Wendy Gallant
Executive Director
Practitioner/Nature Guide
Registered Maine Guide
“Miss Maple” is the Founder and Executive Director of
Miss Maple’s Nature House and has worked with children in a variety of positions for over 30 years. She is a Registered Maine Guide, Master Gardener, has an AAS in Business, a BA in Tourism & Hospitality, and her teaching
Certificate in Nature-Based Education.
She has two grown children, a daughter-in-law, and six-year old grandson. In her spare time, she enjoys motorcycling, travel, pickleball, kayaking, backpacking, and raising her chickens.
Tami Brill
Educator & Staff Support
"Miss Tami" is a semi-retired kindergarten teacher of 33 years from Maine's RSU10 district and holds a
Master’s in Literacy from USM Farmington.
She and her husband David live in Waterford and have a blended family of four grown children and seven grandchildren. She enjoys cooking, reading, writing, camping, sky diving, and spending time at her camp on Worthley Pond.
Kayla Knowles
Nature Guide
"Miss Kayla" is a busy mom of four nature-lovin' kids, a bunny, and a young Golden Doodle that all love to adventure. They're also an 'un-school' family allowing lots of opportunity to live and learn in the great outdoors. Kayla and her husband are former nurses and now owns a nurse staffing agency. She lives in Otisfield and enjoys yoga, hiking, reading, women's retreats, all things nature, and is currently in-training for her
Registered Maine Guide license.
Taylor Hjelmeland
Nature Guide
"Miss Taylor" is a certified and practicing pediatric speech-language pathologist. She has worked directly with children of all abilities for over 15 years in a variety of ways including, recreation programs, camps, preschools, and in the home through early intervention services. She holds a Masters of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders, as well as her Wilderness First Aid certification.
Taylor lives with her two daughters, husband, two dogs, and nine chickens. Taylor believes in nature-based, child-led learning with a strong emphasis on unstructured outdoor play. She enjoys hiking, reading, gardening, skiing, ice fishing and making memories with her family in the Maine woods.