Jody Yungers has worked with the municipal and county parks and recreation departments for over 33 years. For 23 years, Jody worked for Ramsey County Parks and Recreation Department as Director of Park Services and Operations. The Tamarack Nature Center is located within a 33 acre park for which a Nature Pre-School is operated in partnership with the local School District. Tamarack is home to one of the largest Nature Play Areas in the state of Minnesota, and includes a children’s garden, nature play stream, logs and hollows area, hobbit house and climbing hill. In 2014, Jody became the Director of Recreation and Parks for the City of Brooklyn Park, the 6th largest city in Minnesota. The Department has a licensed day care program that is currently in the process of integrating a nature based curriculum into this school readiness program. This transition model is being piloted in the fall of 2016, in partnership with the Three Rivers Park District. A staff naturalist will be incorporated in the teaching team. Additionally, the Department has incorporate nature play areas within one of its’ community parks and will be constructing two nature play area at the location of the pre-school program.