Drea Bowen, MSW, ESA, Certified Counselor, and Board Certified Life and Health Coach is the Chair of the Board of Directors for One Heart Wild Education Sanctuary.  In an era marked by a pandemic, global upheaval, social media saturation, and economic turbulence, our intrinsic bond with nature is a potent balm for the body and soul. Amidst the chaos, our connection to animals and the natural world remains a steadfast source of solace and renewal. Join us as we explore ‘It’s Our Nature,’ a journey into the science and soul of the profound healing potential inherent in our relationship with the natural world. Through this presentation, we’ll uncover the soothing remedy nature and our experiences with other animals provides—a remedy we may not realize we desperately need.” 

This organization is dedicated to advancing human understanding of Trans-species Psychology and to using their knowledge of it to improve the health and well-being of their clients. Their sanctuary is not only designed for client services, but also for the needs of the non-human animals that live there. They consider advocacy for the humane treatment of animals and responsible environmental stewardship to be essential parts of their organizational mission. Their educational programs include elementary school presentations on animals and empathy, and event speaker presentations on our therapy services and educational programs, and other topics.

Drea’s lifelong passion for non-human animals, nature, and the environment along with her commitment to empowering people to heal their relationship with self, each other, our animal kin, and the natural world led to the creation of the trauma-informed nonprofit; One Heart Wild Therapeutic Sanctuary and ROOTS Institute. ROOTS Institute certifies therapists, educators, and others working within the human-animal interface, in Animal/Equine Assisted and Nature-Based Therapeutic Services. ROOTS Institute meets the American Counseling Association facilitator competencies for Animal-Assisted Intervention training.

​Drea has worked full time with youth, teens, and adults since 2010, prior to that she spent decades managing and volunteering for nonprofit organizations. Drea’s advocacy to end suffering and heal psychological harm for humans and our animal kin is highlighted in One Heart Wild’s humane education programs. Trans-species psychology teaches us that social animals are more alike than different from us, and it calls us all to heal the connections between nature, humans, and non-human animals.

 

 

Bob Abel, Olympic College (Emeritus), and DiRAC Institute, Dept. of Astronomy, University of Washington.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is scheduled to begin operations in early 2025. Located on an Andean peak, with a huge mirror and the largest digital camera ever built, its mission is to take deep, panoramic images of the sky every 30 seconds, all night long. Every three nights it will map the entire night sky, and it will repeat this process for ten years. This is by far the most ambitious sky survey ever: in just its first two months of operation, it will gather more data than all of the telescopes in history combined. We’ll talk about what this mission will teach us about our solar system, our galaxy, and the Universe.

Ann A. Rudnicki retired from a long career in the human services sector she began in 1978 working with street kids in New York City. At the beginning of this Century, she took a mid-life break to achieve a Ph.D. in Public & International Affairs and to conduct research in Russia. Since her retirement, she has pursued her interest in international affairs, first a Peace Corps assignment in Poltava, Ukraine, where she served as a management consultant to a multi-program social service agency centered around services for people with HIV. Since then, she has studied the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and has done some time volunteering in the West Bank, including during a time of high conflict.

Aging well is achievable, IF you know how. Jeannette Franks will share 7 concise chapters from her recent book, “Intentional Aging.” She will share what is known about how to avoid dementia; how to maximize our finances; how to document our end-of-life choices; how to modify our home to enable us to age in place; as well as how to age well with purpose and joy.

Our first speaker 9 years ago, Dr. Franks, a passionate gerontologist, for more than 30 years taught ethics, grief and loss, and courses on geriatrics and gerontology at the University of Washington.

She is a former board member of the Bainbridge Island Senior and Community Center for seven years and a hospice volunteer for over 10 years.  She served on the King County and Kitsap County Advisory Councils on Aging for a total of over 15 years.

Jeannette is also often recognized for her native plant and forest restoration.