Description

In 2024 I had the honor of working with the rural community of Capon Bridge, West Virginia to transform the expansive grounds of their elementary school into a vast and varied nature play and learning campus. The whole town -- artists, farmers, builders, bankers, educators, elected officials, students of all ages, parents, and grandparents came together in the most beautiful ways to build this for their children.

I led a community design charette and then in collaboration with a dear friend and colleague who is also a brilliant outdoor educator – Capon Bridge resident Beth Reese, and her daughter Kate Reese -- a local business owner and mom at the school – I turned the many ideas of the community into a plan for the space. Dozens of volunteers and local experts then worked together to plant trees and gardens, build benches and picnic tables and stages and patios, and add loose parts and nature elements to climb and play on. Local artists created beautiful art everywhere – signage that is educational, informative, and fun; the most incredible WV wildlife mural; and even boulders painted with WV animals. You can follow (and support) their extraordinary ongoing work on Facebook.