Lilac Nature Connection
We support the Greater Rochester community in connecting with the natural world.
We do this through guided nature immersion, ethnobotany education, and community building.
Offerings
Public Walks
Join a nature immersion event in one of our local parks. Click on your preferred date below to register at least two days before the walk.
Tuesday, May 6th @5pm
Thursday, June 5th @10am
Wednesday, July 2nd @5pm
Friday, August 1st @10am
Collaborations
If you're an organization, university, institution, or business, we want to partner with you to provide our nature-based team-building services. Please contact us to learn more.
Private Events
Whether you're celebrating a bridal shower, honoring a loved one, or simply seeking a moment in nature — alone or with friends — we're here to guide you. Click here to learn more and schedule with us.
Nature Immersion
Our guided nature immersions are inspired by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) and our backgrounds in nature-based education. They include a series of gentle invitations to engage with nature through your senses. You might gather vibrant autumn leaves, breathe in the earthy scent of soil, or listen to raindrops as they plop into a quiet creek. Each immersion is a unique experience, shaped by the people, the place, and the present moment.
"Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."
~ Mary Oliver, Sometimes
Research
Decades of research tell different versions of the same story: nature is good for us! Here are just a few fascinating findings:
Boosted immunity
Breathing in airborne compounds released by Japanese hinoki cypress trees has been shown to enhance natural killer cell activity, which helps strengthen immune function and fight cancer.
DOI: 10.1177/039463200902200410
Faster recovery
Surgery patients in a Philadelphia hospital recovered more quickly and required less pain medication when their rooms had a view of leafy trees rather than a brick wall.
DOI: 10.1126/science.6143402
Greater kindness and integrity
College students who gazed at a towering grove of eucalyptus trees exhibited greater helpfulness, stronger ethical decision-making, and reduced entitlement compared to those who looked at a tall building.
DOI: 10.1037/pspi0000018
Boosted creativity and problem solving
Young adults who participated in multi-day Outward Bound trips showed significant improvements in creative thinking and problem-solving skills.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051474
Stronger environmental values
College students who spent more time in nature as children demonstrated stronger pro-environmental attitudes compared to those with less childhood nature engagement.
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.540872
Click here for a deeper dive into the relevant research. And/or, follow the advice of Lauren’s mentor:
“The research is complicated. Go to the forest. It’s very simple.”
About Us
Lauren Mohn
Lauren grew up in Rochester, then lived and worked in Massachusetts, Guatemala, Wisconsin, Peru, and Pennsylvania, before coming back home. Farmers, children, skunk cabbage, and many others have taught her that the future depends on our emotional connection to the natural world. She has a PhD in botany and is a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide through the ANFT.
Elio Lewis
Elio grew up in Washington before moving to upstate New York at age ten. A deep connection to place shaped their path toward healing and led them to study nature-based counseling at Naropa University. While they work as a therapist in private practice separately, Elio’s role with Lilac Nature Connection is as a guide and facilitator, supporting community through shared experiences in nature.