Jeff Norris is the owner/operator of Natural Solutions – Costa Rica, the environmental education and ecotourism company that manages Friends of the Rainforest’s trips in Costa Rica. 

 

As a tropical ecologist, educator, and long-time resident of Costa Rica, Jeff offers visitors a superlative educational travel experience. Most of his professional life has been dedicated to classroom education (over 20 years) in both US and Costa Rican schools; and he has taught science, biology, and ecology courses at every level from Kindergarten through College. 

 

Off-and-on for nearly the same amount of time Jeff has been leading natural history tours in Costa Rica during his breaks from the classroom. In a world that is more and more urban with each passing generation, Jeff and his wife started Natural Solutions over 15 years ago with the idea to “Reconnect People with Nature.” Their vision for Natural Solutions is a mixture of Jeff’s experience in education, tourism, and ecological research. His goal with each visitor is to share the love and wonderment he has developed for Costa Rica’s diverse tropical ecosystems and the marvelous species they support in just a few short days provided with each trip. Jeff is fond of saying if Costa Rica embodies the global conservation movement, then the Friends of the Rainforest and the Children’s Eternal Rainforest represent the heart and soul of conservation in Costa Rica. Fluent in Spanish, he holds an M.Ed. in International Education through Framingham State University and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Missouri at St. Louis.

​

When Jeff is not out exploring Costa Rica with clients or engaged in research, he can be found teaching IB Biology and acting as the Sustainability Coordinator at The World College in Costa Rica.