Director Bios

Devin and Michelle have been running and directing Flying Deer Nature Center since 2001 under the guidance and encouragement of Leonard and Deborah Brown, the center's founders and elders.

Devin Franklin

Devin has loved exploring in and learning about nature since early childhood. He discovered his thirst for the Wilderness Teachings in 1994 and has been walking the wilderness path ever since. In his first four years, Devin studied Survival, Tracking, and Awareness skills with Dan Fisher of Wilderness School in Maine and Tom Brown Jr. at the Tracker School in New Jersey. He has trained for six years in Naturalist Mentoring and Community-Building skills through Jon Young and the Wilderness Awareness School, as well as Mark Morey and the Vermont Wilderness School. Devin received a degree in Environmental Education from Prescott College in Arizona in 2001. He joined Flying Deer Nature Center in 1998, where he was mentored by Leonard Brown in the ways of Coyote Teaching and the Medicine Wheel. Devin deeply loves working with children and nature through creating the Naturalist Community that has been his home since 1998.

Michelle Apland

Michelle’s passion for the wild led her into environmental conservation early in life. When she was 19 she spent five-and-a-half months thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, which launched her into the world of wilderness skills. She soon began taking classes with the Tracker School in New Jersey, focusing on Philosophy and Healing. Michelle complements these studies with training in naturalist mentoring and community building with Wilderness Awareness School and Vermont Wilderness School. In 2001, Michelle earned degrees from Prescott College in Environmental Education and Eco-psychology. She has enhanced her skills by studying herbalism and mentoring with Lorene Wapotich of Her Feet on the Earth and becoming a Kripalu Yoga teacher. Michelle discovered Flying Deer Nature Center in 1999 and fell in love with the beauty of what she saw. She returned in 2000 to take a leading role in guiding its growth as a Naturalist Community. Michelle is passionate about working with children and families and specializes in leading Daughters of the Earth Programs, a concentration within FDNC for women and girls.

Josh Wood

Josh Wood brings his passion for outdoor living, primitive skills, and nature connection into focus as Assistant Director and instructor at Flying Deer. Josh brings his knack for adventure and discovery to Flying Deer's programs, drawing on his childhood experiences exploring the mountains of Virginia, honing slingshot skills, and building forts. He has traveled extensively around the country and studied with the Tracker School and the Wilderness Awareness School. His bow-making and frog-catching skills he owes to his two boys, Angus and Ezra. In his free time, Josh enjoys playing guitar, chopping wood, and catching up on the latest happenings in the back forty. Keep your eye out and you might find him wandering Rattlesnake Den Mountain with his family.