Join the Branford Land Trust on Tuesday, April 28 for a presentation and interactive discussion with Maggie Gotterer and Ben DiNoia from Two Coyotes Wilderness School. Learn how Two Coyotes Wilderness School’s approach to nature mentoring creates the space for young people to develop the skills needed to build more resilient communities. The free event is part of the Branford Land Trust Winter 2026 Speaker Series and will be held from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Blackstone Memorial Library (758 Main St, Branford).
In Two Coyotes Wilderness School’s programs, young people learn how to cultivate a sense of connection to and belonging in the natural world, while in community with others. They combine mentoring with nature-based play and hands-on projects to create the space for young people from birth through teenage years to practice grappling with life’s complexities, while supporting them in applying what they learn elsewhere. Also hear a candid discussion about how Two Coyotes, a mostly white organization, is seeking to integrate justice more visibly into their practices.
Maggie Gotterer joined Two Coyotes in 2018 as the Executive Director with more than ten years of experience in nonprofit management, having worked with community-based nonprofits and social enterprises striving for food justice and a healthy democracy in Bridgeport, where she lives. She serves on the board of Bridgeport Generation Now and is a member of the leadership team of the Nature Connection Network. Her love for the outdoors was cultivated at an early age growing up in Redding, Connecticut and spending summers on an island in Maine. She and her husband met as outdoor adventure guides at Georgetown University, and they are grateful to be raising their young family in the Two Coyotes community.
Ben DiNoia balances time in the forest with time at his desk, weaving seasonal rhythms into all aspects of his work at Two Coyotes as a Lead Nature Mentor and Program Coordinator. He attended college in Ithaca, New York, where he had a transformative experience on an Outward Bound course in 2020. The seed of nonprofit educational organizations was firmly planted in him, and he went on to work with organizations in Colorado and Oregon focused on outdoor learning. Since returning home to Connecticut and finding community at TCWS, he strives to support all the kids, families, staff, and community members that make this wonderful work possible.
The Branford Land Trust Winter 2026 Speaker Series is sponsored by the Branford Community Foundation/Ascend Bank, and includes our Annual Meeting on May 11 featuring “Access to the Outdoors: Disability, Grit, and Belonging in Nature” with Justin Brownell.
