Audubon Center of the North Woods
Sandstone, Minnesota
From canoeing to dog sledding, adventure and learning are always mixed. Fields,
forests and wetlands on the center's 610 acres provide for ecological studies. A virgin
pine stand missed by the
Hinckley fire is the center's highlight. The mixed hardwood stand provides opportunity for
studies as well as maple sugar collecting. Rehabilitated birds of prey live in the old
barn, some becoming part of education programs. The Schwyzer Lodge is on the historic
register. A stream, lake shoreline, marshes, and ponds provide for aquatic studies. Area
resources such as the Northwest Fur Post are part of the learning opportunities for all
ages. The staff includes biologists, writers, an anthropologist, and international
teachers.Deep Portage Conservation Reserve
Hackensack, Minnesota
Occupies 6,100 acres of northern Minnesota lakes, streams, bogs and mixed
transitional forest. It is a community-based program involving 200
volunteers, foreign
students and urban and rural schools in its educational outreach. What began as a memorial
forest managed by Cass County, continues today as a multiple-use demonstration forest
providing both environmental education and responsible resource management techniques for
government, industry, and environmental interests. The school program functions as a field
school for courses geared to teaching comprehension, interpretation and evaluation of
forest and wildlife management, aquatic studies, and orienteering for three and five day
school visits.
Eagle
Bluff Environmental Learning Center
Lanesboro, Minnesota
Nestled in the limestone bluffs and hardwood forests of southeastern Minnesota near
Lanesboro. Its original emphasis was to provide technical support in forest management to
complement the work of the Department of Natural Resources. The center's programs grew to
include day classes and weekend programs for both adults and students and consultations
with land owners. The center is planning expansion of its facility to accommodate K-12
students in week-long programs in forest management, blufflands and karst geology,
groundwater and water conservation issues and native
culture.
Leave No Trace
Boulder, Colorado
The mission of the Leave No Trace program is to promote and inspire responsible
outdoor recreation through education, research, and partnerships.
Long Lake
Conservation Center
Palisade, Minnesota
Located on 760 acres of land once occupied by Glacial Lake Aitkin near Palisade,
Minnesota. It is a region surrounded by a rich lake and bog ecosystems, a perfect setting
for aquatic, wildlife and forestry studies, resource inventories, outdoor recreation
activities and star gazing through an on-site observatory. The center hopes to build a
demonstration greenhouse and nursery to serve as a reforestation hub for Aitkin and
surrounding counties. While it tailors programs to each school, most visits are three days
in length.
National
Outdoor Leadership School
Lander, Wyoming
The Leader In Wilderness Education
"NOLS"
sets the standard for experiential
wilderness education. Every NOLS course is a moving expedition. NOLS courses allow you to
live in the outdoors, and learn from the experience. You might even have some fun!
Over 2,600 students take NOLS courses each year.
North
House Folk School
Grand Marais, Minnesota
North House Folk School was created to promote and preserve knowledge,
skills, and crafts of the past and present, and through them, to better understand the
future and our role in it. The learning that is emphasized is inspired by the Scandinavian
"folkehoskoles" where learning is valued for its own sake. The focus is on
traditional methods and technologies and their application in a variety of areas
Wolf
Ridge Environmental Learning Center
Finland, Minnesota
Wolf ridge began with an Earth Day dream and a vacant job corp camp located near
Isabella in northern Minnesota. It has grown into a 2,000 acre campus of forests, inland
lakes and rivers located on a ridge of land overlooking Lake Superior near Finland in
southern Lake County. Wolf Ridge offers a broad choice of environmental education
activities, ranging from dozens of 3 hour daytime sessions to a comprehensive selection of
evening activities and programs. Day time sessions are available in the areas of natural
history, cultural history and outdoor recreation. Evening classes range from naturalist
programs conducted by Wolf Ridge staff to a wide choice of proven lesson plans and
activity guides for evening use by the teachers and parents that accompany each student
group. All of Wolf Ridge's activities are integrated into Minnesota's graduation
standards.
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