Growing up in a small town in east Texas, Sienna Rutledge spent her childhood exploring outside. Her backyard became a living classroom, home to skinks, garden snakes, and the occasional armadillo. She’d feed neighborhood raccoons (to her parents’ dismay), explore the local creek, and lug a plastic microscope along to study the invisible world in the water. Those long afternoons of curiosity and discovery planted the seeds for what would become a lifelong passion for outdoor education and environmental science.
At age twelve, Sienna and her family relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where her curiosity only deepened. Surrounded by new ecosystems, she began to explore once again. Not only did she discover the beauty of nature, but also the science that explained its intricate balance. She also began to notice humanity’s place within the natural world.
Over the years, Sienna earned her Advanced Scuba and Freediving licenses. She also became a California Naturalist and achieved certifications as a Wilderness First Responder and EMT. Her professional journey began in outdoor recreation. She specialized in adventure sports such as archery, rock climbing, and high ropes courses. This allowed her to help children of all ages overcome fears, build confidence, and experience the joy of the outdoors.
Sienna’s love for connecting young people with nature truly flourished during her summers working in Yosemite National Park. There, she helped city youth experience the wilderness for the first time. Through programs for at-risk teens from San Francisco, she saw firsthand how time spent in nature can transform a child. Not only their outlook, but also their sense of self and community. Those experiences solidified her purpose: to help all students form meaningful, lasting connections to the natural world.
Now living in Asheville, North Carolina, Sienna continues to grow as an educator and scientist. She’s working toward her Blue Ridge Naturalist and North Carolina Environmental Educator certifications, along with a BS in Environmental Science. When she’s not teaching, you’ll find her volunteering on local trails, paddleboarding on mountain lakes, visiting public libraries, or even serving her community as an EMT.
For Sienna Rutledge, there’s nothing more natural to a child than exploring the world around them and learning from those experiences. As a Muddy Sneakers Instructor, she strives to create dynamic outdoor classrooms for every student. Through this work, she hopes students can connect deeply with nature, apply what they learn in school to the living world, and discover the scientist within.