Local StoriesAugust 14, 2023

Conversations with Kevina Casaletto and Christy Porter

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevina Casaletto and Christy Porter. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Kevina Casaletto Christy Porter

Our founder, Brinkley Hutchings, saw a need for opportunities for younger generations to learn and love the land around them, so they could one day be good stewards and protect that land. Nature Connect NC was born in 2016 and has grown from a small grassroots start-up to a thriving outdoor school in Pender, Brunswick, and New Hanover Counties. We offer classes for all ages, helping to connect people to nature while fostering curiosity, fun, and adventure. Our current program is for school-aged children, where kids spend one day a week from October to May in a forest, rain or shine!

CoDirector Christy Porter, who started as a parent volunteer in 2018, quickly fell in love with the program and all that it offers. She joined the team as a teacher in 2019. Christy has been exploring and sharing her love of snakes, plants, and orienteering with our Nature Connect kids ever since!

Kevina came on board in 2021, became a lead facilitator in 2022, and is now a Co-director. She still can’t believe she gets to play in the woods all day! She loves igniting a passion for our unique ecosystems through nature journaling and diverse art media such as embroidery, watercolors, and field sketching. To draw/paint/or stitch something, you must first look closely. She knows that the more you learn about a place or thing, the more you love it!

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being an entirely outdoor program, we have learned to navigate and prepare for all kinds of obstacles and challenges. We have thrived with lots of perseverance and adaptability. Christy and Kevina strive to instill resilience and joy in the unexpected in our Nature Explorers classes. We work on building skills for kids to problem solve and assess their own needs to thrive in any weather or environment.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Christy Porter and Kevina Casaletto are the Co-directors of Nature Connect NC and lead facilitators for the school-aged enrichment program Nature Explorers. This program meets in preserves and parks in Pender, Brunswick, and New Hanover Counties, where children learn plant and animal identification, survival skills, hazard identification, nature journaling, a variety of art techniques like embroidery and watercolors – all to deepen their connection to the beautiful ecosystems around them. The classes also reserve plenty of time for exploring, games, and child-led wonder!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are lucky to have partnered with organizations such as The North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, Pender and Brunswick County Parks and Recreation, the North Carolina State Parks system, as well as some private landowners. Nature Connect has received amazing support from the community, and this wouldn’t be possible without them! Our founder, Brinkley, is always an inspiration and source of support and mentorship. We have also been able to collaborate with Ranger Jesse at Carolina Beach State Park for demonstrations and talks with our students as well as parent volunteers sharing their expertise and time over the years. Nature Connect also has a Scholarship Fund with a goal to make their programs accessible to all. Learn more and donate at www.natureconnectnc.org/donate.

Contact Info:

Website: https://www.natureconnectnc.org/
Instagram:NatureConnectNC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natureconnectnc/

Image Credits
Kevina Casaletto
Christy Porter

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