Bio
My name is Bethany Hays. I moved from Portland, OR to the Quilcene area on the Olympic Peninsula in 2023 to pursue a long-held dream to be in more intimate connection with the natural world. I am an artist and teacher, who has taught Art at the college-level for more than 15 years. I am also a recent empty-nester who raised 2 kids as a single-parent for most of my adult life. In this next phase, I seek to combine my love for plants, dirt, the creative process, and spiritual and interpersonal growth into a self-sustaining and community-building resource.
I envision a place where I and others can organize events, share delicious food, and craft activities focused on empowerment, connection, and restoration; engaging creativity, connection to nature, skill-sharing, connective ritual, and all forms of healing practices—much like summer camp for nature-loving, growth-minded adults. This endeavor aims to support queer folk, people of color, and active allies and to serve as a respite for social activists and service workers who are so prone to burnout. This inclination toward rest emerged from my own struggle with burnout and was emboldened by Tricia Hersey’s pioneering work claiming “Rest is Resistance.”
You can find out more about Bethany’s other offerings and work here: www.bethanyhays.com.
Ravens Ridge Mission
Ravens Ridge aspires to be a refuge for Queer and BIPOC activists, artists, dreamers and active allies. We believe in the power of rest and unstructured time in nature to repair and regenerate the spirit, so that we can continue to do the important work of re-envisioning our society and culture. We believe that self-care, which includes rest, play, and physical nourishment, is a human right and essential for all people to be whole and to realize their full potential. We endeavor to provide safe space in nature with others who aspire to social justice and anti-racist values in order to allow radical creative ideas and communities to flourish.
What is Ravens Ridge?
Ravens Ridge is the name that my partner, Timber V Wolfe, and myself gave to the land we are currently stewarding in what is now called Quilcene, WA near Dabob Bay on the Olympic Peninsula. This land was stolen from the S’klallam, Chemakum, Skokomish, Twana and other Coast Salish Nations during the mass displacement by white settlers in the 19th century. We honor the indigenous people who cared for this land as a beloved part of their family and we are committed to ongoing reparations to help account for the damage done by settler colonialism. Currently, we pay a land tax of 5% of any income that is generated by events or guests hosted on the land, which we pay to a native tribe or indigenous-led group or project. In addition, we commit to listen and learn from the land and to practice regenerative, rather than extractive practices to honor the deep wisdom of the native people who tended this land in a way that protected its wholeness and abundance for thousands of years. We continue to educate ourselves about the Land Back movement and how we can be in solidarity, while also honoring our own needs to make a living in this entrenched, capitalist system. We are new here and still learning how we can be in the greatest integrity with the land, its indigenous ancestors, and the system of personal ownership that still dominates at this time.
After a lot of logistical maneuvering, luck, and community support, we are here, learning from this land and working toward the bigger visions we hold for this place. One of the biggest steps in that vision is to invite others in to create connection and community here with us. So, welcome!
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about this endeavor and consider whether you feel called to join in.