Our Mission

To protect and restore ecosystems and connect people to the beauty, wisdom and medicine of nature, which increases overall well-being and helps to build community resiliency. The Community Nature Foundation is 501(c) 3 charitable organization for environmental conservation, education, and regenerative community projects.

We prioritize the conservation of vital urban forests, providing access to outdoor education and youth character building programs, inspiring good stewardship in the next generations and improving the happiness, health and resiliency of the communities we serve.

The specific objectives of this mission are to:

Organize fundraising events for land conservation; particularly to protect urban forests from development.
Provide access for outdoor education programs and the public to enjoy the forests we protect together.
Collaborate on environmental education and regenerative community projects that foster good stewardship of the land, restore the natural environment, and build a sense of community and inclusivity, especially for youth in low-income and minority populations.

We focus on protecting and restoring urban forests and open spaces in areas of rapid urban growth. This includes land conservation and restoration projects and coordinating volunteer work parties for things like trash clean-up, invasive species removal, and planting native trees and shrubs to improve wildlife habitat.

Land Conservation and Habitat Restoration

We are dedicated to building community resiliency and allowing the public to continue to access, enjoy, and gain invaluable knowledge and benefits from the nature that we protect together. Open spaces provide important wildlife habitats, as well as areas for gardens that improve people's overall health, social connections, and well-being.

We believe that humans and nature are interrelated and that the well-being of our children and their future depends on healthy ecosystems in which to learn and grow. We provide access to outdoor learning opportunities and a space where children and families can safely socialize, play, learn, and develop a lifelong connection and care for nature.

Community Gardens &
Nature Sanctuaries

Equal Access to Outdoor Education

We Are

Committed to Environmental Conservation, Community Education, and Regeneration

As a charitable nonprofit based in Olympia Washington, our mission is to protect nature and have positive, regenerative, impacts on the ecosystems and communities we work with.

Our Team

Charissa Waters

Lindsey Rhodes

Jamie Corson

Charissa has her MES from Evergreen and has worked in the environmental education and conservation field for nearly 20 years. Most recently, she managed the Open Space program and the Voluntary Stewardship program for Thurston County for 7 years.

She is now the President & Director for CNF and proud to be working with a collective of women that are determined to save urban forests and make a lasting positive impact in communities and the world.

Lindsey is a singer, teacher, herbalist, and doula. She has organized and facilitated events and educational groups of children and adults for over 20 years in the Olympia area.

Lindsey is the Vice President and devoted to building community through shared experiences and educating families. Her own children have grown into greater social and cognitive skills through outdoor education, farm, forest, and other holistically based early learning programs.

Jamie is the nonprofit's Treasurer and Secretary with a degree in Communications. She is also the Executive Assistant for the WA State Dept of Archeology and Historic Preservation.

She is a WA State Registered Herbalist that has been working with wild medicinal plants for over 10 years. Her background also includes forest protection and land management. She is a mother, herbalist and artist dedicated to protecting wildlife habitat and forests for future generations.

Our Values & The Benefits This Work Provides

1. Protects wildlife habitat and the many benefits that ecosystems provide, including carbon sequestration and water filtration for clean air and water. Also provides access to important greenspaces that are vital for the health and well-being of people living in urban areas.

2. Builds resilient communities and a culture of belonging. Giving people opportunities to give back and get involved in environmental restoration projects can improve their overall well-being by bringing more meaning to their lives, encouraging a healthy lifestyle, and connecting them to other people with similar interests.

3. Collaborative projects and being of service increases the community’s cohesiveness, spiritedness, and overall resiliency and creates a sense of belonging through working on a team with common passions and goals of protecting and caring for the environment.

4. Our Youth Character Building programs build Self-Esteem and Confidence. Through learning in a cooperative environment, storytelling, group challenges, and self-directed projects, students get to see their natural gifts and feel appreciated for them. Through being exposed to the elements in all types of weather people build inner strength, confidence, gratitude, and grit.

5.Get people active and improve their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Through getting outside, developing mindfulness, and connecting with the elements, people experience reduced stress and anxiety and a stronger desire to spend time being active outdoors.

6. Builds an appreciation for and connection to nature. We bring awareness to the cycles of nature and how those cycles relate to our own natural rhythms and how we can harvest plants for food or medicine. We develop outdoor skills and a life-long relationship to the more-than-human world.

7. Develops skills and knowledge for Environmental Stewardship. Education about nature, responsible harvest, wildcrafting, gardening, and sustainability creates more resilient humans and ecosystems. Through learning about local ecology, essential hands-on life skills, and ancestral skills, participants can make more sustainable choices, gain a passion to care for their community, and be leaders.

8. Cultivating community gardens and food forests to provide healthy, local food to those in need. Provides nutritional education and fresh, affordable produce to increase the health of children and families in our communities.