👌 About the Facilitator

Terri Mando is a retired Aerospace and IT Professional.


When she retired, she asked herself, “What’s next?   What do I want to be when I grow up?”  Which led to re-writing--once again--her current life chapter.


Always drawn to the outdoors, in retirement she found outdoor volunteering opportunities at the LA Arboretum, Theodore Payne Foundation, Eaton Canyon, Burbank Parks and Recreation, and elsewhere… She is still a volunteer docent at the LA Arboretum since 2011; as a School Docent she gave nature and history tours for 3rd-5th graders between 2012-2019.


In college in 1979,Terri took “Art for Non-Art Majors“ with Dr. Betty Edwards, the year she published Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Although Terri pursued a technical career far removed from “art”, Dr. Edward's college class left a life-long lasting impression.


38 years after college, in 2018 Terri took some art classes and started nature drawing using the techniques she learned in college. In her “retirement art classes”, the experience of Dr. Edward's Right-brain drawing techniques re-surfaced. 


Then by accident in 2019 she discovered John Muir Laws’ Nature Journaling and during the pandemic shutdown learned from his website, books and classes. Terri realized the "5 basic component skills of drawing" from Dr. Edwards "right-brain" drawing exercises could be used to look closely at nature and to help adults slow down busy minds to "see" and draw.


Unable to find local Nature Journaling Clubs, she started a club in 2020. Due to the pandemic shutdown, the club's growth stalled. The club held periodic meetups in 2021-2023. In 2024, she became a Wild Wonder Foundation Ambassador, John Muir Laws’ foundation. Completely smitten by nature journaling, she became a Certified Wild Wonder Foundation Educator and California Naturalist Certified in early 2025. She is also an iNaturalist Ambassador.


Although an observational connection to nature is a greatly personal experience, Terri finds it far more interesting and fulfilling when shared with community, because we all learn from one another. She holds workshops to help people focus on drawing what they see. She participates in outreach events to share her enthusiasm of Nature Journaling with the community. She facilitates monthly meetups at various locations; her goal is to get people outdoors, slow down, and notice nature to record their observations.


She has presented many introduction to nature journaling workshops for: Burbank Parks & Recreation (Stough Canyon Nature Center-Adult and children programs), Burbank Public Library-Adult and Teen programs, La Crescenta Library, Lanterman House, Glendale Trails and Open Space Program (Stone Barn Nature Center), Burbank-Valley Garden Club, Arlington Garden in Pasadena, Caltech's Children Center, and Eaton Canyon Nature Center (2024).


Terri loves to participate in community outreach to share her love of nature observation through nature journaling. In 2024 at Eaton Canyon Earth Day and A Day in Nature. Earth Day 2025-26 with Burbank Parks and Recreation. Art-centric events such as Shadow Hills Open Artist Studio 2025-26. Sierra Club Wilderness Training program speaker 2025-26.


Terri's Nature Journal pages are here.



Wild Wonder Foundation Educator and Ambassador



Wild Wonder Foundation Wonderland Group:

iNaturalist Ambassador and Educator: iNat Citizen Science contributions terri_shadowhillsnjc

UC ANR Certified California Naturalist

Instagram

Terri Mando

Eaton Canyon's "A Day in Nature" 2024.
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