BLISS (Baltimore Living In Sustainable Simplicity) Meadows was founded in 2017 by Atiya Wells as a program of the organization Backyard Basecamp. When Atiya began her journey to become an urban naturalist, she noticed that in many of the classes and workshops she attended there was a striking lack of Black faces. This prompted her to look into the history of being Black outdoors, through this research Atiya learned about her own ancestral wounding and trauma told through stories. She felt the dire need for Black people to have a space to process that trauma and exchange their stories as well as have moments together that they would be unable to elsewhere. While taking her naturalist classes, she was advised to find a place convenient to where she lived, so that she could go out everyday, to observe the patterns of nature. So she did just that. This search led her to the property now known as BLISS Meadows. The 10 acre land-reclamation project in Northeast Baltimore now runs and hosts a variety of different community engagement projects as a part of their mission to inspire and reconnect Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color (BIPOC) back to nature.
Farmer Profile
Atiya Wells is a pediatric nurse, urban naturalist, and executive Director of Backyard Basecamp and BLISS Meadows. Atiya is A New Jersey native with a passion for culturally relevant outdoor education. She dedicates her free time to ensuring Black and Brown people feel empowered to reclaim green space for their communities
Website: https://backyardbasecamp.org
Email: visit their website!
Facebook: @BLISSMeadowsMD @BackyardBasecamp
Where we Grow: 5105 Plainfield Ave, Baltimore, MD 21206
Where we sell: information to come…
Other Programming
- Educator training – hands-on workshops and classes for nature based curriculum integration.
- Village building program – deepening connections and engaging our community on regenerative cultural practices.
- The habitat discovery program – a facilitated nature education for schools
- Traverse with a nurse – a monthly adult only program engaging with the core routines of nature connection.
- Just Walk Bmore – a monthly wellness walk with health professionals. This is offered in partnership with Walk With A Doc.
- Public Speaking! If you would like to have us speak at an event, contact us for more info