About Nature Niños New Mexico
Nature Niños' mission is to expand access to the outdoors, share all it has to offer, and invite youth and families who might not readily access the outdoors into a safe, inclusive, and welcoming community where we build skills and grow the next generation of conservationists, land stewards, and recreationalists.
We are an entry point to the outdoors for all who find themselves with any form of "nature nerves." We provide safe, inclusive, and welcoming spaces to invite youth and families to make their own connections and memories with nature. Our goal is to introduce and encourage all New Mexicans, of all ages, to explore and enjoy our lands and waters safely and freely. We spend time introducing youth to their eco-identity through the visual arts, music, theater, spoken word and other mediums while encouraging their creativity and personal expression. We expand access to the outdoors, share all it has to offer, and build skills to grow the next generation of conservationists, land stewards, and recreationalists.
The Nature Niños Approach
WE WORK to connect youth and families, across generations, to learning with nature and experiencing outdoor opportunities.
WE PROVIDE pay-as-you-can sliding scale opportunities, making free and low cost options accessible to reduce barriers of participation in outdoor recreation.
WE PARTNER with schools, teachers, and organizations across New Mexico to expand the horizons of outdoor education and uplift our collective work.
What We Do
Programming
Nature Niños' trusted, professional team offers many free and low-cost opportunities for kids and families including summer camp, day programs, family hikes, and events throughout the year. Together, across generations, we learn to fish, hike, shoot a bow, harvest and eat wild foods, track wild game, nature journal, and so much more. We spend time introducing youth to their eco-identity through the visual arts, music, theater, spoken word and other mediums while encouraging their creativity and personal expression. Whether you're an experienced explorer or new to the outdoors, there is a place that's just right for your family and we're here to help you find it.
School Partnerships
Nature Niños works with New Mexico schools to offer nature and place-based opportunities throughout the school year. These school-time hands-on experiences are expert-guided and age-appropriate. We cover academic standards while also creating memorable adventures, developing social-emotional skills, and connecting students to themselves, each other, and the natural world. Our staff focus on building relationships with the youth to ensure a positive mentorship opportunity in an outdoor setting and guiding youth to start thinking about potential career pathways in conservation. Outdoor education has so many benefits that we'd love to bring to your school!
Teacher Workshops and Professional Development
In response to research, outdoor learning has become a priority for schools, districts, and public education departments across America. In 2021, New Mexico passed legislation in support of outdoor classrooms and professional development. The Nature Niños team has been preparing for this exciting new horizon. As New Mexico's lead for Project Wild, we pair decades of experience in outdoor education focused on public lands with partnerships across the country. We offer workshops, a toolkit, and professional development opportunities for teachers who are interested in developing research-backed skills in a peer-driven community of outdoor educators.
Youth Program Development & Consultation
Although we're headquartered in central New Mexico, our mission is statewide and we are working to provide extension sites throughout the state. We partner with communities and organizations across the state to advance their community-driven visions and plans for youth and family programs that connect the next generation to the outdoors and everything it has to offer.
Visit our Programming page to see all the amazing opportunities that Nature Niños is offering our New Mexico youth, from PreK to High School.
Recognition
Meet the Nature Niños Staff
Nature Niños is a team of staff dedicated to encouraging nature experiences and broadening our youth's knowledge in environmental conservation and preservation.
Sarah Candelaria is an outdoor enthusiast passionate about fishing, camping, hiking, and hunting. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Nature Niños. With a background in conservation work through her previous careers in New Mexico, Sarah merges her love for nature and education in her work.
She holds a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and has experience as a NM PreK Consultant, early childhood center director, and public school teacher. Sarah is also pursuing a Master's in Social Work, which strengthens the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) focus of Nature Niños.
Her experience in management, program development, and community engagement, combined with her educational expertise, led her to establish Nature Niños in 2019 to connect underserved youth and their families to the natural world through hands-on, experiential learning opportunities.
Liv is Kickapoo, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Spanish and Portuguese. She is a
Native American Community Academy (NACA) alumni who graduated in 2019.
During high school, Liv was a Rocky Mountain Youth Corps member, providing
services and training for New Mexico public lands. She was also able to participate in a
U.S. Forest Service Internship where she developed and taught life science curriculum
for elementary school students. After high school she studied at Fort Lewis college until 2021. She also worked as a Pre-K teacher at East
Gate Kids Learning Center, working with young children ages 3-5 years old. Liv has
been working with Nature Niños for a year now, leading various forms of outdoor
exploration for ages 4 to 17. She loves teaching, archery and nature!
Brenda, the Nature Niños
school programming Lead Educator, was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM, and now finds herself in Albuquerque attending UNM. She currently studies Psychology and hopes to pursue her Master's in Social Work. She is extremely passionate about working with the community and the outdoors! Her background has included working with vulnerable populations including unhoused folks, incarcerated folks, and those in substance recovery. Not only has nature been a vital resource for her healing but she has witnessed its healing abilities for those in her community. You will likely find her outdoors climbing, hiking, or at a park with her dog.
Joshua Leal
School Programming Educational Assistant
Joshua, the Nature Niños school programming educational assistant, was born in Texas but moved to New Mexico when he was 7 years old. Josh spent time as a Nature Niños fishing volunteer for years before coming on an educator with our team. Josh is happily married with 5 boys ranging from 9 years old to 17 years old. Fishing is Josh's love and passion in life, but he also enjoys camping, spending time outdoors with his family and hunting.
Rae Arsenault
Community Programming Lead Educator
Rae is a New Mexico native with a passion for the outdoors. They have a bachelor's degree in outdoor education and are currently pursuing a certification in Geographic Information Systems. They have been working in the outdoor education field since 2018 at the college level, in adaptive sports, and at a local high school. Rae loves hiking, tending to their many house plants, and playing with their two cats. You can usually find them listening to an audiobook while on a walk in the bosque.
Melissa Auh Krukar
Community Programming Co-Lead Educator & Curriculum Developer
Melissa Auh Krukar (pronounced "oh crew-car") is a writer, interdisciplinary teacher, and Hispasian homemaker from Albuquerque. For the past fifteen or so years, Melissa has been teaching and learning with kids in various capacities (long-term nanny, teacher, and now mom!). She enjoys cooking, especially the traditional nuevomexicana and Korean recipes her two grandmas have taught her. Melissa's teaching philosophy is rooted in connection before correction, the wild pursuit of curiosity, and of course, love for ourselves, each other, and our land.
Miranda Davila
Community Programming Educational Assistant
Miranda, one of the Nature Ninos Educational Assistants, is a very outgoing and kind person. She is very family and friend oriented. She is currently attending CNM for her associate's degree in education. Her goal is to be able to teach our future students and assist them in succeeding in their future. She really enjoys listening to music, watching anime/movies, cooking for herself or the family You'll always find Miranda with a new hair color- she loves changing it up!
Adam C. Okoye
Community Programming Educational Assistant
Adam was born in Ankara, Turkey and spent his formative years living there and in multiple U.S. states. He has traveled to multiple countries and continents, learning much about various cultures and natural life. His education varied from private, public, international, parochial, as well as home schooling. After moving back to Albuquerque, he completed his high school education at Sandia H.S. and obtained an AA degree from Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, NM. His love of nature, prehistoric life and wildlife influenced his choice of college. While at Mesalands he was able to take paleontology and natural science courses as well as participate on dinosaur digs and volunteer at the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum and Natural Science Laboratory. Adam has volunteered at the Albuquerque Biopark, Botanical Gardens, and Aquarium, and has also volunteered and received training from the Valle De Oro Wildlife Refuge. He is an Eagle Scout, and his interests include the outdoors, nature, conservation, paleontology and Anime. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and educating youth about nature and the preservation of endangered species.
Izzy Liljestrand
Community Programming Educational Assistant
Izzy, one of the Nature Niños community programming educational assistants, is excited to join our team the Fall of 2024. Izzy is a vegan and an animal lover. She is working towards starting a vegan farm animal sanctuary in the tropics. She is excited to help our future keepers learn to love and care for our home and all the other living being we share this gorgeous planet with.
Maddy Genero
Intern (Community Programs)
Maddy Genero is an intern educational assistant on our team from Siembra Leadership High School she is excited to be an intern with Nature Niños. She has a passion for volunteer work and teaching young children. She loves art and music, and she's dedicated to educating our youth in the community. Her goal is to pursue a career in therapy for children, and she's eager to gain hands-on experience working with kids. Maddy will be working with our Community & Homeschool program.
Jackie Marquez
Intern (School Programs)
Jaqueline Marquez (Jackie ) is an intern educational assistant on our team from Siembra Leadership High School. She enjoys music and fashion. She really enjoys helping others and volunteering. She's interested in gaining experience working with youth of any age. She would like to have a career as a social worker. Jackie will be working within our School programming.
Laura Flores has been an educator for over 12 years and is now joining the Nature Niño's team as the Communication Coordinator. She has always had a strong connection with the outdoors stemming from camping and gardening with her parents and sisters at a young age. She loves that she is able to take what she has learned and share these traditions with her own family. Laura's desire to share safe, fun, and accessible opportunities is deeply rooted in her community. In her free time, she continues to volunteer for Latino Outdoors and Mana de Albuquerque. By providing outdoor connections to the youth of New Mexico she feels she is creating a love for her state, deeper awareness for local and global conservation, and joyful experiences which will continue for generations.