Co-Director, Nature-Connection Programming

Educator, Wilderness First Responder

Shae has a passion for facilitating transformative nature-connected experiences through relationship with plants, animals, wild landscape, and authentic community. She is particularly inspired by the meaningful impact animals have on people and loves partnering with them in the educational and therapeutic process.

From 2016-2018, Taylor and Shae developed and co-directed Sowing Seeds, a program aimed at bringing nature-based education and food literacy skills to local at-risk youth. In 2019, Micky Morton and Shae partnered to create and co-direct Seedkeepers Forest School, serving children 3-9, where Shae worked as an educator and co-director for three years. Prior to this, Shae worked as a senior field guide in the field of wilderness therapy with children and adolescents, and supported the launch of Emerald Arrow, a wilderness therapy program for young adults. She continues to serve as the Program Developer and Lead Trainer for this program.

Shae holds a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and specializes in facilitating nature-connection therapeutic experiences. During her graduate program, she was given the opportunity to co-create a Nature-Based Therapy graduate certificate at ETSU, along with colleague Dr. Bethany Novotny. When it comes to individuals' healing journey, she understands the earth to be the first healer. She continues to pursue a vision of making nature-based therapy and nature-based education accessible to all in East Tennessee.

Co-Director, Nature Connection Programming

Farm Manager, Educator

Taylor is a farmer, educator, researcher, builder, and philosopher. He received is bachelors in Philosophy at ETSU in 2014, and has been doing community farm and food work since. Although he grows a good sized veggie garden every year, his particular focus has been on growing regionally-adapted perennial crops such as fruit, nut, and fodder trees. He has managed chickens, pigs, and goats (right now there are just chickens on the farm), and hopes to get some cows on the farm soon. He and Shae started an after-school program for inner city youth at an edible park in Johnson City. Activities for the children included plant identification, planting, pruning, rooting, grafting, building, foraging, harvesting, processing, cooking, and of course, eating! He brings a diversity of skills to the farm with his background as a wilderness therapy field guide, timber framer, agricultural consultant, and program coordinator at a farm-focused non-profit. He looks forward to cultivating a farm landscape rich with food for the mind, body, and soul.

Iliana Pate (she/her), is excited to be joining the Fauna Forest School community this fall. Iliana was born and raised in Sewanee, Tennessee, and homeschooled, along with her siblings, on her parents farm before attending St. Andrew’s Sewanee School for highschool.

Iliana has spent the last few years traveling the country, in an attempt to further her own education, she has spent time at the John C. Campbell Folk School, Sequatchie Cove Farm, Uplands Cheese Creamery, and most recently, completed a stint on a prescribed burn crew for the Southeast Conservation Corps.

While the nomadic lifestyle has treated her well, Iliana is ready to begin working towards her true passion of alternative education. Iliana is excited to share her love for traditional crafts, such as basketry, spinning, weaving, and cooking with foraged foods, and hopes that through these practices, she can help young people develop a closer relationship with the natural world and a deeper understanding of their place within it.