Riita (Nyyskä) Nykänen
Riitta (Nyyskä) Nykänen lives and works in Siikavaara, Puolanka, Finland. She is an environmental educator, forest activist and a wannabe artist. She has worked for various educational institutions, including the Ministry of Education in Finland, and was senior advisor of environmental education for 22 years for Finnish Metsähallitus Natural Heritage Services until her retirement in 2022. Her roots, along with many of her activities and work, are also connected to non-governmental organisations, for which she has provided training sessions and developed materials on nature interpretation and understanding biodiversity. Lately, she has been working closely with Mustarinda Association and their artist in residence programme as a natural diversity expert. Through Mustarinda, she has resourced dance performances, film productions and workshops for schools and the general public.