Environmental Steward

Jen Davis

My Philosophy...
I teach from a seed of curiosity rooted in the soil of enthusiasm, watered with nature’s mysteries and lit well by passion’s glow.

My mission is to reconnect human beings with the natural world, facilitating an experiential awareness that we are not separate from the cycles of nature.

I am curious about how these cycles operate, and about what brings a student to my class. I am enthusiastic about the mysteries of nature all around us and about my role in assisting my fellow humans in the pursuit of connection, no matter where they’re engaging from.

My Story...
I am a Southeast Michigan public land hunter, forager, fisher, and trapper. Having put down a deep taproot here, the more I learn about the place I am from, the more I fall in love with it. I work as a Recreation Specialist for Pittsfield Township Parks and Recreation and Naturalist, I also work as an independent Outdoor Educator. I volunteer as an Artemis Ambassador, as an advisory board member and instructor for Michigan Becoming an Outdoors Woman, and as a Hunter Safety Education Instructor.

A little over ten years ago, I became obsessed with finding connection with my food, which led me to my local farmer’s market, then to growing and canning my own food, eventually I began foraging for wild edible plants and mushrooms… It wasn't long before I started to think about what it would take to learn to hunt and fish for my own wild protein. The connection and satisfaction I found through filling my slot in the natural order quickly became another driving force. I've always seen the importance of protecting our environment, but as I began to hunt and spend the kind of time in the natural world that is required of a hunter, I became increasingly aware of my own role in the natural order. It is clear to me now that we all, human and nonhuman, have an impact on the natural world with our actions, and because of that we need to consider those actions carefully.