Field Notes & Coffee: Connecting Through Nature and Community
A Live Demonstration!
On September 26, Soldiers2Scientists joined community partners at Story Mill Park in Bozeman, Montana for the inaugural Field Notes & Coffee, a nature-based gathering designed to encourage connection, curiosity, and time spent outdoors. Created and coordinated by Becca Bradley, a wildlife biologist and veterans’ program developer based in Bozeman, Field Notes & Coffee brings people together through accessible outdoor experiences, combining nature observation, informal learning, and creative reflection.
Different Pieces were brought for participants to practice sketching!
The pilot event brought together Suffer Out Loud, Soldiers2Scientists, and local Master Naturalists, who generously volunteered their time, knowledge, and enthusiasm, with coffee kindly supplied by Bozeman’s Rockford Coffee. The gathering encouraged participants to slow down, explore their surroundings, and engage with the natural world through guided observation and nature journaling. The emphasis was on creating a welcoming, relaxed environment where conversation and connection could develop naturally, without pressure or expectations.
One of the best practices in Nature Journaling is to begin with basic shapes like circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles to help you begin forming the picture of what you are sketching. Once these basic shapes are used, you can expand and refine the image.
Although initially developed with veterans and their families in mind, Field Notes & Coffee offers a format that can bring together people from across the wider community through a shared interest in nature. The pilot program demonstrated the potential for community partnerships to create accessible opportunities for outdoor learning, connection, and engagement with the natural world. This reflects the values at the heart of Soldiers2Scientists and its commitment to bringing people together through meaningful outdoor and science-based experiences.
Keep an eye on our website for future events!
