Julie Kunz

Flying Deer Nature Center

Flying Deer Nature Center is a wilderness school and community dedicated to mentoring children, youth, adults, and families in deep connection to nature, self, and others. We guide people of all ages in school and homeschool programs, summer camps, corporate curriculums, rites-of-passage experiences, and adult programs. We facilitate nature immersion, fostering a lifelong relationship with the natural world and an ability to listen deeply to ourselves and to others. We do this by engaging participants of all ages in naturalist routines, survival skills, wilderness rites of passage, and community-building practices. We all need the benefits of connecting with the natural world and, in like measure, nature needs our care. This deep and reciprocal relationship with the earth is at the heart of our mission. We offer wilderness retreats, weeklong backpacking, canoe, and family adventures, as well as both in- and after-school programs. We now work with eight schools in Berkshire and Columbia Counties, and serve more than a thousand people annually. Time in nature: • Supports motor function, brain development, and sensory integration • Reduces symptoms of ADHD and ADD • Increases our physical health and well-being • Builds emotional, physical, and spiritual resilience • Reduces stress, depression, and anxiety • Has a positive, lasting impact on our independence, leadership, and communication skills • Improves self-awareness and self-confidence • Brings families closer together Visit our website for more information, and contact us as noted below with any questions.