Meet Our Collaborators

Our culturally and linguistically diverse team of Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) Certified Guides, and other team member collaborators, offer a wide range of skills, insights and focal areas to meet your needs. Many of the ANFT Guides presented here, are members of the first bilingual ANFT Guide cohort, Colorful Changes, which was partially funded by the U.S. Forest Service Conservation Education Program in Washington, DC, to support the expansion of ethnic and cultural diversity in the ANFT Guide community. We strive to support all people and communities through this powerful practice of Nature and Forest Therapy by providing increased access via in-person and online experiences, multilingual offerings and tailored programming to create a meaningful and relevant experience for all participants.

We look forward to joining you in nature’s healing embrace.

Meet-Our-Team

Our culturally and linguistically diverse team of Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) Certified Guides, and other team member collaborators, offer a wide range of skills, insights and focal areas to meet your needs. Many of the ANFT Guides presented here, are members of the first bilingual ANFT Guide cohort, Colorful Changes, which was partially funded by the U.S. Forest Service Conservation Education Program in Washington, DC, to support the expansion of ethnic and cultural diversity in the ANFT Guide community. We strive to support all people and communities through this powerful practice of Nature and Forest Therapy by providing increased access via in-person and online experiences, multilingual offerings and tailored programming to create a meaningful and relevant experience for all participants.

We look forward to joining you in nature’s healing embrace.

In the News

We love to highlight our colleagues and the aspect of support around mental health and wellbeing.

ANFT Forest Therapy Guides

Our Diverse Team of Guides Speak English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, & Hindi.

Tamberly Conway
Tamberly Conway
PhD, Founder & CEO Conservation Conexions, ANFT Certified Guide
Dr. Tamberly Conway is Founder and CEO of Conservation Conexions, and serves as an Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) Certified Guide, and Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly served for 12 years with the US Forest Service Conservation Education Program in Texas and Washington, D.C., where she focused upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, conservation education and community empowerment in conservation. Tamberly has been engaged in the health and nature realm for over 10 years, through a variety of unique partnerships between land management agencies, health care professionals, NGOs, educational institutions and others, creating traditional and non-traditional partnerships in conservation education and community engagement to reach diverse audiences with meaningful and relevant conservation and stewardship opportunities. During her tenure with the USFS, she worked to propel Forest Therapy within the agency and among diverse communities through funding bilingual Forest Therapy sessions at community events, engaging with Park Rx America (PRA) in health and nature collaborations, and the implementing of the first-ever bilingual ANFT Forest Therapy training in collaboration with a number of diverse partner organizations. Tamberly left the USFS in December 2019 to pursue a new path in Forest Therapy as she believes Forest Therapy is a powerful mechanism to create relationship between people and the more-than-human world, thereby supporting the health of the land and people. Dr. Conway received the 2012 USDA Forest Service Chief’s Engaging Urban America Award: Urban Connections—Latino Legacy Program, and the 2015 USDA Secretary of Agriculture Lincoln Award for Diversity and Outreach. Tamberly holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management, a M.S. in Forestry, focusing on Forest Recreation Management, and a Ph.D. in Forestry, focusing on Human Dimensions in Natural Resources.
La Dra. Conway es Fundadora y directora ejecutiva de Conservation Conexions, LLC, se desempeña como Guía Certificada de Terapias de Bosque y es Consultora de de senderos de terapia de bosque certificados por ANFT (Asociación de Terapias de Bosques y Naturaleza).

Tamberly trabajó durante 12 años en el Programa de Educación para la Conservación del Servicio Forestal de USDA en Washington, D.C., donde se centró en la participación de la diversidad en la salud y la naturaleza, las relaciones entre salud forestal y salud humana, así como el empoderamiento de la comunidad para la conservación. Tamberly está trabajando en lograr el primer Sendero de Terapia Forestal Certificado por ANFT en el Bosque Nacional El Yunque en Puerto Rico y se enfoca en plantar la semilla de Terapia Forestal en diversas comunidades, tanto en los Estados Unidos como en América Latina, mediante la utilización de modelos similares utilizados para promover la práctica entre las comunidades latinas en los EE. UU., Nicaragua y México, en colaboración con el Servicio Forestal de EE. UU. y otros socios estratégicos. Tamberly cree que la Terapia Forestal es una clave importante para abrir la puerta a la salud de los seres humanos y la tierra, al aumentar una comprensión de la interconexión compartida entre el mundo humano y el más que humano, que apoyará el liderazgo futuro de la conservación.

Dra. Conway estudió Manejo de Vida Silvestre en la Universidad Estatal de McNeese, tiene un Maestría en Manejo de Recreación Forestal, y un doctorado en Silvicultura, con especialización en Dimensiones Humanas en Recursos Naturales, de la Facultad de Silvicultura y Agricultura de la Universidad Estatal Stephen F. Austin en Texas.

Anissa Hernandez
Anissa Hernandez
MD, FTG, ANFT Certified Guide
Dr. Anissa V. Hernández graduated as Magna Cum Laude from Biology Bachelor’s degree at University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She collaborated on research studies of ecology and botanical sciences during her senior year. Also, she obtained her Medicine Doctor degree from UPR Medical Sciences Campus in 1998. Since that time, Dr. Hernandez has engaged in subjects related to human conduct and sexuality, including data collection and research on those subjects. In 2004, she graduated from the Psychiatry Residency Program at UPR Hospital. Her graduation thesis was titled: Validation of a Questionnaire Measuring Twelve Aspects of Spirituality in Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder Attending Partial Hospitalization Programs.

During her own healing process, she studied herbology, Bach Flowers therapy, sound therapy, mindfulness, among other branches of Complementary Medicine and Wellness. She has actively practiced as a Reiki Master since 2008. She combined these complementary medicine methods to her conventional psychiatry practice for more than 10 years.

She also participates as a poet and writer, being the author of two books in Spanish: Una Transformación al Amor (self-help book that inspires to initiate a healing process for those who have survived child sexual abuse), and Mi Esencia, a short poetry book to stimulate the appreciation and encourage use of poetry as a tool to manage emotions in a healthy way. She became a Certified Forest Therapy Guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) in December 2019 and obtained a Wilderness First Aid Certification in January 2019.

Currently, Dr. Hernández is collaborating with a diverse group of non-profit, for-profit and federal entities, such as the USDA Forest Service, National Forest Foundation, Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, The Mission Continues, Corazón Latino, Conservation Conexions and others, in the preparation and certification of the first ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail on National Forest lands, at El Yunque National Forest, Río Sabana Recreation Area in the community of Naguabo, Puerto Rico.

Dr. Hernandez continues to contribute and support other projects and organizations, such as Para La Naturaleza, La Jalda PR, Amigos del Bosque Toro Negro, Guajataka Camp (Boys and Girls Scouts of America-Puerto Rico Chapter), and Finca Bee Happy, with her knowledge as a liaison and skills as a Forest Therapy guide through Forest Bathing Puerto Rico.

As part of a personal dream, she is working on the development of a project called Sueños de Atabey, a nonprofit organization that combines a myriad of elements regarding agroecology, bioconstruction, natural resources conservation, ecotourism, and Forest Bathing.

My experience with Forest Bathing is enriching and helpful in order to understand all living beings from a healed perspective, and also understanding my own nature and the relationship with this lovely more-than-human world.

La Dra. Anissa V. Hernández comenzó sus estudios, a nivel de bachillerato, graduándose Magna Cum Laude de Biología en la UPR, Recinto de Río Piedras. Desde esos tiempos, colaboraba en investigaciones en las áreas de ecología y botánica. Graduada de Escuela de Medicina UPR-RCM en 1998, mostraba su inquietud por los temas de conducta humana y sexualidad, realizando investigaciones con otros colegas sobre dichos temas. En el 2004, se gradúa del programa de residencia de Psiquiatría de UPR. Su tesis de graduación fue un estudio clínico en el cual se midieron 12 aspectos de la espiritualidad y cómo éstos influenciaban en los procesos de recuperación de pacientes con depresión mayor en hospitalización parcial. En su proceso de Sanación Personal, se inclinó por estudiar herbología, flores de Bach, sonidoterapia, mindfulness, entre otras vertientes de Medicina complementaria. Es Maestra Reiki desde el 2008, practicando activamente estos conocimientos y recomendándolos a pacientes para que complementen con tratamiento tradicional.

Actualmente, en su fase de escritora y poeta, desarrolla talleres de escritura para canalización adecuada de emociones. De su autoría, tiene publicados dos libros: Una Transformación al Amor y Mi Esencia. Ambos libros contienen datos y experiencias autobiográficas en las cuales la autora utiliza la escritura, la investigación y la poesía como herramientas de ayuda terapéutica en los procesos de sanación de individuos con traumas y abuso infantil. Es guía de terapias de bosques certificada por ANFT (Asociación de Terapias de Bosques y Naturaleza- Guías y Programas) desde enero de 2019. Posee certificación en primeros auxilios en la Naturaleza “Wilderness First Aid”. La Dra. Hernández actualmente ha colaborado con diferentes organizaciones locales e internacionales en dar a conocer la experiencia de la terapia de bosques a las comunidades. Entre las organizaciones que ha apoyado se encuentran las siguientes: Corazón Latino, Inc., Conservation Connexions, Amigos del Yunque, Redescubre El Yunque, The Mission Continues, Wounded Warrior Project, USDA Forest Services, Para La Naturaleza, Finca Bee Happy, Casa Pura, Proyecto La Jalda, entre otras.

Actualmente, la Dra. Hernández, junto con otras organizaciones sin fines de lucro, participa en el proyecto del diseño y certificación de la primera vereda de baño de bosques en Puerto Rico y en el sistema del Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos (USFS, por sus siglas en inglés). La misma se encontrará localizada en el Área Recreacional de Río Sabana, en Naguabo, Puerto Rico.

Millie Cortés-Quijano
Millie Cortés-Quijano

Founder ZENderos, ANFT Certified Guide
Millie is a native of Puerto Rico who is passionate about outdoor activities and nature. She has practiced disciplines such as caving, rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking and other adventure practices and outdoor experiences. She is a Sierra Club outing leader and focuses on kayaking experiences around the Island of Puerto Rico. Her passion has led her to obtain various certifications such as: Cave Rescuer with the NCRC, Outdoor Educator and Backpacking at NOLS , Leave No Trace Trainer, and a Certified Life Coach. Her most recent achievement is becoming an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide, as a graduate of the first-ever bilingual cohort, “Colorful Changes”, partially funded by the US Forest Service Conservation Education Program. Millie holds a B.A. and a M.A. in Physical Education and has worked in various community organizations.

In 2020, Millie founded ZENderos (ZENderos.org), an organization dedicated to the practice of Forest Therapy, nature immersion and establishing a reciprocal relationship with nature. Millie is moved by the intense desire to inspire others to find joy in their lives, to live simple and to pursue their dreams. With a deep conviction that nature has a way of teaching and leading the way, she expects to share the Forest Therapy practice across the Caribbean.

Apasionada de las actividades al aire libre y la naturaleza, ha practicado disciplinas como espeleología, escalada en roca, bicicleta de montaña, kayak, caminatas y otras prácticas de aventura y experiencias al aire libre. Es líder de excursiones de Sierra Club y se enfoca en las experiencias de kayak alrededor de la isla. Su pasión la ha llevado a obtener varias certificaciones como: Rescatadora en Cuevas con el NCRC, Educadora de Espacios al Aire Libre y Excursiones Mochileras en NOLS, Entrenadora de Sin Dejar Rastros, Coach de Vida Certificada y su logro más reciente, como Guía Certificada de Terapia Forestal.

Millie tiene una licenciatura en artes y una maestría en educación física y ha trabajado en varias organizaciones comunitarias como mentora y facilitadora de jóvenes, liderando el consejo de liderazgo de mujeres y apoyando organizaciones comunitarias a través de El Bosque Modelo. En 2015, Millie recibió el premio Sor Isolina Ferré a la Excelencia en el Servicio al Prójimo. .

En 2018, junto con su esposo, fundó Finca Oro Rojo LLC en Orocovis, un proyecto de ecoturismo y agricultura orgánica, que incluye la experiencia de Glamping, el contacto con la naturaleza y la vida agrícola; en 2020, fundó ZENderos (ZENderos.org) una organización dedicada a la práctica de la Terapia de Bosque, la inmersión en la naturaleza y el establecimiento de una relación recíproca con la naturaleza. Millie es impulsada por el intenso deseo de inspirar a otros a encontrar alegría en sus vidas, a vivir con sencillez y a perseguir sus sueños. Con una profunda convicción de que la naturaleza tiene una manera de enseñar y liderar el camino, espera compartir la terapia de bosque en todo el Caribe.

Adelayde Rivas Sotelo
Adelayde Rivas Sotelo
Director, Set Net Comunicaciones, ANFT Certified Guide
Adelayde Rivas Sotelo, originally from Nicaragua, received a degree in Communication Sciences from the University del Valle in Nicaragua. She serves as the Director of SET NET COMUNICACIONES, communications office for sustainable development. Adelayde maintains a master’s degree in Corporate Social Responsibility with a focus on human rights, and she also serves as an Environmental Journalist. She has worked for 12 years as a technical advisor of communication for the US Forest Service International Institute for Tropical Forestry. She is a documentarian, environmental journalist and audiovisual producer and winner of the 2019 “Group of Public Consciousness” in support of migratory birds, provided by the international organization, Partners in Flight. She is the first-place winner of the “Best Documentary” (2012) provided by the Union of Corporate Social Responsibility in Nicaragua. She is a member of the Network of Women of Nicaragua, member of the Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation – Nicaraguan chapter, and member of the Nicaraguan Institute of Corporate Development. Adelayde serves as an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide trained by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.
Adelayde Rivas Sotelo posee una licenciatura en Ciencias de la Comunicación en la Universidad del Valle, en Nicaragua. Adelayde es de nacionalidad Nicaragüense. Sirve como Directora de SET NET COMUNICACIONES, oficina de comunicación para el desarrollo sostenible. Posee una Maestría en Responsabilidad Social Empresarial con enfoque en derechos humanos, y realizó un diplomado de periodismo ambiental. Ha trabajado por 12 años como asesor técnico en comunicación para la oficina de Cooperación Internacional del Instituto Internacional de Dasonomía Tropical del Servicio Forestal de los EE.UU. Es documentalista y productora audiovisual y Ganadora del Premio “Grupo de conciencia pública” a favor de las aves terrestres, otorgado por la organización internacional Partners in Flight en el año 2019; es ganadora del primer lugar “Mejor documental ambiental” (2012), otorgado por la Unión de Empresas Socialmente Responsable en Nicaragua. Es miembro de la Red de Mujeres de Nicaragua, miembro de la Sociedad Mesoamericana para la Biología y la Conservación- Capítulo Nicaragua, y miembro del Instituto de Desarrollo Empresarial de Nicaragua. Sirve como un Guía Certificada de la Asociación de Terapia de Bosque y la Naturaleza.
Manuela Siegfried
Manuela Siegfried
ANFT Certified Guide, Trainer and Guide Training Coordinator
Manuela Siegfried was born and raised in a beautiful and biodiverse country called Costa Rica. Her Swiss parents emigrated to Costa Rica in 1970. Having a father as a biologist, Manuela experienced contact with nature as an intrinsic part of her life. This passion led her to work as a naturalist tour guide and in the ecotourism industry for more than 15 years. She found the concept of Shinrin-Yoku and the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and immediately felt inspired and related to it. Manuela was trained and certified in 2018 and has guided nearly 200 experiences and approximately 2,000 people in this practice.

As a trainer, she has trained and mentored hundreds of people from all over the world. She served as one of the main trainers of the first bilingual training in Puerto Rico. She is also one of the main promoters of Spanish speaking trainings, making this practice accessible in all Spanish-speaking countries. She is currently the Training Coordinator for Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.

Manuela is the Founder and CEO of Sentir Natural, and she also co-founded Wellbeing Inspired by Nature, a company dedicated to bringing nature-inspired wellness programs to the Corporate World through a global network of top consultants that address and suit the specific needs of all our corporate clients, resulting in healthier and more balanced workplace environments (www.wellbeinginspiredbynature.com) and The Nature Talks, a 5-day online event that brings together different experts in connection. with the nature of various countries to talk about these issues (www.thenaturetalks.com).

Manuela also supported the launch of the ANFT Spanish-language website Terapia de Bosque y Naturaleza and she continues to work on the continued development of its expansion.

Manuela Siegfried nació y creció en un hermoso y biodiverso país llamado Costa Rica. Sus padres suizos emigraron a Costa Rica en 1970. Teniendo un padre como biólogo, Manuela experimentó el contacto con la naturaleza como parte intrínseca de su vida. Esta pasión la llevó a trabajar como guía de turismo naturalista y en la industria del ecoturismo durante más de 15 años. Encontró el concepto de Shinrin-Yoku y la Asociación de Terapia de Bosque y Naturaleza e inmediatamente se sintió inspirada y relacionada con él. Manuela se formó y certificó en 2018 y ha guiado cerca de 200 experiencias y aproximadamente 2000 personas en esta práctica.

Como capacitadora, ha formado y orientado a cientos de personas de todo el mundo. Se desempeñó como una de las principales formadoras del primer entrenamiento bilingüe en Puerto Rico. También es una de las principales impulsadoras de las formaciones en español haciendo esta práctica accesible en todo los países hispanoparlantes. Actualmente es la coordinadora de formaciones de la Asociación de Terapia de Bosque y Naturaleza.

Manuela es la fundadora y directora de Sentir Natural, y también co-fundó Wellbeing Inspired by Nature, una empresa dedicada a llevar programas de bienestar inspirados en la naturaleza al Mundo Corporativo (www.wellbeinginspiredbynature.com) y The Nature Talks, un evento de 5 días en línea que reúne a diferentes expertos en conexión con la naturaleza de varios países a hablar sobre estos temas (www.thenaturetalks.com).

Manuela también apoyó el lanzamiento de la página web en español de la ANFT la página web en español de la ANFT y continúa trabajando en el desarrollo y expansión de la misma.

Jamie Shadid
Jamie Shadid
ANFT Certified Guide
Healer, Activist, Bridge Connector and Lover of the Forests

Jamie Shadid, who is based in Colorado, serves as Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide through the Association for Nature and Forest Therapy. She is a two-time young adult breast cancer thriver who found profound solace in Forest Therapy while undergoing her recent cancer treatments. She is now guiding remote Forest Therapy sessions for cancer patients and cancer survivors and thrivers, in support of their healing journeys. Jamie is working with immigrant communities affected by the pandemic in Colorado and serves as a bridge connector between the Kuntanawa Nation in Amazonia of Brazil and the world. She is currently coordinating with the USFS International Programs Office in Brazil to bring support around fire prevention and mitigation to the Kuntanawa lands and surrounding remote villages.

Jamie recibió el llamado de los Bosques para participar en una capacitación que ni siquiera sabía que existía, y que llegó a su vida en un momento propicio. Después de haber recibido un segundo diagnóstico de cáncer de mama a una edad temprana antes de comenzar la capacitación ANFT en Puerto Rico, aprendió sobre prácticas para conectarse con la naturaleza que la ayudarían profundamente a prosperar durante 9 meses de tratamientos intensivos contra el cáncer. Transitar la práctica de seis meses mientras se sometía al tratamiento se sintió como un salvavidas para ayudarla a manejar los efectos secundarios y los altibajos emocionales de una época turbulenta en la vida. Jamie se siente inspirada a compartir la Terapia de Bosque con personas que atraviesan una crisis de salud como parte integrante del tratamiento. Ella cree que las prácticas de la Terapia de Bosque tienen el potencial de salvar nuestros Bosques alrededor del mundo, puesto que aquello a lo que nos conectamos es algo a lo que queremos cuidar.
Alison Malisa
Alison Malisa
MPH, ANFT Certified Guide
Alison is devoted to the education, research, and design of pedagogical strategies to improve mental health, especially in the realm of economics education. As an Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) Certified Guide, she is training students and colleagues on the profound social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of “noticing nature”. Alison is a graduate of the first ANFT bilingual cohort, partially funded by the US Forest Service.

Working with students, teachers, and community groups, Alison developed Relational Design Thinking to cultivate a more cooperative culture for the wellbeing of all. Relational Design Thinking is a co-creative process that brings together the transformative practices of nature and forest therapy, connected communication, healing centered engagement, design thinking, and the evolutionary science of cooperation.

As a teacher and Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, with a Master in Public Health Education, Alison Malisa is devoted to deepening personal relationships with nature as a means of healing individual and collective Economic Trauma in all its manifestations, such as burnout, ADD, depression, isolation, eco-anxiety, etc.

Passionate about mental health and school improvement, Alison founded Peace Profits and co-founded Prosocial Schools to offer professional development workshops on how to bring Forest Therapy education and research into the development of prosocial skills in schools. Prosocial skills can include awe, self-compassion, coherence, and co-creativity as skills to enhance academic outcomes, restore personal and collective wellbeing, and ameliorate the emotional crises facing society, especially youth.

Alison is also working with partners at the U.S Forest Service and Tamberly Conway, PhD, Founder of Conservation Conexions to develop and pilot an online Forest Therapy program for the professional wellbeing of Forest Service Resource Assistant Program (RAP) interns.

I was honored to participate in the Cambios Coloridos Forest Bathing training in the fall of 2019. I had already had the pleasure of connecting with the El Yunque National Forest and plight of the surrounding communities, and grateful to feel more connected our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters. It was truly a fortuitous and life-changing event that brought together an incredibly talented and dedicated group of people on behalf of the intersection between forest and human health. This group and the practicum continuing were emotionally anchoring and transformative when the global pandemic hit in 2020. When we took our practicum online, we were astounded to realize the extent that Forest Bathing could still connect us to nature and to each other. This knowledge and the professional support of the network, especially of Tamberly Conway’s inexhaustible positivity and support of each member, has put the wind in my sails as I commit to my service as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide and bringing this practice into schools and institutions.

Como profesora y Guía Certificada de Terapia de Naturaleza y Bosques que cuenta con una Maestría en Educación de Salud Pública, Alison Malisa se dedica a profundizar las relaciones personales con la naturaleza como un medio de curación individual y colectivo del trauma económico en todas sus manifestaciones, como la fatiga excesiva (burnout), el trastorno de déficit de atención e hiperactividad, depresión, aislamiento y eco-ansiedad, entre otros.

Apasionada por la salud mental y la superación escolar, Alison fundó Peace Profits y cofundó Prosocial Schools para ofrecer talleres de desarrollo profesional sobre cómo llevar la educación y la investigación de la Terapia de Bosque al desarrollo de habilidades prosociales en las escuelas. Entre las habilidades prosociales se pueden incluir el asombro, la autocompasión, la coherencia y co-creatividad como habilidades para mejorar los resultados académicos, restaurar el bienestar personal y colectivo, así como para mejorar las crisis emocionales que enfrenta la sociedad, especialmente la juventud.

Alison también está trabajando con aliados del Servicio Forestal de EE. UU. y con la Dra. Tamberly Conway, Fundadora de Conservation Connexions; para desarrollar y poner a prueba un programa de Terapia de Bosque que se lleve a cabo en línea para el bienestar profesional de los pasantes del Servicio Forestal.

Zuza Bohley
Zuza Bohley
ANFT Certified Guide
Zuza Bohley is a trained anthropologist and certified in Nature and Forest Therapy. She has a keen sense for social and environmental justice. She has been involved with social and environmental justice movements for more than 30 years with the intention to uplift and empower marginalized communities. Zuza is very active in many non-profit organizations, one of the most prominent being the Promotores Verdes program, which has received multiple awards locally, regionally and nationally and is highlighted and honored by the SH/FT Award 2020.

Zuza trained as a bilingual guide with support from ANFT, Corazon Latino and the US Forest Service in Puerto Rico in November 2019 and offers guided walks in English, Spanish and German. Since then, she has led multiple walks (including virtual). Zuza believes in creating strong connections to nature to build stronger communities and building a better future for generations to come. Besides her deep commitment to her work, Zuza loves spending time with her family; especially taking her two young granddaughters on outdoor adventures.

ANFT Walk info for Parents- Eng/Span – produced by Zuza Bohley
Forest Bathing brochure – prepared by Zuza Bohley

La Dra. Anissa V. Hernández comenzó sus estudios, a nivel de bachillerato, graduándose Magna Cum Laude de Biología en la UPR, Recinto de Río Piedras. Desde esos tiempos, colaboraba en investigaciones en las áreas de ecología y botánica. Graduada de Escuela de Medicina UPR-RCM en 1998, mostraba su inquietud por los temas de conducta humana y sexualidad, realizando investigaciones con otros colegas sobre dichos temas. En el 2004, se gradúa del programa de residencia de Psiquiatría de UPR. Su tesis de graduación fue un estudio clínico en el cual se midieron 12 aspectos de la espiritualidad y cómo éstos influenciaban en los procesos de recuperación de pacientes con depresión mayor en hospitalización parcial. En su proceso de Sanación Personal, se inclinó por estudiar herbología, flores de Bach, sonidoterapia, mindfulness, entre otras vertientes de Medicina complementaria. Es Maestra Reiki desde el 2008, practicando activamente estos conocimientos y recomendándolos a pacientes para que complementen con tratamiento tradicional.

Actualmente, en su fase de escritora y poeta, desarrolla talleres de escritura para canalización adecuada de emociones. De su autoría, tiene publicados dos libros: Una Transformación al Amor y Mi Esencia. Ambos libros contienen datos y experiencias autobiográficas en las cuales la autora utiliza la escritura, la investigación y la poesía como herramientas de ayuda terapéutica en los procesos de sanación de individuos con traumas y abuso infantil. Es guía de terapias de bosques certificada por ANFT (Asociación de Terapias de Bosques y Naturaleza- Guías y Programas) desde enero de 2019. Posee certificación en primeros auxilios en la Naturaleza “Wilderness First Aid”. La Dra. Hernández actualmente ha colaborado con diferentes organizaciones locales e internacionales en dar a conocer la experiencia de la terapia de bosques a las comunidades. Entre las organizaciones que ha apoyado se encuentran las siguientes: Corazón Latino, Inc., Conservation Connexions, Amigos del Yunque, Redescubre El Yunque, The Mission Continues, Wounded Warrior Project, USDA Forest Services, Para La Naturaleza, Finca Bee Happy, Casa Pura, Proyecto La Jalda, entre otras.

Actualmente, la Dra. Hernández, junto con otras organizaciones sin fines de lucro, participa en el proyecto del diseño y certificación de la primera vereda de baño de bosques en Puerto Rico y en el sistema del Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos (USFS, por sus siglas en inglés). La misma se encontrará localizada en el Área Recreacional de Río Sabana, en Naguabo, Puerto Rico.

ANFT Walk info for Parents- Eng/Span – produced by Zuza Bohley
Forest Bathing brochure – prepared by Zuza Bohley

Dr. Tahia Devisscher
Dr. Tahia Devisscher
ANFT Certified Guide
Scientist, Educator, Public Speaker, ANFT Certified Guide, Holistic Yoga Teacher
University of British Columbia, Stockholm Environment Institute – Oxford Centre

Dr. Tahia Devisscher is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia, Canada. She is currently investigating the extent to which forests and greenspace in and around cities can increase social-ecological resilience, and influence the way in which urbanites relate to nature. Over the past 15 years, Tahia has supported global to local strategies to improve human well-being and address climate change adaptation through nature-based solutions. She has collaborated with partners in more than 20 countries, mainly across the Global South. Tahia has an interdisciplinary background and a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, UK. She certified as a holistic yoga teacher in 2017, and as a forest therapy guide in 2020. She has a passion for integrating her practice and her research in the courses she implements both in academia and professional settings.

Magaly Cintron
Magaly Cintron
ANFT Certified Guide
Empowered by the culture of her country of birth, Magaly creates a new line of Puerto Rican handicrafts using everything that nature has to offer by making beautiful pieces that exalt her culture with raw materials that are unbelievable. She dove into the world of holistic therapies in 2000, obtained her Bachelor of Arts, and began her Reiki practice in 2003, followed by her Reiki Master certificate in 2005. In 2012, after moving to Florida, in addition to resuming the study of various holistic practices, she joined Easterseals, specifically the program focused on people who have Alzheimer’s disease, offering Reiki therapy to patients and caregivers alike. She founded Geoda Port for Holistic Energy in 2015 with a group of holistic specialists who provide well-being and health services through different therapies. Magaly returned to Puerto Rico in 2016. In addition to her private practice and the lectures and workshops she teaches, Magaly is actively involved in the Boricua Barefoot Doctors (NADA Protocol) and The Daughters of the Earth worldwide (caregivers and healers of Mother Gaia). She began her training as a Forest Bathing Guide (Shirin Yoku) in 2019, obtaining her certificate in 2020. She implements this therapy in a virtual and personalized manner. Magaly is also a writer who has written a collection of books dedicated to emotional and spiritual help and stories for children focused on the conservation of Mother Earth.

Her experience through training in Forest Bath with the ANFT in 2019 inspired her to write a new book titled “Forest Bathing Does Not Heal… REVIVE Forest Healing

“It is a different type of walk as you are guided by the bearer of a magic key that opens nature in a very special way. It is not just about going out to identify trees or birds; forest healing is based on being guided by trained human beings who deliberately set a slow pace and invite people to experience the pleasures of nature through all their senses. It encourages people to be present in the here and now, fully engaging their bodies and minds with the place, enjoying the sensation of being alive and obtaining benefits from the relationship between us and the world of nature around us.”

Training with the ANFT helps you obtain that key that reconnects you with your forgotten knowledge while reminding you that you are a being connected to nature. It leads you to relearn and heal with nature.

Therapeutic Approach: Her approach to therapy is based on the harmonization and relaxation of the physical, mental, and emotional bodies to face life’s daily situations.

Geode Port for Holistic Energy
Provides holistic therapies, such as Reiki, Aromatherapy, Singing Bowl, Tapping, Pyramid Therapy, Gemmotherapy, Art Therapy, Chromotherapy, Nentatsu Ho, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Reflexology, Akashic Records, Zen Touch, BAQ Touch, Auriculotherapy, Sobada Maya, and Forest Bath.

Comienza su práctica de Reiki en el 2003, certificandose como Reiki Master en el 2005. En el 2012, tras mudarse a la Florida, y además de retomar el estudio de diversas prácticas holísticas, se une a “Easter Seals”, específicamente a su programa enfocado en personas con Alzheimer, ofreciendo terapia Reiki tanto a pacientes como a cuidadores. Regresa a Puerto Rico en el 2016 y además de su práctica privada y de dar conferencias y talleres, fundadora de Geoda (2015), Puerto Para la Energía Holística, participa activamente con los Boricua “Barefoot Doctors” (Protocolo NADA). Comenzó su formación como Guía de Baño de Bosque (Shirin Yoku) con la Asociación de Guías de Terapia de Bosque y la Naturaleza en el 2019, completando su certificación en el 2020, implementando esta terapia de forma virtual y personalizada. Es, además, escritora, con una colección de libros dedicada a temas de ayuda emocional y espiritual, así como también cuentos para niños enfocados en la conservación de la madre Tierra.
Paola Silva-Rodriguez
Paola Silva-Rodriguez
ANFT Certified Guide
Paola is a Biologist, Conservation Management Specialist, and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, originally from Colombia. Paola made Texas her second home 10 years ago, where she lives with her husband and three children.

Paola has 20 years of professional experience in the field of ecological restoration and environmental management. She held various positions in the environmental agency of the government of her hometown of Bogotá. Later, as a permanent resident in the United States, she joined the Texas Forest Service, where she worked with a wonderful group of people, leading an environmental education program promoting the Jones State Forest and urban and community forestry stewardship. I later learned about Forest Therapies in one of these forests, thanks to my dear and admired friend Tamberly Conway. As a lover of forests and nature and motivated by a family process, in recent years, I had begun to reeducate myself, thanks to my curiosity about human health issues, and found in the forest baths an extraordinary possibility to unite my two passions: nature conservation and our health.

Through the Bogotá City Mayor’s Office, and the Bogota Botanical Garden, as a center for research and conservation of the Andean flora, she supported the creation of a new program called “Nature, Health, and Culture” that calls the different political, administrative, and social actors of Bogotá to promote the good life and create better habits and lifestyles connected to nature. With this institutional program, we created the opportunity to replicate the planting of forest therapy in Colombia and Latin America, and thus actively call on Mother Earth, not only as a guide, as a mother, or as a professional in natural sciences, but as part of a society that clearly needs to return to its origin, for its own sake and for that of our Mother Earth.

Paola es Bióloga, Especialista en Manejo de la Conservación y Entrenadora de Salud en Nutrición Integral, originaria de Colombia. Hice de Texas mi segundo hogar hace 10 años, donde vivo con mi esposo y nuestros tres amados hijos.

Tengo 20 años de experiencia profesional en el campo de la restauración ecológica y gestión ambiental, desempeñé diferentes cargos dentro del gobierno de la autoridad ambiental de Bogotá, mi ciudad natal. Luego, como residente inmigrante a EE.UU. me vinculé al Servicio Forestal de Texas, donde junto a un grupo maravilloso de personas acompañé y lideré un programa de educación ambiental y promoción de los bosques estatales. Fue en uno de esos bosques donde unos años más tarde escuché hablar por primera vez de las Terapias de Bosque, gracias a mi querida y admirada amiga Tamberly Conway. Como amante de los bosques y la naturaleza, y debido a que en esos últimos años, motivada por un proceso familiar, yo venía re-educándome y muy curiosa por temas de salud humana, encontré en los baños de bosque una posibilidad extraordinaria de unir mis dos pasiones: conservación de la naturaleza y de nuestra salud.

Haber tenido la oportunidad de participar en Colorfull Changes -Cambios Coloridos-, ha sido un evento muy importante en mi vida, pues el entrenamiento como guía certificada de Terapias de Bosque fue en sí mismo un proceso transformador. Pienso que la pedagogía de la ANFT, sobresale por su calidad e innovación como método de enseñanza de crecimiento personal durante las prácticas en campo; el alto profesionalismo de las mentoras y la hermandad que se creó con el grupo en Puerto Rico fueron en su conjunto eventos de profundo impacto en mi vida. Como resultado de este proceso, y dentro de la reflexión a la que nos invitaba “el proyecto de cosecha” logré escuchar ese llamado de nuestra Madre Tierra de conformar redes y unir esfuerzos para volver a ella. Así que siguiendo el ritmo del universo, y gracias a todo lo aprendido y vivido durante el periodo de entrenamiento (el cual coincidió en su gran mayoría con los meses más difíciles de la pandemia) logré entrelazar varios puntos, o mejor dicho, cómo organizar las fichas de mi propio rompecabezas, y comprender que a partir de ese momento mi llamado personal y profesional era unirme a este movimiento global que promueve la reconexión de las personas con la naturaleza. Así las cosas, se dió el marco para llevar los conceptos detrás de este movimiento a la Alcaldía Mayor de Bogotá, donde a través de su Jardín Botánico, como centro de investigación y conservación de la flora Andina, se logró conformar un nuevo programa denominado “Naturaleza, Salud y Cultura”, el cual convoca a los diferentes actores políticos, administrativos y de la sociedad Bogotana a promover el buen vivir y conformar mejores hábitos y estilos de vida en conexión con la naturaleza. Creando allí desde este programa institucional la oportunidad de replicar la siembra de las terapias de bosque en Colombia y Latinoamérica, y apoyar así, de manera activa el llamado de nuestra madre tierra, ya no sólo como guía, como madre, o como profesional en ciencias naturales, sino como parte de una sociedad que evidentemente necesita retornar a su origen, por su propio bien y por el de nuestra madre Tierra.

Monica Ines Perez-Equia
Monica Ines Perez-Equia
ANFT Certified Guide
Monica Ines Perez-Equia, a tourism and sustainability expert, has experience working for industries ranging from health, government, technology, finance and education. She co-founded Love in Motion, a Puerto Rican non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) with the mission to provide the necessary tools and empowerment through hope and education for the development of community-based tourism in the Caribbean. Love in Motion maintains a collaborative agreement with the El Yunque National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, to co-create voluntourism, trails and wellness programs. She also co-founded Local Guest, a social enterprise that co-creates and promotes sustainable tourism experiences. Finally, she recently co-founded Bana, a new digital platform that works as a guide for making daily decisions that can lead to a better quality of life while supporting local practices, products and services striving for sustainability. She has a Master’s Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Suffolk University, and a Bachelor’s degree in communications, PR and Advertising from the University of Puerto Rico. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide Trainer from the National Association of Interpretation, has special Certifications in Organizing Communities for Change from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and is currently working to complete her practicum to become an Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Certified Guide.
Mónica Eguía, experta en turismo y sustentabilidad, su experiencia abarca haber trabajado para industrias que van desde la salud, el gobierno, la tecnología, las finanzas y la educación. Es la Directora Ejecutiva de Love in Motion, una organización boricua sin fines de lucro bajo la Sección 501 (c) (3) cuya misión es brindar las herramientas necesarias y el empoderamiento a través de la esperanza y la educación para el desarrollo del turismo comunitario en el Caribe. Love in Motion mantiene un acuerdo de colaboración con el Bosque Nacional El Yunque que es parte del Servicio Forestal de los EE. UU. que a su vez depende del Departamento de Agricultura, para co-crear programas de voluntariado, senderos y bienestar. También cofundó Local Guest, una empresa social que co-crea y promueve experiencias de turismo sustentable. Para concluir, cabe resaltar que recientemente cofundó Bana, una nueva plataforma digital que funciona a manera de guía de apoyo para tomar decisiones diarias que pueden conducir a una mejor calidad de vida al mismo tiempo que respalda las prácticas, productos y servicios locales que luchan por la sostenibilidad. Tiene una Maestría en Comunicación Integral de Mercadeo por la Universidad de Suffolk y una Licenciatura en Comunicación, Relaciones Públicas y Publicidad por la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Es instructora certificada de guías interpretativas de la Asociación Nacional de Interpretación, tiene certificaciones especiales en la Organización de Comunidades para el Cambio por el Instituto de Mejoramiento de la Atención de la Salud y es una Guía Certificada de Terapia Forestal de la Asociación de Naturaleza y Terapia de Bosque.
Monica Carrera Quiroz
Monica Carrera Quiroz
ANFT Certified Guide

Community Environmental Activist
Tepeyolotzin Collective Leader
ANFT Certified Guide, June 2021
Condor Cohort – 1st Spanish-language cohort, December 2020

Monica serves as a Forest Technician and is currently studying Agroproduct Engineering Processes at UBBJ. Monica is from the indigenous community of Milpa Alta in Mexico City. She began as a member of the Forest Brigadein her community. She received her Forest Technician degree from the Center for Forest Education and Training subsidized by the National Forestry Commission of Mexico (CONAFOR), for which she is extremely grateful for offering the opportunity to advance professionally along with other young community members who live in the forested communities in Mexico. Monica is an community environmental activist and her preoccupation for the conservation of forest resources has led her to become involved in forest-related activities.

One year ago, when CONAFOR the first international Forest Therapy webinar from October 13-16, 2020, international experts participated around the theme, is when Monica saw a wonderful opportunity to advance professionally through becoming an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide and to provide the opportunity for the inhabitants of her community to become reconnected with their forest. Monica is confident that through sensibilizing the Community through Forest Therapy, this will assure the conservation of the forest resources of the Milpa Alta community and in all of the community forests in her country where there is an uprooting of the forests, as this is one additional way towards conservation. Lover of the forests, and Founder of the Collective “Tepeyolotzin”, which in the Nahuatl language means, “heart of the wilderness”.

Activista Ambiental Comunitaria
Responsable de Colectivo Tepeyolotzin
Guía Certificada de ANFT- Cohorte Condor, Junio 2021

Monica Carrera cuenta con la carrera de Técnico Forestal, estudiante de la carrera de Ingeniería en Procesos Agroalimentarios por la UBBJ. Pertenece a la comunidad indígena de Milpa Alta en la Ciudad de México. Inició siendo Brigadista Forestal en su Comunidad. La carrera de Técnico Forestal la realizó en el Centro de Educación y Capacitación Forestal, subsidiada por la Comisión Nacional Forestal – CONAFOR de México, institución de la que está agradecida por brindarle la oportunidad de superarse profesionalmente a ella y a otros jóvenes que habitan en las comunidades forestales de su país. Es una activista ambiental en su comunidad, pues la preocupación por la conservación de los recursos forestales la ha llevado a involucrarse en las actividades del bosque.

Hace un año cuándo la CONAFOR organizó el primer Webinar de Terapia Forestal del 13 al 16 de octubre de 2020, donde participaron expertos internacionales sobre el tema, ahí fué dónde vió una gran oportunidad para profesionalizarse cómo guía de Terapia de Bosque por la ANFT y de brindar otra oportunidad a los habitantes de su Comunidad para reconectar con su bosque, pues ella confía en que a través de sensibilizar a su Comunidad se puede asegurar la permanencia de los Recursos Forestales en la comunidad de Milpa Alta y en todas aquellas comunidades forestales de su país en dónde hay un desarraigo con el bosque, es una forma más de hacer conservación. Amante del bosque, y fundadora del colectivo “Tepeyolotzin” en lengua náhuatl qué quiere decir corazón de monte.

Sandra Milena Zapata Cárdenas
Sandra Milena Zapata Cárdenas
ANFT Certified Guide
Forest Engineer – Ecosystem Restoration Assessment
Condor Cohort – 1st Spanish-language cohort, December 2020

Sandra lives in Bogotá, Colombia. She is a world traveler and a lover of nature in all forms of expression. She studied Forest Engineering by vocation but in her constant search to find a relationship with nature, she encountered the practice of forest bathing and there she found her second vocation “to open the doors of the forest” to all people who want to be, but above all feel and be part of nature. Since then, she has worked to bring nature and the forest closer to people, guiding participants in different regions throughout Colombia, and in collaboration with the Bogotá Botanical Garden.

Passionate about conserving natural resources, she created the Global Forestree Foundation that works on the restoration of ecosystems through the empowerment of rural communities. She is in love with life, enjoying personal growth and well-being through going into the Forests, walking in rivers and growing orchids. She focuses on being better every day, contributing to building a better world and enjoying this journey called life.

Ingeniera Forestal – Asesora en Restauración de Ecosistemas
Guía ANFT
Cóndor – 1ra Cohorte en español

Sandra vive en Bogotá – Colombia, es una viajera del mundo y una enamorada de la naturaleza en todas sus formas de expresión. Estudió por vocación Ingeniería Forestal pero en su búsqueda constante por encontrar una relación con la naturaleza coincidió en el camino con la práctica de baños de bosque y ahí encontró su segunda vocación “abrir las puertas del bosque” a todas las personas que quieran estar pero sobre todo sentir y hacer parte de la naturaleza. Desde entonces viene acercando la naturaleza y el bosque a las personas guiando en diferentes lugares entre los que se encuentra el Jardín Botánico de Bogotá.

Apasionada por la conservación de los recursos naturales creó la Fundación Global Forestree que trabaja en la restauración de ecosistemas a través del empoderamiento de las comunidades rurales. Enamorada de la vida, disfruta del crecimiento y bienestar personal, de adentrarse en los Bosques, de caminar por los ríos y de cultivar orquídeas. Enfocada en ser mejor cada día, contribuir a construir un mundo mejor y disfrutar de este viaje llamado vida.

Carla Zorzanelli
Carla Zorzanelli

ANFT Certified Guide and Trainer
Founder, EcoUni University

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in love with the beach, the trees and music, Carla Zorzanelli has gone from a very urban and anthropomorphic way of living to a path back to a deep connection to nature and the more-than-human world. After a masters in Science at Schumacher College in the UK, she has focused on deepening her relationship to nature by becoming a certified Forest Therapy guide with the ANFT and, by researching and living into different topics like Rewilding, Deep Ecology, Shamanism, Ancient indigenous wisdoms, Jungian studies and Regeneration, and has lived in a tent in the middle of the Savannah in Africa. Currently she is bringing Forest Therapy to Brazil, where she actively guides groups. In addition, she offers nature connection courses to a variety of audiences. She is also co-founder of EcoUni, an ecological university that promotes regenerative learning with content focused on building an ecofuture.

Nascida no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil e, apaixonada por praia, árvores e música, Carla Zorzanelli passou de um modo de vida urbano e antropomórfico a um caminho de volta à uma profunda conexão com a natureza e o mundo mais que humano. Depois de um mestrado em Ciências com foco em sustentabilidade e regeneração na Schumacher College no Reino Unido, ela se concentrou em aprofundar seu relacionamento com a natureza ao se tornar uma guia certificada de Terapia Florestal pela ANFT e, ao pesquisar e mergulhar em tópicos como Rewilding, Ecologia Profunda, Xamanismo, sabedorias indígenas, estudos junguianos e regeneração e, viveu em uma tenda no meio da savana na África. Atualmente, está trazendo a Terapia Florestal para o Brasil, onde guia ativamente guia grupos. Além disso, oferece cursos de conexão com a natureza para diversos públicos conectados aos tópicos que estudou e é também cofundadora da EcoUni, uma universidade ecológica que promove uma aprendizagem regenerativa com conteúdos focados na construção de um ecofuturo.
Shobha Singh
Shobha Singh
ANFT Certified Guide
General Manager – Corporate Communications

Shobha Singh has 15 years of experience as a Geologist in the premium oil and gas company of India. Currently she is working as General Manager- Corporate Communications.

Pursuing her passion and deep love for Mother Nature, she pursued certification as a Forest Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy guides and programs in 2019 in Costa Rica, the first and only guide in India trained by ANFT.

Since her training, she has conducted Forest Therapy walks in many cities in India and in the US.

She conducts sessions on meditation, forest therapy and nature healing at the Institute of Yoga and Management, Haryana (India) and is an avid gardener and embroiderer.

She is the author of ‘Bharat ke pakshi’, a field guide in Hindi on the birds of India, which is available online.

She is committed to bringing about an awareness around the values of reconnecting with nature. Her travels to the most beautiful national forests and parks all over the world have instilled in her a deep sense of awe and wonder for nature, which she loves to share in her forest therapy and nature healing programs.

शोभा सिंह ने भारत की प्रीमियम ऑयल एंड गैस कंपनी में जियोलॉजिस्ट के रूप में 15 साल का अनुभव प्राप्त किया है। वर्तमान में वह एक कॉर्पोरेट कम्युनिकेशंस महाप्रबंधक के रूप में कार्यरत है।

प्रकृति के प्रति अपने गहरे प्रेम को बढ़ाते हुए उन्होंने 2019 में कोस्टा रिका में एसोसिएशन ऑफ नेचर एंड फॉरेस्ट थेरेपी गाइड्स एंड प्रोग्राम्स, कैलिफोर्निया से फॉरेस्ट थेरेपी गाइड के लिए प्रमाणन प्राप्त किया। एएनएफटी द्वारा प्रशिक्षित वह भारत की पहली और एकमात्र गाइड है। अपने प्रशिक्षण के बाद से, उन्होंने भारत और अमेरिका के कई शहरों में फॉरेस्ट थेरेपी वॉक आयोजित किया है।

वह योग और प्रबंधन संस्थान, हरियाणा (भारत) में ध्यान, वन चिकित्सा और प्रकृति उपचार पर सत्र आयोजित करती हैं। वह बागवानी और कढ़ाई का शौक रखती हैं। वह ‘भारत के पक्षी’ की लेखिका हैं, जो भारत के पक्षियों पर हिंदी में एक फील्ड गाइड है और ऑनलाइन पोर्टल पर उपलब्ध है।

वह प्रकृति के साथ फिर से जुड़ने के मूल्यों के बारे में जागरूकता लाने के लिए प्रतिबद्ध है। दुनिया भर के सबसे खूबसूरत राष्ट्रीय वनों की उनकी यात्राओं ने उन्हें प्रकृति के प्रति विस्मय और आश्चर्य की गहरी भावना पैदा की है, जिसे वह अपने वन चिकित्सा और प्रकृति उपचार कार्यक्रमों में साझा करना पसंद करती हैं।

Toby Bloom
Toby Bloom
ANFT Certified Guide
Toby Bloom is the National Program Manager for Tourism and Interpretive Services for the US Forest Service. Some of the current initiatives she leads are the National Forest Explorer Mobile App; strengthening recreation economies in forest gateway communities; working with Tribes to promote genuine interpretation and responsible visitation to native heritage sites on Forest Service- managed lands; promoting healthy people and forests through innovative public lands and public health partnerships; and working with Interpretive Associations to improve visitor experience and appreciation of the National Forests. Toby was previously the Latin America and Caribbean Program Specialist for the Forest Service International Programs division. Before joining USFS, she worked with local communities to develop ecotourism projects in high biodiversity areas of Latin America and the Caribbean as the Director of Wildlife Ecotourism for Humane Society International, as a technical expert for USAID in Honduras, and in several other consultancies in the region. Toby started her tourism career as a tour guide through the US, Canada, and Mexico. She received her master’s degree in Sustainable International Development with a focus on ecotourism from Brandeis University. Believing deeply in nature as a key aspect of a healthy life, Toby became the first Forest Service employee to be certified as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide in January of 2019 under the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Toby also serves as an ANFT mentor and Trainer’s Assistant.
Michelle López Lorenzo
Michelle López Lorenzo
ANFT Certified Guide
Michelle has been working in El Yunque National Forest and other natural protected areas of Puerto Rico since 2016, mainly as a field technician in citizen science projects and tree studies. She has a special interest in ethnobotany and promoting knowledge of native and naturalized edible plants. Outside of being a field technician, Michelle’s work includes guiding Forest Therapy Walks, conducting workshops on trees and edible plants, as well as promoting sustainable food growing through agroecology practices. She is also a certified Excursion Leader with the Puerto Rico Chapter of the Sierra Club.

For Michelle, discovering the practice of Forest Therapy through her collaboration with the Friends of El Yunque Foundation, and completing her certification as a Forest Therapy Guide through the ANFT thanks to the support of the U.S. Forest Service and Corazón Latino, has been akin to finding the missing piece in her life’s work of bringing people closer to the forests of Puerto Rico. Forest Therapy has given her the opportunity to facilitate more accessible connections to nature for people of diverse ages and mobility, as well as the tools to facilitate connections that are heart-centered and promote relaxation, joy and healing.

Michelle ha estado trabajando en el Bosque Nacional El Yunque y otras áreas naturales protegidas de Puerto Rico desde 2016, principalmente como técnica de campo en proyectos de ciencia ciudadana y estudios de árboles. Tiene un interés especial en la etnobotánica y la promoción del conocimiento de las plantas comestibles nativas y naturalizadas. Más allá de ser una técnica de campo, el trabajo de Michelle también es el de guiar caminatas de Terapia de Bosque, realizar talleres sobre árboles y plantas comestibles, así como promover el cultivo sostenible de alimentos a través de prácticas agroecológicas. Además es líder certificada de excursiones con el capítulo de Puerto Rico de Sierra Club.

Para Michelle, descubrir la práctica de la Terapia de Bosque a través de su colaboración con la Fundación Amigos de El Yunque, y completar su certificación como Guía de Terapia de Bosque a través de la ANFT gracias al apoyo del Servicio Forestal de los Estados Unidos y Corazón Latino, ha sido casi como encontrar la pieza que faltaba en su trabajo de vida que consiste en acercar a la gente a los bosques de Puerto Rico. La Terapia de Bosque le ha brindado la oportunidad de facilitar conexiones más accesibles con la naturaleza para personas de distintas edades y capacidades de movilidad, así como las herramientas para facilitar conexiones enfocadas en el corazón y la promoción de la relajación, la alegría y la curación.

Meghann Hawes
Meghann Hawes
ANFT Certified Guide

Communications and Marketing Professional and Former Community Engagement Specialist at El Yunque National Forest

Provide experiences, reflections, accomplishments, challenges and recommendations, and inspirations, surrounding ANFT training, practicum and practice.

After Hurricane Maria, I began working with El Yunque National Forest as part of the hurricane recovery effort. My focus was on community engagement, and as part of that I was charged with working with local communities and stakeholders to form partnerships, support open communication and dialogue with our communities, and provide a forum for education and engagement with the forest and nature. Forest therapy came to my attention through some of the nonprofits engaged with the forest and recent graduates of earlier cohorts and I immediately saw its potential as a way to meaningfully engage with the forest and nature in a new way. I was particularly interested in the healing aspects of the practice, particularly in the context of the trauma experienced by both the people and nature in the aftermath of the hurricane. And also, a low impact, non-intrusive way in which to introduce those to the forest that perhaps were unfamiliar or uncomfortable with interacting in nature. As the community expressed interest in a certified trail and was supported by many groups, including the local neighbors, veterans and other stakeholders, I wanted to become certified to really have a better understanding of the practice. I felt that having this intimate knowledge of the practice would help me to better assist these groups in partnership with the Forest Service, in the development and implementation of the various projects surrounding it.

The immersive 1 week experience was a revelation – before I was approaching it a bit skeptically – while I understood the concept of what it was, it was the actual experience of it that really convinced me that this was a great thing. Struggling to be eloquent about it, but from a personal and professional perspective, I fell in love with the practice. I found it to be really grounding – reminding me to slow down and open up and I loved the additional aspects of respecting nature, having an open communication with it and having it be a two-way street. Particularly as the forest was my ‘job’ the practice really helped me remember my intrinsic love for the forest and reset me back to the why of it.

Anyway, of course for us, Coronavirus hit smack in the middle of the 6 months practicum which was particularly challenging. The biggest struggle was the shutdowns in Puerto Rico that restricted us from the forests, beaches, and natural spaces for many months. I found this to be a struggle not only for completing the requirements but also just in terms of separating from natural spaces that would have been particularly healing during that time. I give a lot of credit to ANFT for rapidly shifting courses and finding solutions to allow the practicum to continue. Out of adversity they were able to not only make adjustments, but also started embracing and promoting virtual walks which I think overall serves a great purpose in addition to the in-person ones. I am grateful for the experience and thankful to the USFS, Corazon Latino, ANFT and Colorful Changes for their efforts in bringing this to Puerto Rico, as a practice; as a trail; as a community that was created, and that it was done and translated into Spanish so that it was available to everyone that was interested.

Profesional de Comunicación y Mercadotecnia y Especialista en Participación Comunitaria en el Bosque Nacional El Yunque

Proporciona experiencias, reflexiones, logros, desafíos y recomendaciones e inspiraciones en torno al entrenamiento, los ejercicios y la práctica en campo de ANFT.

Después del huracán María, comencé a trabajar en el Bosque Nacional El Yunque como parte del esfuerzo de recuperación del huracán. Mi enfoque radicaba en la participación de la comunidad y, como parte de eso, me encargaron el trabajo con las comunidades locales y los actores clave interesados en formar alianzas, apoyar la comunicación abierta y el diálogo con nuestras comunidades, y proporcionar un foro para la educación y el compromiso con el bosque y la naturaleza. La terapia de bosque llamó mi atención a través de algunas de las organizaciones sin fines de lucro comprometidas con el bosque y también mediante recién graduados de cohortes anteriores; inmediatamente vi su potencial como una forma de participar de manera significativa con el bosque y la naturaleza de una nueva manera. Estaba particularmente interesada en los aspectos curativos de la práctica, especialmente en el contexto del trauma experimentado tanto por las personas como por la naturaleza después del huracán. Y también, una forma de bajo impacto y no intrusiva para presentarle al bosque a aquellos que quizás no estaban familiarizados o se sentían incómodos con la interacción en la naturaleza. Debido a que la comunidad expresó interés en un sendero certificado y recibió el apoyo de muchos grupos, incluidos los vecinos locales, los veteranos y de otros participantes clave, quería certificarme para tener una mejor comprensión de la práctica. Sentí que tener un conocimiento íntimo de esta práctica me facilitaría ayudar, en alianza con el Servicio Forestal, a que estos grupos se sintieran mejor a través del desarrollo e implementación de los distintos proyectos que lo rodean.

La experiencia de inmersión de una semana fue una revelación, antes la estaba experimentando con un poco de escepticismo, aunque entendía el concepto de lo que era; fue la experiencia real lo que realmente me convenció de que esto es algo grandioso. Desde una lucha interior por ser elocuente al respecto, y también desde una perspectiva personal y profesional, me enamoré de la práctica. Encontré que esto era algo que realmente te conecta a la tierra: me recordaba que debía tomarme un tiempo y abrir mi mente, y me encantaron los aspectos adicionales de respetar la naturaleza, tener una comunicación cercana con ella y contar con una vía que transita en ambos sentidos. Particularmente como el bosque era mi “trabajo”, la práctica realmente me ayudó a recordar mi amor intrínseco por él y me devolvió el porqué.

De cualquier manera, por supuesto para nosotros, el Coronavirus golpeó justo en medio de la práctica de 6 meses, y esto fue particularmente desafiante. La dificultad más grande se reflejó en los cierres que Puerto Rico nos restringieron el acceso a los bosques, las playas y los espacios naturales durante muchos meses. Encontré que esto era un obstáculo no solo para completar los requisitos, sino también porque implicaba separarse de los espacios naturales que durante ese tiempo habrían sido particularmente curativos. Le doy un gran reconocimiento a la ANFT por cambiar rápidamente los cursos y encontrar soluciones que permitan que la práctica continúe. A consecuencia de la adversidad, además de hacer reajustes, también se comenzaron a adoptar y promover caminatas virtuales que creo que en general tienen un gran propósito además de aquellas que son en persona. Estoy agradecida por la experiencia y con el USFS, Corazón Latino, ANFT y Cambios Coloridos por sus esfuerzos para llevar esta práctica a Puerto Rico; como un sendero; como una comunidad que se creó, agradecida porque se hizo y se tradujo al español para que estuviera disponible para todos quienes estuvieran interesados.

Everett Marshall
Everett Marshall
ANFT Certified Guide
Everett Marshall is the Director of People, Performance and Culture for the Center for Organizational Excellence, Inc. He has over 20 years of management and consulting experience in both the public and private sectors. After serving as a Surface Warfare Officer in the Navy, he worked in the private sector with a global business consulting /IT services company focused on the development of recruiting and training programs. He has worked as a consultant to several federal agencies in the areas of organizational change, facilitation, team building, leadership coaching, and stakeholder engagement/alignment, and has also served as a federal employee during his tenure as the Director of Strategic Outreach for the US Naval Academy. Everett has been an active participant in the non-profit sector, where he served as a past president of the Chesapeake Bay Organizational Development Network. He holds certifications as an Appreciative Inquiry Coach/Consultant, Licensed Human Element Practitioner TM , Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, and in the delivery of Emotional Intelligence Assessments. Everett is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs (ANFT).
Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui
Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui
ANFT Certified Guide and Trainer
Educator, Citizen Scientist and Co-Founder of Capital Nature
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) Certified Guide

Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui is Co-Founder of the DC metro area nonprofit Capital Nature. Her organization’s mission is to connect the people and visitors of the DC area to the abundance of nature in the region. She is a forest bathing guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs and is devoted to sharing the practice, needed now more than ever. Ana is also a Virginia Master Naturalist and committed to connecting people to nature through citizen science and other biodiversity initiatives such as the global City Nature Challenge. She enjoys engaging others in citizen science by leading nature walks and teaching about the app iNaturalist.

Ana is an experienced tour leader for sustainability-based projects. She has worked at the U.S. Green Building Council since 2003 in various capacities that connect people to the green world. Currently on the Marketing and Communications team, she manages projects, curates digital assets and serves as the staff photographer. Ana is passionate about using the built and natural environment as a teaching tool.

Ronna Schneberger
Ronna Schneberger
ANFT Certified Guide
Nature and Forest Therapy Guide & Leadership Wellness Coach, Forest Fix (www.forestfix.ca)

Ronna Schneberger is one of the first Forest Therapy guides and trainers in Canada. She is a guide, mentor and trainer with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Recently, she remotely guided doctors and nurses in BC to support their mental health and wellbeing for the rollout of the Canadian Parks Prescription Program. For the past 25 years she has been an award winning master interpreter, naturalist, and hiking guide in Banff National Park.

Ronna has been faculty with Leadership Development at the Banff Centre where she worked with leaders, professionals and executives from all over the world using nature as the teacher to create powerful reflections and transformation. Her unique approach uses proven techniques to help people reset their mind and body so they can navigate challenging times with calm and clarity.

Susan Abookire
Susan Abookire

BSEE, MD, MPH, FACP, ANFT Certified Guide

Susan Abookire, BSEE, MD, MPH, FACP, an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, is a senior executive with 20 years’ experience leading healthcare organizations. She has served as chief medical officer, system chief quality officer, and Chair of quality and patient safety. Dr. Abookire began her career as an electrical engi-neer in aviation systems. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Abookire trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and practices internal medicine. She received a master’s degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and has taught nationally and internationally on patient safety, high reliability, and systems design. Dr. Abookire also enjoys being a Forest Therapy guide.

Efraín Vega
Efraín Vega

ANFT Certified Guide

The Days in the Garden that Transformed and Saved My Life
by Efraín Vega Rodriguez
The-Days-in-the-Garden-that-Transformed-and-Saved-My-Life
Efraín wrote a short essay to illustrate his experience:

In order to complete this task, My Diary about the Network for the Interconnection of Beings, and meet the requirements established to obtain my certificate as a Forest Therapy Guide, I selected the front of my house to connect me to a known environment. In my daily visits, I explored that place to identify the meaning of that mission. Days passed, and I soon began to see that space from a different perspective. I felt different even though I was physically inside that space, day in and day out.

I have always loved nature and had a special taste for plants and animals from early childhood. I experienced many difficult moments in my childhood. My mother was all the good I had, and I was always by her side as she worked on her love for growing ornamental plants. I acquired my first taste for that activity that served as therapy. I learned to be a lonely child who took refuge in the plants, whose leaves covered the suffering caused by how people mistreated me. That garden space took me back to a trip that captivated my soul, where I spent countless hours and even days exploring a different type of world that filled my being. During my lifetime, people would look at me and classify me as a rare object, causing me to fall behind in my serious attempt to socialize. I never understood that and always doubted myself.

I remember that during the nine days I spent at the week-long ANFT in-person training in November 2019, I heard an instructor speak about special situations specifically aligned through inexplicable conditions that seemed to happen through some type of conspiracy created by nature that caused those beings in formation that were called and summoned by creation, to meet in that specific space to discover the infinite possibilities available to capture the forest’s potential.
I never imagined that life would provide me with the opportunity to recognize myself, and much less show me experiences that allowed me to see myself in the imaginary reflection that I saw in the garden, a mirror that allowed me to find myself exactly where I needed to sit. This year, the forest has taught me through an infinite number of situations that led me to be fairer to myself; to heal my past, and to strengthen my acceptance of myself as I am, living day by day and rebuilding in my present, the good experiences that every child deserves to live. Today, I enjoy the moment. I remember the instant as vividly as if it were today when my mentor Toby Bloom suggested that I explore the dynamic during an invitation. I had an experience where the forest moved me to take off my shoes, feel my bare feet on the grass, and enjoy splashing in a puddle of water created by the early morning rain. In that instant, I felt the joy of a child at play, fully enjoying the moment. The reality was that everyone there could see a 47-year-old mature man behaving like a child. The forest showed where it began and the direction in which this discovery in the transformation process was leading me.

It is difficult to project these experiences because the sensations are abstract, so I decided to begin illustrating the experiences through this work, painted in oil, on an 18” x 24” canvas, with a combination of elements that coincide in a moment, but summarize the training process spanning a whole year.

Some of the elements are:

  • The coqui that is always with me at night with its song.
  • The bull toad in my fish pond.
  • The lizard cleverly camouflaged among the branches of the tree.
  • The guaraguao announcing its furrow in a high-pitched chirp as it flies through the sky.
  • The spider embroidering with her threads as she catches the morning dew.
  • The little warbler who, with her charming visits to the garden, never feared my presence, drinking nectar from the bromeliad flowers, building her nest, and taking a morning bath.

I want to immortalize these images that will remain on this canvas, intended to ensure that his work is kept as a permanent and living memory of that moment that allowed me to recognize that new horizon—increasingly grateful to the one who was always by my side and saved my life.

Mapa Diario de la Red de Interconexión de Seres – Arte Original
Título de la obra: LOS DÍAS EN EL JARDÍN QUE TRANSFORMARON Y SALVARON MI VIDA
Autor: Efraín Vega Rodríguez
The-Days-in-the-Garden-that-Transformed-and-Saved-My-Life

Se desarrolló un breve ensayo para ilustrar la experiencia.

Mediante la encomienda de desarrollar esta tarea, mi diario de la red de interconexión de seres, y lograr los requerimientos de la Certificación como Guía de Terapia de Bosque, seleccioné el frente de mi casa para conectar con un entorno que siempre tuve en mi hogar. Visitando a diario, exploré aquel lugar en búsqueda de identificar un sentido para aquella encomienda. Pasaron los días y muy pronto comencé a ver ese espacio desde una perspectiva diferente, día a día físicamente me encontré dentro de aquel lugar pero me sentía de una forma distinta.

Siempre he sido amante de la naturaleza, de niño mostré un gusto muy especial por las plantas y los animales. Viví muchos momentos difíciles en mi infancia, mi madre era todo lo bueno que tenía, siempre estuve a su lado en su afición por el cultivo de plantas ornamentales. Aprendí mis primeros gustos por aquella actividad que me servía de terapia, aprendí a ser un niño solitario que se refugiaba entre las plantas, y que entre sus hojas cubría todo sufrimiento provocado por el maltrato de muchos, en aquel espacio de jardín me remontaba en un viaje que extasiaba mi ser y donde pase infinidad de horas y hasta días enteros, explorando un mundo diferente que me llenaba. Durante mi vida muchos me miraban y me definían como un objeto raro, aspecto que en mi intento de socializar, creó mucho rezago. Nunca comprendí y muchas dudas sobre mi ser siempre sentí.

Recuerdo en el internado de los 9 días, en noviembre 2019, haber escuchado a un instructor mencionar sobre las situaciones especiales que se alineaban de forma particular en condiciones inexplicables, a los participantes, donde se daba como una especie de conspiración de la naturaleza, al permitirles coincidir en aquel lugar para aquellos seres en formación, llamados y convocados por la creación. Aquello les permitiría descubrir infinidad de posibilidades dentro de la potencialidad del bosque.

Jamás imaginé que la vida me proveyera la oportunidad de reconocerme, y mucho menos, mostrarme experiencias que me permitieran verme en el reflejo imaginario que veía en el jardín, espejo que me permitió encontrarme justo en el lugar para sentarme. El bosque me ilustró durante este año una infinidad de situaciones, que me llevaron a permitirme ser más justo conmigo mismo, a sanar mi pasado, y a fortalecer mi aceptación tal y cual soy, viviendo día a día reconstruyendo en mi presente, las buenas experiencias que cada niño se merece vivir. Hoy disfruto el momento. Recuerdo como si fuera ahora, aquel momento en el que mi Mentora, Toby Bloom, me sugirió durante una invitación… Al explorar la dinámica, viví una experiencia donde el bosque me movió a quitarme los zapatos, sentir los pies descalzos sobre la grama,y disfrutar el chapaleteo en un charco de agua, que la lluvia caída había acumulado temprano en la mañana. Me encontré en aquel instante, la dicha del sentir un niño jugar y disfrutar el momento. La realidad era que todos los que allí se encontraban podían ver a un hombre maduro 47 años, pero en una conducta infantil. El bosque mostraba dónde comenzaba y la dirección a la que dirigía ese descubrir en el proceso de transformación, en Mi.

Estas experiencias son difíciles de proyectar pues sus sensaciones son abstractas, por tal razón decidí ilustrar mediante la construcción de esta obra, pintado al óleo, sobre un cuadro 18” x 24”, una combinación de elementos que coinciden en un momento, pero que resumen el proceso de formación de todo un año. entre los elementos se pueden observar:

  • El coquí que siempre me acompaña en las noches con su canto.
  • El sapo toro en mi estanque de peces.
  • El lagartijo, que astutamente se camuflaje entre las ramas del árbol.
  • El Guaraguao que con su agudo chirrido anuncia su surco sobre el cielo en pleno vuelo.
  • La araña tejedora que bordaba con sus hilos, atrapando el rocío de cada mañana.
  • La reinita que con su encantadoras visitas al jardín, nunca temió mi presencia, en el recogido de néctar entre las flores de las bromelias, construyendo sus nidos y dándose un baño mañanero.

Quiero inmortalizar estas imágenes que quedarán sobre este lienzo, con la intención de que su obra quede en un permanente y vivo recuerdo de aquel momento que me permitió reconocer ese nuevo horizonte. Apreciando cada día más a aquél que siempre estuvo a mi lado y siempre salvó mi vida.

Elliot López
Elliot López
ANFT Certified Guide

Elliot Lopez was born in Puerto Rico. For many years, Elliot worked in collaborative agreement with the International Institute of Tropical Forestry (USFS), the Institute for Tropical Ecosystems Studies of the University of Puerto Rico and Vermont EPSCoR Streams Project as science mentor to guide HS students to develop research in Puerto Rican forests and conduct citizen science. A lover of nature, he is inspired by the sensory experience that leads us to interpret our interdependence with other species and natural elements from an early age. That is the starting point of our learning in a constructivist way. “ When I closely listened to the voices of nature, I understood that its joy and sorrows somehow are also mine.”- says López-Machado.

Motivated to help youth with poor achievement and low self-esteem, Elliot works to offer Forest Therapy as an alternative to strengthen their will to move forward. Elliot is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs. He is guiding forest bathing walks in the north zone of Puerto Rico and also in Waldorf, Maryland. The plan for the year 2021-2022 include: a) an internship for HS students in the north side of Puerto Rico combining citizen science and forest therapy, b) a Birds Festival combining bird watching and forest therapy, and c) establish liaisons with the Charles County Public Schools in Maryland.

Lopez is composer and author of short stories.

Elliot López nació en Puerto Rico. Durante muchos años, Elliot trabajó en acuerdo colaborativo con el Instituto Internacional de Bosques Tropicales (USFS), el Instituto de Estudios de Ecosistemas Tropicales de la Universidad de Puerto Rico y el Proyecto Vermont EPSCoR Streams como mentor científico para orientar a los estudiantes de secundaria a desarrollar investigaciones forestales en Puerto Rico y realizar ciencia ciudadana. Amante de la naturaleza, se inspira en la experiencia sensorial que nos lleva a interpretar nuestra interdependencia con otras especies y elementos naturales desde una edad temprana. Ese es el punto de partida de nuestro aprendizaje de manera constructivista. “Cuando escuché atentamente las voces de la naturaleza, comprendí que su alegría y sus penas de alguna manera también son mías” – dice López-Machado.

Motivado para ayudar a los jóvenes con bajo rendimiento y baja autoestima, Elliot trabaja para ofrecer la Terapia de Bosque como una alternativa para fortalecer su voluntad de seguir adelante. Elliot es un guía certificado de terapia de bosque a través de la Asociación de guías y programas de terapia de naturaleza y bosque. Actualmente realiza caminatas guiadas de baños en el bosque en la zona norte de Puerto Rico y también en Waldorf, Maryland. Su plan para el año 2021-2022 incluye: a) una pasantía para estudiantes de secundaria en el lado norte de Puerto Rico que combine ciencia ciudadana y terapia forestal, b) un Festival de Aves que combine observación de aves y la terapia de bosque, yc) establecer vínculos con escuelas públicas del condado de Charles en Maryland.

López es compositor y autor de cuentos.

Elliot Lopez – como Guia ANFT y Educador – video en espanol

María Sarela Pardo
María Sarela Pardo
María Sarela Pardo, formada como Guia de Terapia de Bosque y certificada por la ANFT en la corte Condor, Acompaña en el encuentro con la naturaleza, el ser guía le ha dado la base para la ejecución de sus proyectos de re-conexión con la naturaleza. Apasionada a la natación, lectura y películas de ciencia ficción las cuales hacen parte de su vida cotidiana.

Amante de la tecnología y conocedora de ella cree que el conocer y aprender sobre tecnología no es una cuestión de ser gurú sino una cuestión de supervivencia en este siglo.

Colombiana, lleva más de veinte años siendo residente en Houston, Texas USA, desarrollando actividades de Ingeniería de sistemas, acompañando a los pequeños empresarios en la implementación de estrategias de tecnología a través de sistemas planificadores de recursos empresariales ERP los cuales integra la gestión de los principales procesos comerciales.

Conocedora de diferentes metodologías de desarrollo, a la fecha trabajando con agilidad (scrum) como medio de optimización y humanización de los procesos de negocios e integración de ecosistemas. Es life coach y agile coach certificada.

Cursó sus estudios de Ingeniería en Bogotá. Además , tiene una maestría en Gerencia estratégica de sistemas de información. Ha realizado diferentes retiros de Meditación, espiritualidad y Control Mental. Actualmente utiliza herramientas para conocer la naturaleza como: inaturalist, merlin bird e itree. En el cual ha desarrollado proyectos de ciencia ciudadana.

Raquel Pinto
Raquel Pinto
ANFT Certified Guide
Raquel Pinto, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, serves as Certified Forest Therapy Guide in Maryland who trained under the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Forest Therapy has been a tremendous gift to her because she did not know much about the practice when she was trained. Raquel believes Forest Therapy is a call from our Mother Earth, a reciprocity relationship, since she found physical and spiritual healing in nature she wants to spread the seed of conservation through love reciprocity and reconnection. Raquel began joining in nature-based activities with her family nearly 3 years ago during a Community science related event and from there she began to expand her own horizons and that of her family in learning about conservation through engaging and stewardship and educational activities.

In March, 2019, Raquel had the opportunity to train as a Forest Therapy Guide. This experience has created a significant shift in her personal and professional life, not to mention the lives of her three sons and her husband. They now seek continued nature connection as a part of their health and wellness and as a driver to propel their own conservation leadership. Raquel inspired the transformation of the ANFT certification program by inspiring the first bilingual training program, funded by the US Forest Service, which led to ANFT’s first ever Spanish language training program, which began in December 2020. Raquel continues to expand this practice by delivering Forest Therapy to Spanish-speaking communities around Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia. She has served as a speaker at a number of local (in-person), national and international (virtual) events. Her excitement and passion about sharing this practice with others is helping to carry this practice into Latino communities throughout the nation and into Latin America.

Raquel Pinto, originaria de Oaxaca México, es un guía certificado en la terapia de bosque por la organización de bosque y naturaleza ANFT.

Raquel comenzó a involucrarse en las actividades en la naturaleza junto con su familia en el 2018 durante un evento de ciencia ciudadana. consecuentemente comenzó a expandir sus horizontes en la conservación informándose, y participando en actividades educacionales de conservación del medio ambiente.

En marzo del 2019 Raquel tuvo la oportunidad de certificarse como guía de terapia de bosque y naturaleza. Esta experiencia creó un enorme cambio en su vida profesional, y personal sin mencionar los cambios positivos en la vida de sus hijos.

Habiendo experimentado los grandes beneficios de pasar tiempo en la naturaleza ahora ella y su familia buscan esa constante conexión con ella al mismo tiempo que buscan formas de contribuir a la preservación de la misma.

Raquel fue una inspiración para la transformación de la asociación ANFT y sus programas de entrenamiento, financiados por el servicio forestal de los Estados Unidos.

Raquel continúa expandiéndose en esta práctica, tanto en español como en inglés, llevando la terapia de bosque a la comunidad latina de Maryland, DC y Virginia. También ha servido como oradora en innumerables eventos locales en persona y nacionales/internacionales a manera virtual.

Conociendo los grandes beneficios de la terapia de bosque, ahora Raquel se dedica a compartir con gran pasión esta práctica con la comunidad latina.

Florencia De Los Santos Garza González
Florencia De Los Santos Garza González

Florencia De Los Santos, originally from Mexico, is a plastic artist, creator, designer and expert in cultural and artistic mediation, as well as a member of the Telar network of the Ministry of Culture of Mexico.

She studied Floral Art and Design in Milan, Italy and heads her firm Fiori, an expert in floral design, interior design and landscaping, event design and production, and decorative architecture.

She has experience in Public Innovation, Citizen Innovation, Social Innovation, Regenerative Innovation and is currently working in Nature-Based Social Innovation.
Founder of the Tutores de Resiliencia Social Innovation Laboratory that seeks to provide life skills to vulnerable children, working under the four guiding axes of art, education and culture, play and nature.

A lover of nature since she was a child, Florencia inherited from her parents, a deep love and respect for others and for nature and thus, a strong commitment to caring for and conserving the natural world. She maintains a strong conviction surrounding the physical and emotional benefits that nature gives us and is aware of the need for contact with nature for the well-being of both humans and nature because we are all nature and we need each other.

She believes that beauty is found in art and nature and seeks to unite all beings in connection for a stronger sense of life and fulfillment.

In 2017, Florencia met Dr. Robert Zarr from Park Rx America and he motivated her to prescribe nature and to become certified as a Forest and Nature Therapy Guide and now she is a Certified Guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and is in the process of certification as a Forest Therapy Trail Consultant.
For Florencia De Los Santos, it is an honor to belong to the Conservation Conexions team since Tamberly Conway, Founder and CEO, in addition to being an expert in nature-focused conservation, is a great woman who has become a diffusing pollinator of the benefits of nature and of the love of nature and human beings.

Florencia De Los Santos, Mexicana. Artista plástica, creadora, diseñadora y experta en mediación cultural y artística, miembro de la red Telar de la Secretaría de Cultura de México.

Estudió Arte y Diseño Floral en Milán, Italia y está al frente de su firma Fiori experta en diseño floral, interiorismo y paisajismo,diseño y producción de eventos y arquitectura decorativa.

Tiene experiencia en Innovación Pública, Innovación Ciudadana, Innovación Social, Innovación Regenerativa y actualmente se encuentra trabajando en Innovación Social Basada en la Naturaleza.

Fundadora del Laboratorio de Innovación Social Tutores de Resiliencia que busca dotar de habilidades para la vida a la niñez vulnerable, trabajando bajo cuatro ejes rectores , el arte, la educación y cultura, el juego y la naturaleza.

Amante de la naturaleza desde niña, sus padres le heredaron un profundo amor y respeto por el prójimo y por la naturaleza y tiene un fuerte compromiso de cuidarla y conservarla. Tiene el testimonio y convicción de los beneficios que la naturaleza nos da tanto físicos como emocionales y está consciente de la necesidad del contacto con la naturaleza para el bienestar de nosotros pero también de la naturaleza misma porque todos somos naturaleza y nos necesitamos.
Cree que la belleza se encuentra en el arte y la naturaleza y busca que los seres humanos y más que humanos, tengamos esa conexión para tener un sentido de vida y sentirnos plenos y felices.

En el 2017 conoció al Dr. Robert Zarr de Park Rx América y el la motivó a recetar naturaleza y a certificarse como Guia de Terapia de Bosque y Naturaleza y ahora es Guía Certificada de la Association of Nature and Forest Therapy y está en proceso de certificación de Trail Consultant.

Para Florencia De Los Santos , es un honor pertenecer al equipo de Conservation Conexions ya que Tamberly Conway , fundadora y directora además de ser experta en temas de naturaleza es una gran mujer que se ha convertido en una polinizadora difusora de los beneficios de la naturaleza y del amor a la naturaleza y a los seres humanos.

Collaboration Specialists

Conservation Conexions Team of Specialists

Amy Doty
Amy Doty
Founder & CEO, Meetings and Such

Meetings and Such is a full-service meeting and event planning and management company dedicated to creating unforgettable “meetings and such” for a wide range of clients. Our founder Amy Doty, CMP combines over 15 years of event planning experience within the association and non-profit sectors to ensure your events provide attendees with exceptional experiences. With a passion for conservation and sustainability, Amy will ensure your event meets your sustainable event goals.

​Amy is a certified meeting professional through the Events Industry Council and a digital event strategist through the Professional Convention Management Association. She received her Bachelor of Science in natural resource recreation from Virginia Tech, with a minor in forest resource management. She resides in the Washington DC/Baltimore area, with her husband, son, daughter and their family dog.

Nature and Forest Therapy Guide & Leadership Wellness Coach, Forest Fix (www.forestfix.ca)

Ronna Schneberger is one of the first Forest Therapy guides and trainers in Canada. She is a guide, mentor and trainer with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Recently, she remotely guided doctors and nurses in BC to support their mental health and wellbeing for the rollout of the Canadian Parks Prescription Program. For the past 25 years she has been an award winning master interpreter, naturalist, and hiking guide in Banff National Park.

Ronna has been faculty with Leadership Development at the Banff Centre where she worked with leaders, professionals and executives from all over the world using nature as the teacher to create powerful reflections and transformation. Her unique approach uses proven techniques to help people reset their mind and body so they can navigate challenging times with calm and clarity.

Lawrence D Alberty
Lawrence D Alberty
Lawrence D Alberty is CEO of Deep Roots Microbiome Company, which is working on advancement of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobactera (PGPR) in relationship to urban tree health care. Biology/Biological Sciences has a deep knowledge of urban tree systems and of the interactions between land management, soil quality and ecosystem service provision.

Dean is actively involved in all aspects related to soil health improvements, from research, to policy support and raising awareness around how urban trees are planted and developed across the US. Dean collaborates with private corporations to develop product lines for continued advancements in plant health care, which are in direct relationship with human health.

Main research activities include the relationships between land use, agronomic management and soil quality, with particular emphasis on soil degradation processes, and their relationships with soil organic matter and soil biodiversity using Bacillus velezensis along with Trichoderma harzianum and Versatile Endomycorrhiza strain.

Dean is highly experienced in root growth quality and soil survey research, which he has carried out in leading nursery’s demo research both in the US and abroad. Dean serves as a consultant for several private companies and has served as the Chair of Missouri Community Forestry Council for the last 4 years with over 12 years of service to the state of Missouri, directly involved in policy and education that will shape the future of the urban and community forestry program.

Dean is the owner of Deep-Rooted Orchards, which promotes advanced purposes of demonstrating potential development of high density profitable unique line of black berries, wolfberries, and boysenberries, along with developing pawpaw cultivars and American and Chinese chestnuts, all using microbes and fungi to increase the plant’s highest potential.

Wei Zhang
Wei Zhang

treediaper

Wei Zhang holds a Ph.D. degree in Engineering from Virginia Tech. He has been doing research & development for the green industry for 15 years. His research areas include watering solutions for landscape plants, relationship of soil/water/air, plant protection against stresses like drought and road salt. His work also provides novel solutions to green stormwater infrastructures, for which plants are used for the treatment of pollutants in stormwater.

He has more than 40+ peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, one monograph and 200+ conference presentations. He has been a frequent speaker on Arboriculture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Forestry, Stormwater Green Infrastructure, and related conferences and symposiums. He is known as a scientist, educator and public speaker. Dr. Zhang is an ASLA approved LA CES provider and the VP for R&D for TreeDiaper®.

Jerry Bauer
Jerry Bauer
Jerry Bauer (Program Manager, International Cooperation, USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry) has more than 45 years of experience working in the Latin America and Caribbean Region with the US Forest Service’s International Institute of Tropical Forestry and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Jerry has worked extensively with sustainable development programs in rural development, natural resources, ecotourism, and parks & protected areas throughout the Latin America and Caribbean Region and in training local counterpart personnel in the techniques of conservation and heritage interpretation. He has written several scientific articles and often presents at professional conferences and seminars. Jerry is also a professional photographer and uses his photography as a tool to help create awareness for conservation needs and to raise funds for protection of natural resources. His photographs are widely published in magazines, books, and tourism promotional material throughout the region.

Jerry holds both a B.S. and an M.S. degree in Forest Resource Management. He is also a Certified Interpretive Guide and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University. He is a member of the National Association for Interpretation, the North American Nature Photography Association, The American Forest Association, The Puerto Rico Association of Nature Photographers, and other professional associations.

Jerry has received more than 60 awards and honors for his contribution to conservation, sustainable development, communications, capacity building and public service. These include two USFS Chief Awards for Applying Knowledge Globally, USFS New Century of Service Award, Unsung Hero Award from Organization of Professional Employees of the USDA, Outstanding Service Award from the Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation, The Thomas Belt Award, USFS The Wings Across Americas International Partnership Award, National Association for Interpretation Meritorious Service Award, Outstanding Alumni of the Year, Department of Forestry, Southern Illinois University, USAID Extra Mile Award for superior performance, Special Recognition from U.S. Ambassadors, and more than 30 USFS awards for Superior Performance and Certificates of Merit. In addition, Jerry has won more than 25 honors for conservation photography including the North American Nature Photography Associations Mission Award and Showcase Award.

Contact Information
Jerry Bauer (jerrybauer1@mac.com)
Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Jerry Bauer (Gerente de Programa, Cooperación Internacional, USDA Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry) tiene más de 45 años de experiencia trabajando en la región de América Latina y el Caribe con el Instituto Internacional de Dasonomia Tropical del Servicio Forestal de EE. UU. (USFS/IITF)y la Agencia de los Estados Unido de Desarrollo (USAID). Jerry ha trabajado extensamente con programas de desarrollo sostenible en desarrollo rural, recursos naturales, ecoturismo y parques y áreas protegidas en toda la región de América Latina y el Caribe y en la capacitación del personal de contraparte local en las técnicas de conservación e interpretación del patrimonio. Ha escrito varios artículos científicos y a menudo se presenta en conferencias y seminarios profesionales. Jerry también es fotógrafo profesional y utiliza su fotografía como una herramienta para ayudar a crear conciencia sobre las necesidades de conservación y recaudar fondos para la protección de los recursos naturales. Sus fotografías se publican ampliamente en revistas, libros y material de promoción turística en toda la región.

Jerry tiene un B.S. y un M.S. Licenciada en Manejo de Recursos Forestales. También es guía interpretativo certificado y profesor adjunto adjunto en el Departamento de Silvicultura de la Universidad del Sur de Illinois. Es miembro de la Asociación Nacional de Interpretación, la Asociación de Fotografía de Naturaleza de América del Norte, la Asociación de Bosques de Estados Unidos, la Asociación de Fotógrafos de Naturaleza de Puerto Rico y otras asociaciones profesionales.

Jerry ha recibido más de 60 premios y distinciones por su contribución a la conservación, el desarrollo sostenible, las comunicaciones, el desarrollo de capacidades y el servicio público. Estos incluyen dos premios USFS Chief Awards for Applying Knowledge Globally, USFS New Century of Service Award, Unsung Hero Award de la Organización de Empleados Profesionales del USDA, Outstanding Service Award de la Sociedad Mesoamericana de Biología y Conservación, The Thomas Belt Award, USFS The Wings Across Americas International Partnership Award, Premio al Servicio Meritorio de la Asociación Nacional de Interpretación, Exalumno Destacado del Año, Departamento de Silvicultura, Universidad del Sur de Illinois, Premio USAID Extra Mile por desempeño superior, Reconocimiento especial de Embajadores de EE. UU. y más de 30 premios de USFS para Superior Desempeño y Certificados de Mérito. Además, Jerry ha ganado más de 25 honores por fotografía de conservación, incluido el Premio a la Misión y el Premio Escaparate de las Asociaciones de Fotografía de la Naturaleza de América del Norte.

Contacto
Jerry Bauer (jerrybauer1@mac.com)
Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Nicole Craanen
Nicole Craanen

Nicole Craanen, MFA, NCIDQ, WELL-AP, LEED-Green Associate, ANFT Nature & Forest Therapy Guide.

Nicole’s passion for biophilic design is deeply rooted in her connection to nature and expertise in interior design and human ecology. As the founder and owner of The Biophilic Design Institute (formerly Rooted In Nature), she is committed to transforming our relationship with our environments, guiding architects and designers to integrate our innate connection with nature into core design principles.

Her roles on advisory boards for Living Future Europe and WELL Building Standard, along with her journey as a yoga instructor and Nature & Forest Therapy Guide, inform her philosophy of promoting health and well-being while mitigating human impact on the non-human world. She’s emphasize curiosity, deep listening, and collaboration, and is passionate about advocating for a re-evaluation of current design principles, championing a future where human and environmental interdependence is at the forefront of creative innovation.

She loves exploring this world with her husband and young daughter (the cat stays home). She has been lucky enough to experience 24 countries, and has been brought to tears during moments of awe in her own backyard.