Ecological Belonging with Brooke Bridges
NBNC’s Fall 2026 Visiting Teacher-Naturalist Residency
Ecological Belonging is a free workshop series to reconnect with the land and find wellness in nature!
Brooke Marie Bridges is a vitalist herbalist, somatic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy coach, and the founder of Unearthing Wellness. She approaches the natural world as both teacher and co-regulator, believing that the relationship between human nervous systems and the living earth is not metaphorical but biological, and that restoring that relationship is some of the most important healing work available to us right now.
At NBNC, Brooke will facilitate a variety of workshops for youth and adults, including a session for BIPOC participants. Each workshop will help people reconnect with the natural world and develop a felt sense of belonging through observation, sensory awareness, story telling and reflection.
We invite you to join us and slow down, become more aware of yourselves and your surroundings, and recognize the relationships that connect us to the natural world. See below for the full schedule of workshops with Brooke.
Upcoming Events with Brooke
Ecological Belonging: The Integrated Root Presentation
Mon, Nov 2 |
6:00PM
Ecological Belonging: Wild Healing BIPOC Affinity Group Workshop
Wed, Nov 4 |
5:00PM
Ecological Belonging: Wild Healing Adult Workshop
Thu, Nov 5 |
5:00PM
Ecological Belonging: Wild Healing Adult Workshop
Sat, Nov 7 |
10:00AM
Ecological Belonging: Youth and Family Workshop
Sat, Nov 7 |
2:00PM
About the Visiting Teacher-Naturalist Program
Calling all teaching naturalists, ecologists, trackers, nature educators, outdoor accessibility advocates, and more!
Are you an educator or expert in a field related to nature connection? North Branch Nature Center (NBNC) is excited to welcome you and your work into our community for a week of teaching and learning through our Visiting Teacher-Naturalist (VTN) Program.
Powerful, personal experiences in nature are central to our goal of cultivating current and future generations of environmental stewards. We envision a world where people learn, teach, and play together in nature, supporting healthy, resilient communities and ecosystems.
The Visiting Teacher-Naturalist Program invites teachers and naturalists into that vision with us! This program is designed to spotlight the expertise, knowledge, and skills of Black, Indigenous, POC, rural, immigrant, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. This program is designed to help us find experts who can represent identities missing from our current staff, thus broadening the perspectives shared with the NBNC community.
We accept proposals for this program on a rolling basis.
Past Visiting Teacher-Naturalists:
Additional Logistics about the VTN Program
Payment and Housing
Depending on the dates of the program, housing may be provided. Please let us know in your application if you would like to take advantage of housing so that we have time to make arrangements.
Also included in the duration of your program is access to working and teaching space, access to the Nature Center land and existing materials, marketing support, and lunches on some program days.
Financial compensation will be a flat rate of $2,000 for 4 days, $2,500 for 5 days, or $3,000 for 6 days, aiming for approximately 8 hours of Visiting Teacher-Naturalist work per day. We expect a robust but sustainable number of hours of contact time with the public through these programs, including ~2 non-consecutive evening programs, 2 visits with existing NBNC youth programs, and at least 2 other public programs.
Application Instructions
Phase 1 – To apply, please send an email to luis@northbranchnaturecenter.org with a short description of who you are and your work in the field of nature connection, naturalist study, or adjacent topics! Please include a description of what you’d like to contribute to North Branch Nature Center programs, why you’d be excited to join us as a Visiting Teacher-Naturalist, and what support you would envision needing to be successful here. Our hope is to co-create this program together with you.
Phase 2 – Successful applicants will then be asked to submit additional materials, including references from a colleague and two former students or participants, as well as a sample of a project, lesson, or program that you would be interested in sharing with NBNC participants and staff.
Applicants are considered on a rolling basis. See above for current review periods.
