John Hendrickson is not retiring from Woodleaf. He is merely “stepping down" from his role as the director of the outdoor school above Challenge in the Yuba foothills.

Hendrickson began his 32-year career at Woodleaf Outdoor School in 1973. During his time at the school, he has been shooting - with cameras - wildlife and nature scenes.

His photos have been published in hundreds of books, calendars and magazines, including Newsweek, National Geographic, Audubon and Outdoor Photographer.

Hendrickson's love of photography is why he has decided to leave his director position. He was chosen as one of the top 20 nature photographers worldwide to compete in the Pro-Tour of Nature Photography event.

The competition, sponsored by the Images for Conservation Fund, “combines photography with conservation through media coverage," offering $200,000 in awards.

Hendrickson fondly recalled his first years at Woodleaf, where he lived in a teepee for nine years. He still is known as “Teepee John" to teachers and former students who attended the school during their fifth- or sixth-grade years.

A lifelong naturalist, Hendrickson has lived as close to nature as possible. He also has master's degrees in field biology and environmental education.

“I brought (the teepee) because I felt ... it helped me to stay really, truly, totally connected with nature," he said. “I wanted to teach from that perspective; that's why I originally got that teepee."

“I discovered that there is a certain kind of ambiance inside it, and it was the neatest classroom you could imagine," he said. “The kids were really interested and you could talk about a lot of things, so it became basically part of a pretty popular class."

Hendrickson and his wife have lived in Clipper Mills, about two miles from Woodleaf, since 1984. They have two children: Heidi, 21, and Josh, 23.

Hendrickson said he was a nature lover from the beginning. While he was a student at California State University, Chico, he started a raptor rehabilitation center, where he performed veterinary work on injured birds of prey.

The center is where Hendrickson met Rusty, the red-tailed hawk known as Woodleaf's mascot for nearly 30 years. The bird was even honored by the state Department of Education in 1993 as an outstanding teacher, the only animal to receive that award.

Rusty had been shot in 1976 and was brought to Hendrickson by the young man who found her, Russell Marsan of Sutter. Marsan and Hendrickson are now “like family," Hendrickson said.

“We tried to do some work on her and ended up losing part of the wing, but rather than euthanize her, I got the idea that maybe I would have her join the staff," Hendrickson said. “She just was a focal point for the ‘heart' part of the program; we used her as a way to help teach the emotional side, the caring side."

“I began to develop the Woodleaf program to foster a sense of caring and knowledge, because knowledge without caring doesn't result in much action, and caring without knowledge is really kind of dangerous," he said. “People care, but they don't have the whole story - so they can do crazy things. (Consequently), we've tried to not teach one slant or another, but just right down the middle of the issues."

Most schools in the Yuba-Sutter area send their fifth- and sixth-graders to Woodleaf each year, where they stay for a week in rustic cabins, eat in the mess hall, and participate in hikes and other outdoor activities.

When Hendrickson began, the Woodleaf program hosted about 80 children at a time over eight weeks. It has now exceeded 200 students per week throughout a 28-week program.

“The real highlights for me are the times I learn something myself, particularly from the kids," Hendrickson said. “I know that if I wasn't paid to be there, I would pay to be there."

“It is with a great deal of remorse I quit that job, but what I realized is, I don't have to be the director to still help with Woodleaf," he said. “I love working with that staff. It's my life, it is totally who I am. I'm not about to leave it in any way, shape or form."

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