, and harvest their own food, as well as how to fish, camp, and compost.

Her favorite thing about the outdoors is the silence and tranquility and the ability to pause the stresses of life and embrace the simplicity and complexity of the planet that we share with so many other species. Alyssa is so happy that she has been able to continue following her passions through her career, spending time outdoors and inspiring and stewarding others’ connection with nature.

Emily grew up in small town Iowa. Enjoying the freedom small town life allowed to explore the local creek with her friends for hours on end without adult supervision, creating magical worlds and meeting fantastical creatures. She can connect her love for the outdoors all the way back to her Grandpa McGrady, who was a naturalist and knew all of the plants by name. She grew up telling him stories while sitting on his lap and hearing about his backpacking adventures. She was also lucky enough to spend regular time at a cabin built by her Great-Grandfather in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Here she thrived among the dirt, pine trees, and lakes filled with the melted mountain runoff each summer. This drew her to the forest.

When it became time for college she attended Whitworth University in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. While pursuing some extra classes for a minor in Biology, she discovered her favorite class was Botany. This again drew her back to the forest.

Fast forward several years and a move to Texas, Emily became a foster parent in Houston and eventually a preschool teacher and later the Education Director at a nonprofit preschool in Austin. Becoming a mother, she ultimately discovered the best place to be with her 3 young boys was outside. Involvement in Free Forest School in Austin, solidified her belief that a deep connection with nature was a core aspect of childhood. 

Finally, she discovered Earth Native Wilderness School. All 3 of her boys have attended classes and summer camps here. In 2020, she decided the most important thing to do was sign up for the Earth Native Survival Skills Intensive course for adults. Drawing her again back into the forest. Following the completion of a 5-day survival trip in East Texas she decided she must take Earth Native’s 8-month Track and Sign Intensive course. After completion of the course Emily was certified Level II in Wildlife Track and Sign through CyberTracker North America. After completing both of these courses she was inspired to join the teaching team at Earth Native and is continuously excited for the future, as she believes Earth Native school is the perfect union between her love for Mother Nature and teaching future generations in the forest that she so loves.

Tom grew up in Central Florida swimming in the springs, lakes, and rivers and spent his summers in Middle Tennessee exploring beautiful sandstone bluffs and thick deciduous forests. Tom’s love for the outdoors blossomed while attending Sewanee: The University of the South. Placed on the Cumberland Plateau and in close proximity to Chattanooga, he climbed the sandstone bluffs and boulders, squeezed through tight cave passages, and hiked many of the beautiful local trails. Over the summers, Tom maintained Sewanee’s trails and helped manage its extensive domain. 

After college, Tom worked as a high school history teacher and outdoor educator. He coached climbing, mountain biking, taught numerous outdoor education courses, and led high school backpacking trips. In 2022, he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and a large section of the Eastern Continental Trail. An experience that further solidified his love and passion for the Outdoors. 

When not working, you can find Tom getting lost in the woods looking for boulders and planning his next backpacking trip. Tom is grateful for the opportunity to continue working as an outdoor educator at Earth Native. He is excited to share his own passions and continue to learn and grow throughout this journey.  

Marcia's love of animals was immediate and undeniable. Born and raised in the San Juan Islands of Washington state, her first passion was for orcas. She spent hours sitting on boat decks carefully scanning the horizon for the subtle exhale clouds that indicated the orcas' presence. This is where Marcia honed the patient observation skills she'd need for identifying and interpreting wildlife tracks and sign.

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Marcia moved to Austin, Texas in 2009 and immediately got to work learning everything she could about the plants and animals that make Texas so diverse. She spent three years volunteer gardening at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. She received the first of her Permaculture Design Course Certifications in 2012 and completed an Advanced Permaculture Design course in 2014. She also became a certified Texas Master Naturalist in 2014, serving as president of the Lost Pines chapter from 2017 through 2019.

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As a Texas Master Naturalist, she began leading interpretive hikes at the local state parks. She found that her hikes typically revolved around the park wildlife and their tracks and sign. In an effort to learn more, Marcia took a weekend tracking workshop through Earth Native in 2017 and hasn't stopped tracking since.

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She has participated in Earth Native's Wildlife Tracking Intensive since 2017, both as a student and as a teacher's assistant. She also teaches Introduction to Wildlife Tracking and Bird Feather Identification. She is currently certified as a Track and Sign Specialist through the Cybertracker Conservation evaluation system, an international standard for gauging and enhancing in-field knowledge of wildlife behavior and track and sign identification. She is one of only 5 in Texas and 39th in North America to attain this level of certification.

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In her free time, she is a beekeeper, a chicken-wrangler, and a totally-within-reason-not-at-all-crazy cat lover. She dreams of one day using her tracking skills to observe and study mountain lion populations within Texas.

Michel spent most of his youth exploring the wooded areas of central Texas where he was born and raised. After earning a degree in film from the University of Texas, Michel went on to crew, direct, and produce numerous successful films that have been screened and distributed all over the world.

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After 18 years in the film business, Michel has never lost touch with his childhood love for the nature and continues to use his career in film as a vehicle to learn from native cultures in various locations of the earth. From Botswana to Bolivia, Namibia to Mongolia and many places in-between, Michel has studied with and been deeply inspired by the way of life of the indigenous peoples that he has been fortunate enough to spend time with. It is with great humility that Michel passes on this wisdom to those who seek it. And he sees it as a great honor to learn much in the process from those who listen and share his passions.

Ann grew up in snowy Central Wisconsin, just a couple of hours away from the Northwoods and wolf packs.  She spent much of her childhood wandering local parks, fishing with her father, and looking forward to summer camp.  When she left Wisconsin for collage, her adventures continued—including an inadvertent experience snow-camping in Kings Canyon over one spring break.  However, it wasn’t until she moved to Texas that she became enamored of foraging, gardening, and wildlife tracking.  One of her favorite places in the world is the mouth of Santa Elena canyon at sunset.

Ann continues to spend much of her time outdoors—camping, hiking, or planning family rafting trips—as well as bouldering and writing both fiction and nonfiction based on her experiences.  She is always expanding her knowledge of the natural world and looking forward to the next adventure.  She enjoys traveling across the country to participate in Cybertracker Evals and trailing workshops.

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Before becoming an instructor, Ann was an Earth Native student, completing the Survival Intensive, the Tracking Intensive, and the Advanced Tracking Intensive.  She has also been a volunteer TA with the Tracking Intensive for several years.

Eric is a born and raised Austinite and naturalist. As a kid, his summers were filled with trips to Enchanted Rock, Hamilton's Pool, and all the other natural wonders of central Texas. Eric was one of Earth Native’s first students back in 2011. He then became an instructor at both Earth Native and the Austin Nature & Science Center. During the past few years, Eric has been working as an engineer in the renewable energy and environmental consulting fields, but he always takes time to reconnect with the natural world and teach people about plants. He is especially interested in edible and medicinal plants and has led numerous plant walks. He enjoys traveling and exploring nature with his wife, Stacy. Eric and Stacy co-founded a yaupon tea business called Local Leaf; they sustainably wild-harvest yaupon from Earth Native School's land to create a bottled yaupon maté drink as well as powdered yaupon matcha. They also co-authored Foraging Texas: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods.