Living in Community with the Natural World

Immersive outdoor education designed for adults interested in botany, ecology, fungi, wilderness skills, and more.

Northwest Natura is located in Bellingham, WA and leads field trips for adults (16+) within the greater Salish Sea Bioregion.

Northwest Natura offers place-based education in botany, ecology, fungi, and outdoor skills to adults (16+) seeking community, unique recreational opportunities, naturalist and survival skill lessons, and fun, guided outdoor experiences.

Private lessons for individuals and large groups are offered and are family-friendly at your request. Indoor seminars are offered occasionally and are family friendly. Multi-day trips and guided hiking tours are available through the portal linked above or you may contact Jazmen directly.

Northwest Natura is one of very few nature-education businesses in the Salish Sea Bioregion. The company is led and operated by Salish Sea Naturalist and Botanist, Jazmen Yoder. Public events are posted each month, 2-3 months in advance, and private lessons are scheduled through direct requests. Browse upcoming courses open to the public (16+) by clicking here.

Upcoming Events

For more information, please visit the
Events Page

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • “Are your courses kid-friendly?” Older kids are welcome to join (16+). I recommend Wild Whatcom for younger children, elementary and Pre-K age as Northwest Natura events are designed for adults. I am available to teach private lessons to younger children; check out the “Custom Courses” tab to learn more.

  • “Where are you based out of?” I am based out of Bellingham, WA in Whatcom County, Washington. I teach in Whatcom County and in neighboring and adjacent counties. I can teach private lessons anywhere you are. Check out the “Custom Courses” tab to learn more.

  • “I only see classes for a couple of months, when will you post classes for the future?” I post classes 2 to 2.5 months in advance. If you see a lot of blank dates in the calendar above, check back in a week to see if it’s been updated. You can also add yourself to my monthly email list to get updates (scroll down to add your email).

    • You will be the first to know about new classes when you follow me on Instagram as I post stories and class reminders daily.

Instagram Feed

Follow @northwest_natura for regular updates on programs, educational videos, and monthly nature quizzes.

View fullsize Join me on a weekend this spring to forage, practice plant ID, enhance your survival skills, and find community outdoors! Here are some of my offerings - and there are more posted onIine (Iink in profiIe) Not shown: Pine Needle Basketry, Wildlife T
View fullsize FREE Mushroom Foraging Seminar announcement! This weekend at My Garden Nursery on Bakerview Rd in Bellingham, WA. Thank you @mygardennursery for including me in your annual March Mushroom Madness schedule! In this seminar you will learn foraging b
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View fullsize Special announcement, exclusive to this platform: ~all of my upcoming cIasses are on saIe! For the next three days save ten to twenty buckos on the listed tuition on all the above fIyers. Thanks for your support! ——- I’m a Salish
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View fullsize Spring Naturalist Series announcement! Instead of doing a 3-month style series we’re gonna do a 2 days in one month. I have a lot of upcoming cIasses TBA that will pair nicely with the spring series. I’ll post them soon. AND I still need
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View fullsize Spring Foraging and Cooking course announcement! Swipe to see 👉 It’s time to think about all the things there are to do once spring arrives! This is one of my favorite courses to offer. Each offering will use different ingredients and recipes

Custom Courses and Private Events

Suggest a class topic for the calendar, or design your own private outing.

Private outings are kid-friendly at your request.

Stay updated by following me on Instagram and Facebook

Subscribe to monthly upcoming event announcements below.

Customer Feedback

  • I have done several classes with Jazmen over the last year or so. Every time, we are in such a beautiful area that I’ve never been to before, even though I’ve lived here for 34 years. Her knowledge on everything we come across baffles me sometimes. Everything is so hands on and fun! We have explored bogs, made bread over a fire, explored the low tides, and hiked into the deep woods to find purple mushrooms. So many good memories and looking forward to many more.

    Sarah D.

  • Fabulous teacher, keeps you engaged the whole time and explains complex structures in an understandable way for beginners. I went on a mushroom foraging expedition and learned so much! I would definitely recommend this course and I will be taking others as well.

    Serena N.

  • Not only is Jazmen super knowledgeable, her classes are so fun!! We have learned so much & have had amazing time foraging, cooking & hiking! 10/10!!

    Jessica P.

  • So FUN... and informative! With Jazmen, its like going out with a friend. I've taken 2 of Jazmen's walks and I'll be doing more. If you have any interest in mushrooms, fungi, nature, what's edible in nature (and not!), you owe yourself an outing or class with Jazmen. She knows the foraging spots and puts a lot of planning and thought into her work, which she generously shares. Highly recommended!!

    Gary

  • We traveled from Tacoma to take a course with Jazmen, and it was definitely worth the drive! She was such a great teacher. I had taken some basic college ecology courses and really struggled to understand how to identify mushrooms and navigate the books. A two hour course with NW Natura was the most beneficial class I’ve taken, I understood what she teaching and learned so many new things. I will definitely be taking more classes in the future!

    Zoe S

  • Wonderful! As a total mushroom nube, I thought 3 hours of “classroom” might be long. How wrong I was! Jazmen is a delight, and her enthusiastic knowledge of foraging and PNW forestry definitely made me want to learn more. I took tons of notes and can’t wait to join one of the upcoming trail hikes

    Crystal

  • So fun! Jazmen was our guide. She’s fun, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable. Lots of good, interesting, and varied facts. I learned a lot!

    Alex

  • My partner and I took a foraging and cordage making class with Jazmen this weekend. It was a beautiful afternoon with beautiful plants all around. We hiked through fields and forest while identifying the different tasty treats. Jazmen has an immense knowledge of plants and the environment. It was an absolute pleasure to learn from someone with so much passion for their craft. 10/10, highly recommend. Jazmen is a great leader, great teacher, and a splendid human.

    Courtney N

  • Jazmen is very knowledgeable and is able to share that in a way that is engaging and enjoyable. The classes are very hands-on and I always come away from them feeling like I learned things, and with a greater appreciation for Nature.

    Janette B

  • I've taken several classes with Northwest Natura and all have been really great experiences. Jazmen is very knowledgeable on a pretty wide array of subject matter from plant id and foraging, to ethno-botany, fungi, campfire cooking, and a bunch of other outdoor skills. She also does a really good job creating a fun, inclusive, hands-on learning environment which I really appreciate. Every class I've taken has been different, and I've learned a bunch of cool things each time. Highly recommended!!!

    Mike B

  • I recently took a basketry class with Jazmen of Northwest Natura and loved it. Jazmen is incredibly skilled and a born teacher, but also created a class environment which felt really relaxed and enjoyable. And amazingly we all made baskets! I would highly recommend checking out her classes.

    Alexis H

  • Had such a great time foraging for mushrooms this past weekend with Jazmen. She helped me organize a small group foray as a belated birthday gift for my brother and our little group had such a good time. Jazmen is very knowledgeable about mushroom and plant identification and does a great job of breaking her knowledge down in a way that is easy for others with minimal experience to understand.

    Kristen B

  • What an unbelievable gem Jazmen is - knowledgeable, relaxed, welcoming, adventurous, excellent. My partner and I took her mushroom foraging class, learned a lot, came home with a healthy bag of chanterelles and an interest in going back for more! We’re excited about her classes on ferns, fire, and bread-making too. Highly recommend booking something with her

    Zack F

  • We had the best day ever taking a mushroom course with Jazmen! She is so knowledgeable and kind, and is just a joy to be around. We learned so much throughout the day, and will definitely be signing up for more classes! Cannot recommend highly enough!

    Madelaine K

  • I took the mushroom class with a friend and I'm so glad we decided to do it! Jazmen is super passionate and knowledgeable about native fungi and plants! It was a great way to meet new people and get out in nature! You don't need to know anything in order to do the class but even if you do it would still be fun!

    Krista L

  • Went on a mushroom foray with Jazmen and a small group. Jazmen is a great teacher and guide and unfolds so much knowledge with an obvious passion for ecology and for mushrooms in particular. What an amazing day we had. Felt like foraging with friends. Thanks Jazmen.

    John H

  • I had an awesome experience with Jazmen on a private mushroom foraging trip. She was professional, knowledgeable, and fun to be with. Jazmen is a great teacher - highly recommend!

    Michael M

  • I first met Jazmen at a wildlife tracking workshop she did with Ryan (Firecraft Northwest). They are remarkably intelligent and very keen to share their knowledge with others. Highly recommend attending a workshop with them to learn anything and everything about the natural world around us

    Michael P

  • I highly recommend participating in a program from Jazmen with Northwest Natura! Jazmen's classes, hikes, and events are fun, well thought out, and designed for anyone to participate. Beginners and veterans are both welcome and will walk away proud to share something new they have learned and stories to tell. As an instructor, Jazmen is extremely knowledgeable, fun-loving, and inspiring. After one of her classes, you'll want to keep on learning and dive even deeper into so many exciting nature studies and wilderness skills!

    Ryan J

  • Jazmen is a legend. Her workshops and gatherings are my preferred way to get to know some of the best plants and people in Whatcom County.

    Brett K

  • I took a native PNW tree ID class with Jazmen and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. Jazmen was an approachable and knowledgable instructor, and I came away from the class feeling as though I could positively ID multiple trees in the region. I also really appreciated that she sent out a follow-up email with all the information she covered in the class. Would highly recommend taking a workshop with Northwest Natura.

    Arielle A

  • I went on a couple of plant walks with Jazmen. Even though the weather was cold, damp, and cloudy, I had such a good time. Jazmen brought so much vitality, love, and fun to the experience, and all that connected to her deep knowledge of plants, ecology, and ethnobotany. Jazmen made everyone feel like an active member of the group, and a friend. This was not a simple stroll through the woods -- at every turn on the trail she stopped to engage us in learning about something there.

    Eric W

  • I had a great time and learned a ton at the foraging class! Jazmen is a great leader and I look forward to learning more in the future. Highly recommended!

    Josh G

  • My wife and I had a great time experiencing the PNW Ethnobotany guided hike with Jazmen and Northwest Natura! We go hiking frequently but we do not know much about the plants we see. After the guided walk, we felt much more informed and much closer to the nature surrounding us. Jazmen is crazy knowledgable and is very good at explaining things. Also, she encourages questions and provides great answers. Highly recommended!

    Frank S

  • Classes are fun with a variety of course topics for any outdoor enthusiast at any level. I highly recommend signing up for one Northwest Natura’s classes! Jazmen and other instructors that she partners with are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and always enjoyable to be around.

    Aimee W

  • I have learned so much from Northwest Natura's field trips! A great way to get out into nature, learn, and meet people with common interests. I really enjoyed the tree ID and botany trips, and can't wait to sign up for more in the future!

    Brigitta M

  • What a great spot outside of Maple Falls to participate in the Winter Medicine class. I learned lots about cottonwood as we made a tincture, oil and salve. I highly recommend this class to anyone who is interested in learning about natural medicines and being outside,!

    -Linda C

Not sure what to get for someone who enjoys the outdoors? Northwest Natura gift cards are a wonderful gift for all outdoorsy folks and shows you support and care about their interest in nature.

Pick one up from The Shop