“So often in life, things that you regard as such an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.”                           -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

For a second year the pandemic has limited program fees to nil. For the first half of 2021, retreat rentals were restricted to 50% of allowed capacity. Traditionally in summer we kick off our Annual Appeal which generates funds for our ongoing operations. Please help us sustain operations and build capacity through our ongoing recovery and reopening so that the good work of Woolman’s mission can fully be realized.

Thank you for your support.

This past spring, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders from Nevada City School District performed a post-fire forest assessment and made recommendations to Woolman for forest recovery and management.  The project was conducted by Sierra Streams Institute and supports the Living with Fire workshop series Woolman is hosting.  Small groups visited the campus to video what they observed. They interviewed Woolman staff about our forest management priorities, while others met virtually to discuss their recommendations.

The children saw the forest through a new lens: ”I observed the burned and unburned plots and unburned has way more plants.” Through role-playing, some imagined themselves as different aspects of a wildfire event: “I’m fire, and I’m going to clear out all that nasty dead stuff from the world!” and “I’m Scotch Broom, I may be able to burn but my seeds will carry on my legacy!!”  

Students were introduced to the topic of diversity: “Diversity tells you how many different things there are.” They learned to observe the diverse species in the forest, and to chart their observations.  They came to the conclusion that healthy forests are the ones with an abundance of diversity.  Students delivered a report to Woolman in a video format that included recommendations:

"I recommend that making sure the low intensity burns are not immediately put out because they help clear out the dead debris and therefore makes for a healthier forest floor."

"We also recommend taking all the scotch broom out of the forests, it takes over way too much room in the ecosystem and drops thousands of seeds each year."

"Our recommendations are to have more abundance and diversity."

This may have been a project about nature recovering from a fire, but the metaphors about life are glaringly obvious:  the cleansing of that which impedes health, and the strength of diversity.  We thank the students for showing us through their work how to be better people, not just better land managers.

A Woolman alumn from ‘87-’88, Mollie will lead Woolman’s educational and enrichment programming for all ages including Woolman Outdoor School, Jorgensen School for NonViolence, Summer Camps, Woolman Workshops and more. 

Mollie Mowat is an educational leader whose passion is empowering youth to be good global citizens, stewards of the environment, and activists who work toward social justice in their schools and communities.  She was a middle school humanities teacher for over 17 years, a mentor teacher and coach, and spent the last 10 years in school leadership as a dean of students, dean of faculty and assistant head of school in the Bay Area.  Although most of her career has been working at independent and urban schools, she has worked with teens in the juvenile justice system at the public defender's office in San Francisco, as well as in therapeutic settings.  She has taught courses to teaching credential students at several bay area colleges. 

Trained in Mindfulness Education, Mollie has led mindfulness classes for middle and high school students, as well as faculty.  She has brought a meditation practice to each school she has worked at, leaving a legacy of wellness, self care, and community well being.  Mollie has also worked with teens on restorative justice policies and practices, peaceful peer mediation, and advocacy.

Micaela “Mei” Martinez has joined Woolman as the Farm and Volunteer Program Coordinator, to work with Malaika Bishop on the Woolman Farm and to lead Volunteer Workdays.  Mei will help in rebuilding farm infrastructure, post fire and implement a self-sustaining organic farm business.  Woolman Workdays are organized, group volunteer days to help Woolman recover and rebuild for the future. Gardening and farming had always been part of Mei’s life.  She learned from her parents and grandparents to love plants and understand how to tend a bountiful garden.  She’s worked in wholesale centers and has been part of volunteer programs with Earthships.