EKONE SUMMER CAMP STAFF

Fisse and Ray listening to stories around the campfire.

Caitlin Price working with campers take down a barbed-wire fence

An Ekone regular since she was 11 years old, and a staff member for over 10 years, Caitlin is a natural leader. She has extensive experience with the Ekone horses and has helped train many of them. She has a gift with both animals and people, and considers those at Ekone a part of her family. She loves nothing more than spending the summers playing with kids and horses and working on the land. She is also certified in Wilderness First Aid.

In 2006, Caitlin graduated from Washington State University with a B.S. in Animal Science and earned her M.S. in Soil Science in 2008.  Caitlin lived and worked at Ekone Ranch as ranch manager, and served on the Sacred Earth Foundation Board of Directors for 7 years. 
 

Liz Coppola on a ride to the canyon  

A dynamic leader and longtime staff member, Liz first came to Ekone as a camper in 1995 and hasn't missed a summer since. Liz has also spent time living at Ekone year-round, learning about homesteading and ranch-life. Talented and passionate about horses, Liz brings her extensive experience riding, training, and competing hunt seat, jumping, and dressage to Ekone.

Liz graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she pursued a BA in Media and Cultural Studies, as well as working at the college's farm and CSA. Liz' other job is as a livestock manager on a pasture-based organic farm on Vashon Island, WA.  She is also certified in Wilderness First Aid.

 

Taylor Stevenson

Taylor was an Ekone camper for many years and is now a full time resident at Ekone, starting her 6th year as camp staff.  A gentle caretaker of animals and children, Taylor enjoys sharing her knowledge of art, herbal medicine, dance, foreign languages and world environmental issues. She is a skilled artist, dedicated to finding new creative uses for commonly discarded materials.

Taylor graduated in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon in 2003, and has since worked as a Spanish and Portuguese interpreter and homeless advocate.  She has curated art exhibitions in Lebanon, Brazil and the United States.  But her favorite place to make art is at Ekone, where she will be spending the summer teaching campers to make functional art and craft with the ranch's discards.  

Caitlin Jones

Caitlin has been coming to Ekone summer camps for 12 years (since she was 8!), and this will be her third year as staff. She has ridden horses most of her life, and believes them to be some of the most compassionate and loving of all animals (especially Ekone horses). One of the things she loves most about Ekone is being able to ‘get back to basics’ and work with nature rather than against it.

Caitlin says Ekone is a second home for her, somewhere she always feels welcome. Some of her favorite summer Ekone activities?  Helping campers improve their riding, throwing bales of hay, and seeing billions of stars every night!

         Chris the Cook (and Liz) serving up another delightful meal in the Yummy Tummy Cafe!

Chris Woodcock has been cooking for Ekone summer camps since 1995. It all started, she says, when her daughter Shonie became a staff-helper at camp, and convinced Chris to come along for the ride. Shonie went on to become an EkoneTop-Hand Wrangler, and Chris, after her first season, moved to Ekone and hasn't left since.

Chris is a homesteader at heart and lived in both Maine and British Columbia before coming to Ekone with her partner, Bob, and her three daughters. Ekone can't get rid of her they say, “cause she's too nice, and the food is just too darn good.” Chris cares passionately about providing healthy meals for the kids, and showing them how it grows in the garden. "It's my favorite place and my favorite thing to do," she says appealingly of the Yummy Tummy Café.

Her favorite summer activities? Chris says, “Harvesting and serving food from our garden, watching kids grow and deepen into the Ekone experience, interacting with our wonderful staff, and laughing with Lizzy.”