Nature Education program
Our Nature Education Program provides free events to the public, led by knowledgeable staff and local experts, that are a great way to learn more about Forest Park and inspire stewardship of this important natural resource.
We provide a number of different educational opportunities such as guided hikes, yoga, photography workshops, painting workshops, basket weaving, forest bathing, and more depending on instructor availability. These events are often overseen by volunteers from our community who share their time and skills with us in order to provide these classes to you for free!
To learn more, sign up for our monthly e-newsletter or check our Events Calendar for upcoming event opportunities. Additionally, you can learn more about this year's instructors below.
Meet This Year's Instructors!
Natalie - Tree Identification Hike Leader
Natalie DaSilva is an Oregon Naturalist and Certified Interpretive Guide who enjoys sharing her love of nature and the Pacific Northwest with others. She leads hikes and other nature-related programs around the Portland Metro Area and beyond, to engage others in the beauty and appreciation of this place we call home.
Calvin - Painting Class Instructor
Calvin is an artist from Boulder, Colorado, who moved to Portland about 3 years ago. He works in oils, watercolor, mixed media, ceramics, and photography. He loves trail running (especially through Forest Park), biking, camping, climbing, and exploring the Oregon coast. Find out more about his work here: www.calvinleewolf.com
Barbara - Yoga Class Instructor (Saturdays)
Barbara is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT500) with Yoga Alliance. She has completed 3 teachers training programs since 2005, the first two with a strong emphasis on Ashtanga Yoga, and the third with a focus on Ayurveda. She is a student of the Sanskrit language and Vedic chant. Barbara has taught in yoga studios, corporate settings, and community centers; her classes, though based on the Ashtanga Vinyasa system, have included teaching basics, restorative and vinyasa yoga, and chair yoga classes for seniors. She currently teaches pro-bono classes for the Forest Park Conservancy. Since 2025, she has taught in Sierra Club hiking retreats in the North Cascades in Washington. Barbara thanks all her teachers, past and present, for allowing her to offer the gift of yoga.
Nancy - Yoga Class Instructor (Evening Yoga Flow)
Nancy is a yogi and humble global citizen. She enjoys connecting with others through the love of movement, arts and culture. Nancy has been practicing yoga for over twenty years, has an RYT 200 credential, and taught in last summer’s yoga in Forest Park. She welcomes you to join her class and expand your perception through body movement.
Aryn - Yoga Class Instructor (Evening Yoga Flow)
Aryn Freeman (they/them) is a yogi, linguist, and naturalist based in Beaverton. They love immersing themselves in the natural world, connecting with the life and wisdom that surrounds us. Aryn has been practicing yoga for over a decade and trained as a teacher in the classical Hatha tradition at The Yoga Space here in Portland (RYT 200). They approach yoga as a moving meditation that aligns body, mind, and spirit, expanding our awareness beyond the self. Join Aryn this summer for a gentle restorative flow every other Monday in Lower MacLeay Park.
Tanya - History Hike Leader
Dr. Tanya Lyn March is a Portland, Oregon-based historian, urban studies expert, and founder of Slabtown Tours. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Studies from Portland State University and a Master’s in Historic Preservation from Columbia University, specializing in local history, public housing, and oral histories. March moved to Portland in 2002 and is known for her high-energy, "drama in motion" storytelling style, leading tours that mix local history with dramatic narratives.
Miranda - Forest Therapy Guide
Miranda Lattimore is a certified Forest Therapy Guide and founder of ZEN:MNM. Alongside award-winning poet Marcus Lattimore, she co-creates immersive forest bathing experiences that center nature, sensory awareness, and spoken word—offering space for reflection, connection, and creative expression in the heart of Forest Park.
Joeanally - Bilingual Puppet Show Host
Spanish: Joeanally González es una artista multidisciplinaria, educadora y titiritera puertorriqueña que utiliza la narración de historias, las artes visuales y materiales reciclados para crear experiencias comunitarias interactivas. Su trabajo se centra en la educación en la primera infancia, la identidad cultural y la conciencia ambiental, especialmente dentro de las comunidades BIPOC y latinas. Es la creadora de Nico, la Babosa de Plátano, una historia infantil bilingüe inspirada en Forest Park, diseñada para promover la alfabetización temprana, la imaginación y la conexión con la naturaleza. A través del teatro de títeres y talleres comunitarios, da vida a historias que invitan a los niños a explorar, expresarse y crecer.
English: Joeanally González is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary artist, educator, and puppeteer who uses storytelling, visual arts, and recycled materials to create interactive community experiences. Her work focuses on early childhood education, cultural identity, and environmental awareness, especially within BIPOC and Latino communities. She is the creator of Nico the Banana Slug, a bilingual children’s story inspired by Forest Park, designed to promote early literacy, imagination, and connection to nature. Through puppet theater and community workshops, she brings stories to life that encourage children to explore, express, and grow.
Anya - Family Nature Hike Leader
Antonya (Anya) grew up in a bird watching family and this eventually led to a curiosity about habitats, and exploration of plants. Drawn to art, she completed a BS in Apparel Design in Portland. While working in the outdoor apparel industry, she earned an MBA focused on Sustainable Business. She became more and more interested in native plants and redirected her design skills to gardens and also joined the Backyard Habitat Certification Program. In 10 years with the program and working with private garden design clients, she’s visited nearly 1500 yards both inspiring and being inspired by individuals' commitments to sustainable gardening practices to build wildlife habitat. This work became a passion and she’s thrilled to continue supporting the natural world and to help people transform and connect with outdoor spaces in a sustainable way!
Click the links below to join a family nature hike!
English/Spanish Bilingual Forest Park Hike (Friday, June 26th)
Robin - Family Nature Hike Leader
Although Robin received her MS in Medical Illustration and worked as a freelance medical illustrator for over 25 years, her passion for plants, animals and the natural world always drew her outside. Since 1993, she has served on the board of Friends of Marquam Nature Park, and volunteered with Portland Parks & Rec, doing trailwork, invasive species removal, and native plantings in Marquam Nature Park and Forest Park. This restoration work inspired her participation in the creation of the Backyard Habitat Certification Program in 2007. Robin then volunteered with and worked as a technician for the program for 11 years, visiting over 700 yards. As a long-time birder and OSU Oregon Naturalist, Robin has enjoyed sharing her knowledge with homeowners and park users about the benefits of creating wildlife habitat in an urban area. She currently serves on the board of Forest Park Conservancy and spends her free time hiking, camping, kayaking, watercolor painting, birding, botanizing, and appreciating the biodiversity of Oregon.
Click the links below to join a family nature hike!
English/Spanish Bilingual Forest Park Hike (Friday, June 26th)
Ariel - Mushroom Identification Hike Leader
Whether exploring our coast lines or enjoying local hikes, Ariel is a passionate lover of nature and enjoys all of the activities found in-between. From seaweed foraging to clamming, fishing to gardening, she thrives in meaningful moments outside; none more so than when foraging for mushrooms. With over 10 years of experience foraging in our local Oregon forests, she teaches mushroom foraging with an eye for other educational moments along the way.
Lise - Basket Weaving Class Instructor
Lise has been a restoration volunteer for over a decade. After removing many, many problematic introduced plants, Lise begrudgingly came to appreciate the strength and flexibility of the English ivy and the inner fiber of the Himalayan blackberry. She enjoys sharing the fun of making invasive plants into useful sculptural objects.
Vietnamese Community of Oregon - Vietnamese Bilingual Hike
This summer we will be working with the Vietnamese Community of Oregon to provide a bilingual ecological hike in Forest Park. A Vietnamese Community of Oregon representative will be working with FPC's stewardship director, Zac Peal, to provide an engaging hike that is more accessible for Vietnamese speakers.
If you want to support FPC in this work, become a member today! If you have any questions about the program or our events, please email our Operations Manager, Chie.
This program is being implemented with the support of our Nature Education Program Sponsor, and Business Member, Prometheus.
