CedarRoot

David Moskowitz — Wildlife Track and Sign Certification Instructor

David Moskowitz works in the fields of photography, wildlife biology and education. He is the photographer and author of three books: Caribou Rainforest, Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest and Wolves in the Land of Salmon and co-author and photographer of Peterson’s Field Guide to North American Bird Nests. He has contributed his technical expertise to a wide variety of wildlife studies regionally and in the Canadian and U.S. Rocky mountains, focusing on using tracking and other non-invasive methods to study wildlife ecology and promote conservation.

Sarah Spaeth — Wildlife Tracking Instructor

Sarah has a lifetime of exploration of, and connection to the Pacific Northwest, and has worked for Jefferson Land Trust for 28 years helping to preserve the farms, forests and fish habitat of Jefferson County. Her life's work was enriched immeasurably through a wildlife tracking class she took 11 years ago— it opened her eyes fully to the significance of conservation work to the other creatures that share their home with us. Sarah has been studying and teaching wildlife track and sign through the Wilderness Awareness School’s Wildlife Tracking Intensive, and achieved her Track and Sign Specialist Certification in 2020. She is excited to help us learn to read this first script written on the land, telling stories rich in love, mystery, drama and death!

Peter Yencken — Village Class Instructor

Peter started as a bowyer while working for Tom Brown's Tracking and Wilderness Survival School.  He has taught the art of making bows to 2000+ people of all ages. He also makes and teaches knife (of different size and shapes) making; backpack basket making; felt boot making; as well as leather bag, hat and shoe making. Peter has been on a lifelong search for skills that help people reclaim a feeling of self reliance while also providing a focal point for observing oneself more deeply. He currently lives in Ticksville (a.k.a. Charlottesville, VA) and learns much wisdom from his daughter.

Maria Bullock — Basket/Hat Making Instructor

Maria spent much of her youth in a small Polish country village where she gained an early appreciation for the craft of basket-making. She is now on Orcas Island which is in the Salish Sea in Washington State, living on the edge of a wetland marsh on her family’s permaculture farm. On Maria’s homestead, she grows, harvests, and dries a variety of basketry materials. Each of these materials serves as an inspiration. Over the last decade she has studied traditional techniques from both Europe and the U.S. and uses them to create unique pieces that are both functional and beautiful.

Mark Darrach — Botany and Geology Instructor

Mark is a professional conservation botanist and plant taxonomist affiliated with the Burke Museum at the University of Washington. He has worked on plant conservation projects and plant taxonomic research for 30+ years in various settings throughout the western U.S. and Mexico. Mark’s primary research interests lie within the parsley family - Apiaceae, and he is actively describing newly discovered species, particularly in the genus Lomatium. Ongoing molecular genetic research, of which he is a co-investigator, has led to the discovery of many new taxa in this highly speciose group. Mark enjoys teaching and "lighting the flame" of interest in plant in others. He has taught as an instructor in several university settings and as a long-time instructor for the North Cascades Institute as well.

Nicole Larson — Plant Medicine Instructor

Nicole is an herbalist, basket weaver, teacher and naturalist. She has 30 years experience of studying and practicing herbal medicine and owns a small business of her own in which she offers herbal extracts and baskets from plants she tends and gathers from her home on a forested hillside near the sea. Inspiring and empowering people to become more self-reliant with herbs that they can grow and harvest themselves is what she loves most about teaching these time-honored skills. She has lived in the PNW most of her life and is always grateful for the abundance and variety of plants that this bioregion contains. Reciprocity, resourcefulness and the health of her community are important values Nicole adheres to as a small handcrafted business owner.

Hannah Viano — Nature Journaling Instructor

Hannah is an artist and educator based in the Methow Valley, Washington. “When I started, art was fit in around the edges of a life of teaching and adventures on land and sea. An acrobatics class in Santiago, landscape watercolors in Taos, rigging in Port Townsend, I studied whatever a place had to teach me. Now I strive to use that diverse background to collaborate across disciplines, seeking out projects that give me the opportunity to illustrate important ecological stories, challenge me to compellingly depict subjects and ideas, and use education to foster stewardship and a sense of place. This work comes to life through children’s books, teaching residencies, science outreach, cross- pollinator expeditions, and community focused public art projects. Hannah is also the host and facilitator of the Singla Creative Residency on Arnøya Island, Norway.

hannahviano.com

@hannahviano (Instagram)

Ramzy Berbawy — Lead Instructor for school-year and summer Youth Programs

Ramzy began his naturalist journey stargazing in a football field while wondering if he could ever live somewhere the air didn’t smell like fast food. Since quitting his banking job in 2015, he has worked on several small farms around the Olympic Peninsula and the Methow Valley. He is currently  wrapping up his second year as a nature studies instructor with CedarRoot.

Scott Brinton — Lead Instructor for school-year Youth Programs

Scott has over two decades of nature education experience.  He has mentored hundreds of students in practical wilderness skills and nature awareness.  He co-founded the Riekes Nature Studies Department in California, has taught Environmental Science for Peninsula College, and taught Islandwood’s graduate students in the Natural History and Ecology program. Most recently, Scott founded CedarRoot to help continue natural history and rural skills education. 

Summer Sondey — Lead Instructor for Youth Summer Camps

Summer was born and raised in the farmlands and forests of Southeast Michigan where the magic of a childhood immersed in the natural world gave her a deep passion and commitment for life lived close to the earth. After graduating from 14 years spent at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, she took the leap far away from her home and found herself landed and in love with the Northwest.  Alderleaf Wilderness College was a great introduction to the diverse ecosystems of this area and after completing their year long wilderness immersion course, Summer chose the Olympic Peninsula and began to set roots.

Aliina Lahti - Lead Instructor for Nature Art Youth Summer Camp

Aliina has a Bachelors in Science, a dual degree in Sculpture Art/Art History & Biology. She recently completed a social justice based, Masters in Teaching Program at Western Washington University AND had a beautiful baby boy all in the same year!!

Her professional background is filled with a variety of non-profit and government work ranging from wildlife biology, habitat restoration, botany, teaching big kids and little kids about all the above, while squeezing in visual art creation.

Aliina loves teaching art and science. She finds the experience of seeing people light up when they learn something new about how life works so rewarding!