Experiential Outdoor Programs
We Value Adversity & Adventure
Contact Info
coyleoutside@gmail.com
541-760-0774
Instructors - Wilderness, Fishing, Movement
Team consists of active and seasonal staff and changes sometimes faster than the website keeps up with
Daniel Coyle | Founder/Manager coyleoutside.dan@gmail.com
I founded Coyle Outside after working as a guide, program developer and staff trainer and then School Director/Administrator in the Wilderness Therapy industry for 10 years. I grew up in NJ and moved to Oregon after graduating from Cornell University in 1994. After a 5 year career in science and since 1998 my experience working with youth and people outdoors has included leading multiweek wilderness expeditions, instructing primitive and survival skills, climbing, mountain biking, whitewater, surfing and canyoneering. I have worked extensively with youth contending with mental health, developmental and drug and alcohol diagnoses directly and and in clinical teams. My original academic training is in evolution and genetics and I am intensely interested in how the beings we have evolved to become, particular children, manage and adapt to the world that we/they have inherited and how this shows up in behaviours, choices and development generally. I have a young daughter and locally I mentor youth regularly. I also am on the board of a local trail-building organization and I get to design and build trails as well organize, train and supervise volunteers that I work alongside in Corvallis, OR, where I live.
Ashleah Collver | Communications and Admin Lead
ashleahc12@gmail.com
Ashleah is a mom of four boys (all of whom attend Coyle programming), flower farmer/enthusiast, and a master wrangler of all things chaos. She enjoys developing relationships with Coyle Outside families and communities, and supporting staff development and communication.
Her favorite outdoor activities are hiking, swimming, foraging, and taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life. When she has quiet moments, you can find her with a cup of tea and a book in the winter or out in the flower fields the remainder of the year.
Sheris Patten | Bend Area Programs Coordinator
coyleoutside.sheris@gmail.com
Sheris, aka "SnowGoose", is a lifelong educator, wife and mom of two. She's been in love with the outdoors since her teenage years and this has lead to work with a wide variety of youth demographics including clinical and at risk populations, charter schools, homeschool groups and Montessori. Sheris has developed nature based programming and curriculum at various agencies where she has, among other things, obtained a National Geographic Teachers Certificate and Herbal First Aid Certificate. "When children show dedication to a challenge they're unstoppable and their positive characteristics shine like a beam of sunlight on a dreary day. My lifelong career is to instill confidence while making connections to the natural world, in hopes that children are likely to fight for, nurture and support our beautiful and wild earth."
Coyle Outside Foundation Team (Local/Benton Community Programs)
Jillian Andersen (Corvallis) | Lead Educator
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Jillian has been living in Alaska for the past 15 years. She studied Environmental Sciences, Anthropology and Fiber Arts before completing her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education at the University of Alaska Southeast. She then went on to complete her Montessori Certification while working at a public Montessori Elementary school in Alaska for 4 years. Her passion has always been for connecting with the natural world through backpacking, fishing, and foraging. She is excited to bring her knowledge and passion to Coyle Outside, connecting children to the great outdoors though confidence building experiences.
Reed Haller (Corvallis)
Reed Haller is an Illinois transplant and an avid hobbyist. From bouldering to embroidery, snowboarding to propagating plants- there aren’t many pastimes that she doesn’t enjoy. As a kid, Reed was instinctively curious of the world around her and developed an affinity for handiwork, community involvement, and spending time outdoors. In 2015, her teaching experience began while working for a bilingual learning center that taught English-speaking kids primarily in Spanish. Here, she got to experience fostering that same curiosity and confidence amongst the younger children.
Always having felt more at home in nature, she eventually fell in love with the biodiversity of the Northwest and its abundance of public land. She acquired a popup camper and moved to Oregon in 2019, alongside her australian cattle dog. Since then, Reed has been learning to identify local flora, fauna, and fungi; developing her green thumb; and hiking to her heart’s content.
Vee Guarnaccia (Corvallis)
Alexander Ellsworth (Corvallis)
Alexander Ellsworth grew up in an old farm house in central New Hampshire with a wood stove, a barn in need of repairs, and a trail system weaving from the house up the mountain. After school activities included splitting wood, exploring the New Hampshire White Mountains, and music lessons. Alexander continued into music school, receiving a Masters Degree and working as a performer and educator, most recently serving as Music Director at Holderness School.
In addition to his musical responsibilities, he was a dorm parent and a faculty leader for the freshmen orientation backpacking trip.
Alexander has worked as an educator with toddlers through adults and models a sense of curiosity, clear communication, and a can-do attitude.
Robbin Stevenson (Corvallis/Foundation Board Member)
Robbin has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and she spent most of her professional life working with special education programs, preschools, and early childcare. Besides working for Coyle Outside, Robbin also owns a daycare center in Corvallis.
Robbin and her husband moved to Corvallis more than 10 years ago and she is “Mom” to 4 young girls. While she was born and raised in SoCal, Willamette Valley is her heart’s home. She is passionate about her local ecology and her community. Most of herfree time is spent supporting her girls' school, Muddy Creek Charter School, volunteering with Willamette Riverkeeper, playing Ukulele, and hiking and kayaking with her family.
Jessie Krebs (SERE Training School)
Jessie spent four years as an Air Force Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion Instructor. One of less than 10 women in a group of over 250 elite instructors teaching Navy Seals, Army Rangers and many other military in the arts of survival. She spent 11 years working with at risk teens in the Wilderness where she further honed both her people and wilderness skills. Jessie is a committed and passionate teacher who truly lives to pass on her knowledge. She runs her own school in Colorado and is a special guest instructor with Coyle Outside. ANY chance you get to take a class with Jessie is not to be missed.
Summer Team 2024
Haley Feuerherd (PDX)
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Haley recently moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to attend college at University of Utah. She is interested in medicine and hopes to go to medical school after her undergraduate and is on the dean's list for her program in biomedical engineering. Haley spent last summer obtaining her emergency wilderness medicine certification in the Swiss and French Alps. Haley has volunteered as a coach for the special olympics basketball team, as well as coached volleyball camps! She is new to Oregon and is excited to explore the new terrain this summer
Home base: Albuquerque, NM
Interests: Wilderness/Emergency Medicine, Hiking, Backpacking, Kayaking, Volleyball, Bathing in the sun
Gary Kaplan (PDX)
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Gary Kaplan relocated to California in 1978, and then again to Portland, Oregon in 2020. Since high school, Gary has worked with middle and high school students in mentoring programs, and athletic endeavors, helping with communication skills, executive functioning abilities, athletic training and confidence building. He practiced law for 35 years, and then transitioned to classroom teaching at a private school in Northern California, where he also coached numerous sports. Now in Portland, Gary has been a substitute teacher in many local schools, and has maintained a private mentoring business. He enjoys traveling, reading and writing historical nonfiction and fiction, and learning more about the Pacific Northwest as he has worked with outdoor adventure camps in the area focusing on survival skills, and marine endeavors.
Jeremy Dunlap (Olympia)
Jeremy Dunlap is from Olympia, Washington. Jeremy is a Farrier/Blacksmith. Jeremy Dunlap’s outdoor background and skills stem from wildland firefighting experience and formal/informal bushcraft education. Jeremy teaches young adults farrier work and equine physiology. Doing that has inspired Jeremy to wants to continue being an educator and Coyle Outside fits Jeremys particular skill sets and goals.
Jon Dabney (PDX)
Born and raised here in the Pacific Northwest, I have been in love with the outdoors since I was a child. After receiving my Bachelor’s in Education, I began pursuing a career educating children. I have worked in public schools since early 2018, and currently I am substitute teaching. Learning to expand my knowledge of bushcraft and survival skills is something very special to me, and this job gives so many opportunities to do so. Teaching is a great way to learn, and helping others understand and explore is what I look forward to most!
Ryland Lanagan (Parkour)
Born and raised in Portland Oregon, Ryland Lanagan graduated from Marshall High School in 1996.
He served 4 years in the Army as a Cavalry Scout and moved back to Oregon in 2003. He found Parkour in 2006 and was instantly hooked.
Since then he opened Revolution Parkour Gresham in 2014, with students from age 3 to 71. He also teaches Parkour and PE in MLA Middle School for the last 6 years. He has taught parkour camps for multiple organizations like Boy Scouts of America and the Department of Defense/MWR to Air Force and Navy kids.
He enjoys sharing his knowledge with the young and the young at heart and hopes to leave a legacy of inclusive movement and community via Parkour and Freerunning.
Oscar Salazar (Olympia)
Hailing from Los Angeles California, Oscar Salazar has been working in the field of Special Education for the last 4 years. In the last year, Oscar and his paraeducator brought their school to be the #1 Special Education program in the state! Oscar’s outdoor interest comes from a background of cycling from the Urban Jungle to the Angeles Mountains growing up and learning about the local wildlife and diverse biomes. Oscar is inspired to bring his knowledge and passion for alternative learning styles into the outdoor knowledge setting for many years to come!
Kiran Staley (PDX)
Kiran is a lifelong camper with a love of learning outdoors. She enjoys hiking, bouldering, road trips, and a variety of crafts like wire-wrapped jewelry, painting, and occasional blacksmithing. Kiran attended outdoor camps from 3rd grade to her last year of high school, where she reinforced her love of the outside and built up her confidence and resilience. She now hopes to facilitate that same learning, curiosity, and enjoyment for kids so that they can understand and navigate the natural world. She is also on her way to a degree in Geology and is a bit of a rock hound.
Home base: Lake Oswego
Interests: Hiking, Reading, Art, Foraging, Birding, Collaborative Storytelling.
Alex Seebeck (PenMet)
Born and raised on the East Coast, Alex Seebeck grew up surrounded by nature and owls. Earning Eagle Scout, as well as Vigil Honors, Boy Scouts created the foundation of primitive skills and youth development. Working as a soccer ref, camp counselor and even substitute teacher Seebeck found various ways to encourage and teach. Since moving to the West Coast Alex has worked as an Owl Surveyor and became intimately familiar with the plants and animals of the PNW. Recently, Alex has earned his Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from the Evergreen State College studying Barred owls in West Olympia. He is eager and looking forward to guiding kids to better understand and appreciate the natural world around them.
Home base: Harstine Island
Interests: Ecology, Primitive Skills, Owls, Learning
Luca Maffoni (Spokane)
Luca Maffoni was born and raised in Littleton, Colorado. He is currently a Senior at Gonzaga University studying mechanical engineering. From a very young age Luca has loved the outdoors whether it was camping and fishing trips with his family or hiking 14ers in Colorado. He has spent the past two summers as a summer camp counselor in Colorado working with kids of all ages. Luca has always enjoyed working with kids and he loves the youth and energy they bring every day. In his free time Luca enjoys fly-fishing, hiking, playing guitar, and going to concerts. He is very excited to connect with every kid and help them gain a deeper love for the outdoors.
Home base: Littleton Colorado
Interests: fly-fishing, hiking, guitar, baseball
Joanna Nelson (PDX)
Joanna has been working with children for over 23 years as a nanny and an educator. As a nanny she has spent her time finding educational activities to do with the children she cares for, and making learning fun! Joanna has a 2 year old son with whom she finds educational activities to complete together. Joanna understands that all children are different and will learn in different ways, and works to find the best way to teach children so that they will learn effectively. Joanna is also the co-president and charity coordinator for the Portland Ghostbusters. A 501(c)(3) charity cosplay group where she organizes charity events and donations. The Portland Ghostbusters work very closely with the Autism Society of Oregon and many other local charities. Joanna is also a volunteer wish granter for Make A Wish Foundation Oregon. Joanna has lived in Oregon since 2014.
Home base: NW Portland
Interests: Joanna enjoys going to Seaside with her husband, son and in-laws. She enjoys going back to Southern California to see her family. She also enjoys spending time with my friends.
Karissa Palmer (Spokane)
Karissa, was raised in Northern Idaho and spent her youth fishing, camping, and participating in various outdoor programs. Karissa is a former whitewater and backpacking guide who continues to practice in her personal life. She is an outdoor hobbyist who spends much of her time exploring national forest land and state parks. Karissa’s main skill sets include archery and fire building.
Karissa has spent a considerable number of years in youth leadership and has worked with all ages in a variety of backgrounds. Karissa’s passion is to introduce the next generation to the same skills and experiences she received throughout her youth.
Home Base: North Idaho - Hayden
Denali Deardorff (Springfield Area)
Growing up along the Mckenzie River, Denali has been learning with the natural environment all her life. Since doing conservation corps as a youth being immersed in the forests of Oregon gave time to be curious on how nature presents itself. Denali loves any opportunity to go camping to find times of stillness in her busy college lifestyle at the University of Oregon. She is pursuing a minor in Outdoor Leadership where she leads her peers on their first-time backpacking, rock climbing, snow camping, and water safety trips. Being silly and curious are the mantras she likes to follow while being in outdoors to create a space of growth.
Home base: Walterville, Oregon
Interests: Outdoor rock climbing, backpacking, embroidery, slacklining at the park with friends, and protection of old-growth forests.
Branden Arnold (Bend Area)
Born and mostly raised in Bend, Oregon Branden Arnold has a profound admiration for anything related to the outdoors. Being the 4th oldest of 9 siblings, and the oldest boy, Branden has always felt like he has been able to work well with kids and take on the “big brother” role. Most of his work experience has been from a leadership position in some sort of social environment whether it be sales, retail, or the service industry. As of late he has grown quite the love for all things wildlife but has found himself really keen to birding, although the Redwoods will always be his “first love” and the very place that inspired him to go down the path he has found himself on. Recently graduating with a degree in Forestry, Branden is anxious to learn more and share his knowledge and passion with everyone around him but especially to inspire the next generation.
Lauren Bahr (Bend Area)
Originally from the North woods of beautiful Wisconsin, Lauren has been working with kids in the woods since she graduated college in 2022. Lauren loves to backpack and hike but once her feet get tired you can find her unwinding at the piano. Lauren fell in love with the outdoors while exploring the Deschutes National Forest with her Aunt in her teens and has been working to share the beauty of nature with others ever since. Since her teens. Lauren has been studying environmental sciences, conservation and psychology and has dedicated her career to empowering young people towards achieving their goals.
Greg Muller (PDX)
Greg grew up camping, hunting, and fishing in Wyoming. He was a commercial scuba diver in Texas where he worked on sailboats. He is a former swim teacher, lifeguard, and competitive swimmer. Greg has a bachelors in Biology from University of Wyoming and a Master’s in Fisheries Management from Oregon State University. Greg has spent the last decade working at fish farms in Alaska, Washington, & California. As fish farms are typically very remote, Greg has unprecedented skills in self reliance, specifically wilderness medicine. Greg is an instructor at Mount Hood Community College teaching Fisheries Science, including carpentry, plumbing, & small engines in addition to fish biology and ecology. Greg enjoys camping, hiking with his Border Collie, and parkour. Greg loves teaching and is inspired to expose the next generation to fish and nature as a whole.
Home base: Portland, OR
Interests: Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Swimming & Parkour
Sean Allers (Corvallis)
Born and raised in Oregon, Sean loves spending anytime he can outdoors. His love for the outdoors began when he went on his first backpacking trip to Twin Lakes in the Mt. Hood wilderness. As he grew older, he decided to pursue opportunities that allowed him to share his love of the outdoors with others. He has 2 summers of experience working with kids at another outdoor skills summer camp in Portland, teaching them how to catch and cook fish, tie knots, and wood carving. After his freshman year at OSU, he spent one summer firefighting in the Klamath Falls area. Sean learned a lot about the importance of teamwork, communication, and remaining calm in stressful situations. While he enjoyed his experiences fighting wildland fires, he missed working with kids, as there is something very special about seeing the love for the wild develop and grow in children. He is looking forward to blending the skills learned from his summer fire fighting, with his knowledge of bushcraft and outdoor experiences, to create a unique learning experience for the campers at Coyle Outside.
Use the sample form above or create a one paragraph bio of yourself in third person that includes important things that will help families build a sense of and trust in you. What led you to this kind of work and what do you know you have to offer (brag a little bit, families want to know what you are good at)? What do you get from doing this work?
Home base: Corvallis, Oregon
Interests: Backpacking, attempting to play the guitar, and embarrassing himself fly fishing.
Kayla Craig (Bend Area)
Kayla “KC” Craig was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She spent her developmental years exploring the desert near her home and identifying various flora and fauna. This taught her the importance of outdoor competency and connection with her surroundings from a young age. KC moved to Oregon to immerse herself in a forested ecosystem and learn more about the plants of the PNW.
KC has her bachelor's degree Summa Cum Laude in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University, as well as earned a certificate in Forest Ecology from Central Oregon Community College. KC has over ten years of experience working with children, including running her own daycare business. As an educator, she works to connect with each student, and support a learning environment that attracts their natural curiosity through exposure, personalized interest, and active modeling.
Home base: Prineville, OR (or Bend, OR)
Interests: Gardening, disc golf, botany, and taking my cat on adventures.
Collin Blake (Bend Area)
Since moving to Bend in 2020, Collin has been building a career in outdoor education for the past 4 years. Collin is a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), is a nationally certified ski instructor at Hoodoo, and is an avid mountain biker with over 2 years of experience in the cycling industry. Collin is motivated by sharing the self-growth and exploration opportunities the outdoors has to offer with others.
Home base: Bend, Oregon
Interests: Skiing, Mountain Bikes, being outside and having fun at the same time
Marina Larson (Corvallis)
Originally from Hansville, WA, Marina grew up on the calm waters of the Puget Sound. Raised by a Marine Biologist and a Fisherman, she has been fascinated with the diversity of life and beauty of the pacific northwest since day one. She has been working with young people since her days as a sailing instructor starting in 2015. Since then, she has branched out into the world of fisheries science and has pursued a career in art on the side as well.
Marina has been inspired to work outdoors with young people from her experiences volunteering at the Seattle Aquarium, studying outdoor recreation and leadership at OSU, and working for the Linn Benton Salmon Watch program. She takes great pride and joy in facilitating young people's exploration of nature, and is dedicated to developing her own skills as an educator and mentor.
Home base: Corvallis
Interests: Backpacking, fishing, sailing, skiing, biking, painting, swimming and boogie boarding!
Nic Hoover (Newport)
Nicholaus A.Hoover grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania that was surrounded by forests and meadows, streams, rivers and rolling hills. His family had a large garden and traded with their Amish neighbors for much of their food. They canned and preserved their harvests. They cut and stacked wood to heat their drafty old farmhouse with 2 woodstoves. He learned many homesteading, outdoor and survival skills with his family and from the classic Foxfire books. He and his brother built a “town” of different types of survival shelters and loved camping out in them. He learned hunting and fishing and his passion for camping from his father. At 8 years old he went to his first camp that taught life lessons and skills through survival instruction and challenge scenarios. As the years of attending the camp passed, the challenges increased into rock climbing, high ropes courses, caving, team building and group obstacles. At 12 years old he was allowed early entry into the “Intensive Learning Experience” as he had passed all requirements. This is a 10 day extreme challenge course including, backpacking all needed gear and clothes for the full course, foraging and collection of grubs and insects, cooking all meals over self built fire, creating and sleeping in tarp shelters or inverted canoes, orienteering, triangulation for location of supply drops of food and needed gear for challenges such as rope bridge builds to cross ravines, wall climbs, lead roping rock climbing and more. Upon completion he was permitted to become a junior counselor for 2 years, then a counselor for 2 years.
Then he went on a rock and roll adventure touring the country and recording for decades. He then moved to Chicago and became a professional chef. After many happy years in that intense urban environment he once again heard the call of the wild and moved to Oregon to reunite with his passion for nature and mentoring youth by sharing his skills and stories and showing them the joy and beauty that we are so fortunate to have all around us in the pacific northwest.
Tyler Bell (Bend area)
Originally from Big Bear, California, and going on her fifth year in Bend, Tyler has spent most of her life in the high desert ecosystem. In 2023, Tyler graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resources from Oregon State University-Cascades. Here, she developed specialized interests in Wildland plant Identification, Pacific Salmon management, and conservation education. In her personal interests, Tyler is a lifelong snowboarder, amateur mountaineer, and wildcrafter of natural jewelry and pine needle basketry.
Tyler has been working among the youth since 2017. In recent years, she worked as a medic at High Cascade Snowboard camp, and continues to work as a part-time nanny for a family in Bend. Recently, Tyler has been inspired to work with the youth outdoors, and believes that helping people deepen their connection to nature is the most profound thing we can do for our Earth and community.
Home base: Bend, OR
Interests: Wildland plant Identification, wildcrafting, snowboarding, natural living
Ally Choate (Olympia)
Ally Choate is from Yelm, Washington and grew up fishing and camping in the PNW. She played D-1 softball at Seattle University where Ally received a degree in Humanities for Teaching.
Logan Quaka (Corvallis)
Logan Quaka has lived in Corvallis for nine years and been working with youth for the past couple of years. Logan grew up making many long term shelters and enjoys creating and collecting survival gear kits. Logan enjoys working outside with others and sharing his survival knowledge. Logan enjoyed attending Coyle Outside camps as a camper and looks forward to being a junior instructor this summer.
Interests: Teaching survival skills, reading and camping
OR Outdoor School Team
Zachary Donahoe (Outdoor School)
Andrew Sayles (Outdoor School - PDX/Maryland)
Andrew has been teaching and coaching elementary school, middle school, and high school students since 2005. His passion is to learn about and experience the world around him, and this personality quirk sent him from his home state of Maryland to Ecuador, Spain, Albania, and Ukraine for eleven years of teaching abroad before moving to Oregon.
The same passion has routinely sent him into the great outdoors. His favorite trips have been hiking the 100-mile wilderness in Maine, mountain ascents in the Ecuadorian Andes, snowshoeing in Colorado, and getting his advanced PADI certificate while scuba diving in the Canary Islands. He is thrilled to be able to bridge his outdoor skills and experiences with his teaching career and to enjoy a much larger classroom with Coyle Outside.
Logan Keister (Outdoor School - Corvallis/Springfield)
Logan Keister is an herbalist, wildcrafter, writer, farmer, and permaculture designer, born and raised in the coniferous forests of Oregon. He currently resides in Noti, Oregon where he runs his own small business Noti Botanica where he sells herbal remedies, offers holistic health consultations, and shares his teachings on herbalism. His passion for outdoor education stems from a life raised in rural Oregon foraging, gardening, fishing, and hunting and a desire to share this knowledge with others about living off the land. Logan received his training in herbalism and botany at The Columbine School of Botanical Studies, The Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism, and has a B.S. in Horticulture and a Permaculture Design Certificate from Oregon State University.
Home Base: Noti, Oregon
Nicole Medema (Outdoor School)
Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Nicole enjoyed playing pretend games in which she lived peacefully in the woods with her animal friends. Luckily, she gets to keep playing that game as an adult. Nicole’s greatest joy is identifying animal tracks and the possible stories that go along with them. She is particularly fond of circling around wild animal scat with friends, poking the scat open with a stick to see what is inside. Besides that, Nicole loves finding and eating wild foods, listening to the birds, and wondering what it was like to be alive on the land a thousand years ago. She is a wilderness guide for adults at the nonprofit Cascadia Quest, where she learned much of her outdoor skills. Nicole is the proud mother of a teenager. She loves being around kids because they teach her how to rediscover what she thought she already knew.
Shaeleen Hughes (Outdoor School - Bend Area)
Originally from New England (Boston area), Shaeleen has been working with youth since 2016, but didn’t discover her true passion for the outdoors and outdoor education until 2018, when she spent a summer living off-grid in the Rocky Mountain National Forest. Since then, she has completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Adventure Education and has been working in the field ever since. Her work has allowed her to travel the country and operate programs in areas such as the Deschutes National Forest, Yosemite, Tahoe- Desolation Wilderness, Point Reyes, and various other locations. Shae is passionate about sharing her love of the outdoors with students, and helping them engage with the local ecology of their areas. Anywhere from multi-week backpacking trips, to science classrooms, she brings excitement and expertise to every group of students she interacts with.
Home base: Bend, OR
Interests: Rock climbing, skiing, acrylic painting, wood burning and wood working, writing, being outside with friends
Brooks Law (Outdoor School - Bend Area)
Originally from Savannah, GA, Brooks Law grew up in central Maine, where he fell in love with the outdoors. Growing up in the woods of Maine, Brooks loved to fish, canoe, hike and camp as much as possible. Brooks has been working with kids since he was a sophomore in high school, where he coached student-athletes 1-on-1 in wrestling and baseball. Several years later, he found his true passion in working in wilderness therapy, where he thrived as a field guide while helping struggling teens for the past two years. Outdoor work with kids has brought Brooks a tremendous amount of fulfillment in his life—where his ability to connect, lead and interact with kids in a natural way is what makes him so successful in guiding kids.
Home base: Bend, OR
Interests: Jiu-Jitsu, Rock Climbing, Canoeing, Fishing, Reforming the education system.
Maggie Gavin (Outdoor School - Bend Area)
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Maggie has been working outdoors with youth since 2018, when she led her first 8 day backpacking trip. Since then, she has led many more wilderness trips, participated in a NOLS semester, worked wilderness therapy and spent a lot of time outside with friends. Maggie’s outdoor skills and interests include backpacking, learning about environmental science and processes, climbing, and Leave No Trace. Maggie has been inspired to work outdoors with youth from her own experience as a kid going on adventure trips at summer camp and growing up near the woods. She has felt first hand how empowering learning survival skills and living outside can be, and wants to foster that connection with the next generation of adventurers.
Home base: Bend, Oregon
Interests: Environmental Science, Dogs, Cold Plunges in the Deschutes River, Building Fairy Houses and Gnome Homes
Randy Bonner
Randall Bonner grew up hunting and fishing in Alabama with his father, who guided hunters for whitetail deer. He is an award-winning author, with dozens of articles published in print magazines and newspapers, and hundreds of articles published online. An avid angler, hunter and forager, he enjoys providing for himself with what mother nature has to offer, as well as sharing his knowledge and skills with others.
Deckhanding on a charter boat in Depoe Bay kindled Randy's passion for working with families to create lifelong memories and he hopes to create the same experiences with Coyle Outside.
Kayli Jones (Outdoor School - Newport Area)
Kayli is a passionate PNW waterwoman with a decade of teaching experience. As the founder and head instructor at PNW Surf Education in Newport, Oregon, she immerses people in new outdoor environments while building up risk assessment and foundational skills they need to spend time in nature responsibly and joyfully!
Her connection to the outdoors began in childhood during family backpacking trips, blossomed in highschool teaching elementary students about local flora and fauna as a Nature Center Docent, and deepened further while splitboarding, backpacking and trail running her way through Montana’s vast backcountry. This love expanded even more when she made her way to the ocean to pursue surfing and freediving.
Kayli enjoys every moment in nature, regardless of the weather, and treasures simply being present in the natural world. Her experiences have fueled her to share these skills with others, creating vital moments of peace and connection amid the chaos of modern life.
Home base: Newport, Oregon
Interests: Surfing, Spearfishing/Diving, Wild Food Foraging
Jo Howell (Eugene/Corvallis)
Originally from Alapaha GA. Jo Howell up in the woods and has always been fascinated with the woods and how people used to do things. He read My Side of The Mountain, A book about a young boy who runs into the Catskill Mountains with little more than a hatchet and a pocket knife and learns to live off the land by harvesting wild foods, training a peregrine falcon to hunt for him, and stealing deer from lost hunters. Jo has been running away to the woods ever since! He has learned a great many things about living off the land and spent many nights in the woods. He has learned how to forage, make and use stone, bone and wood tools for everyday life in the woods.
Jo seeks to help others gain this sense of wonder and appreciation for the outdoors and the knowledge of our ancestors, whether it's learning about banging rocks together or the way your grandpa did things.
Carolyn Kachuk (Corvallis)
Carolyn is interested in animals, traveling, camping, reading, learning new skills, trying new things, and exploring our amazing world. Carolyn particularly loves being around water where there is always something magical to witness, whether that be in the middle of the ocean, diving below the surface, or exploring a nearby creek. Carolyn has a background in chemistry and marine biology and has always been inspired to work with youth. She hopes to share some of the science, wonder, and discovery she sees around her in nature as every day outside brings something new to experience.
Ingrid Gendreau | Instructor and Website/Media Development
Ingrid is a devoted mushroom identifier, forager, and cultivator who has led mushroom forays and across the cascades and coastal regions of Oregon.
In the outdoor classroom, she is an advocate for young people and their environment and steps in as an intermediary between the two. She uses inquiry-based learning to foster intrigue and build up cognitive skills as her students explore connections with the ecological systems they are inseparable from.
Ingrid is a disciple of the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. She gives thanks to her
forager peers in the Oregon Mycological Society for her mentoring in Mt. Hood, Willamette, Deschutes, Gifford Pinchot, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests - and from Portland State University, where she graduated with biology and sustainability degrees.