The Wisconsin School Forest Summit special edition | |
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5 Questions with Steve Schmidt
Steve is a LEAF Outreach Specialist (full bio) who has been working to organize the School Forest Summit.
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Can you tell us a bit about your connection to school forests?
I'm a very strong proponent of the use of school forests in education. I just think they're the greatest thing. I mean, I grew up in Texas and we didn't have school forests, so when I helped to start a school forest and then came to LEAF several years after that to do a special project to catalog school forests, that gave me a whole other appreciation for school forests and the history behind them. So I really enjoy coming to work every day and connecting people with school forests. I wish that I could spend more time out in the forest instead of behind a desk, but that's the easiest way to make connections, right? But luckily this summer I'm going to have a chance to be out at one of my favorite school forests, the Merrill School Forest.
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Any other networking events you’re looking forward to?
We're also going to have hikes, some pop-up yoga and some great meals. The meal I'm most excited about is the pancake breakfast on Wednesday morning. There's going to be a school forest maple syrup contest judged by some guest judges who are going to do a blind taste test.
One of the things we most recently planned is an Ice Age Trail hike. We're going to focus on a section that has some really beautiful views. I haven't been to that part of the trail, so I'm excited about that.
I have to say, the thing I'm most excited about is to meet new people and network. That's kind of the thing I enjoy about my job is getting to meet new people and sharing ideas. So could I pick one over another? It's really hard.
I'm excited to do this conference to get feedback and keep this going. The last school forest summit that LEAF put together was in 2009, so it's been you know 14 years or so since we've done this. Everybody we talked to in the school forest community is excited about this.
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Who are you hoping will consider attending?
We're really looking for people from all over the state to come because different school forests have so many different opportunities based on their geography, the geology of their area, the topography. Are there lots of trees or are they just getting a forest planted and started? So, you know, just want to put the word out to everybody in the state. I think everybody who's associated with school forests should come. Don't think that your school forest isn't big enough or your school forest already has everything it needs . I think we need ideas and we need people who can use those ideas, and everybody in between.
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Is there anything else you want to share about the Summit?
I’d like to recognize the folks in Merrill. Russ Noland is our gracious host, he's the school forest coordinator at the Merrill School Forest. During the school year there are very few days where there's not a class from somewhere in the Merrill School District out there learning with Russ in the in the woods. Russ has been instrumental in planning this along with Rich Prange and Jeanette Biederman and the other folks in the Friends of the Merrill School Forest.
I also want to shout out Rachel Race, who is a scientist in residence at Northern Ozaukee Schools. She's been on the planning committee and so has Alex Mantele. She is at Monona Grove School Forest, where they’re hoping to build their program.
They've been planning with me, along with other folks at LEAF.
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TUESDAY, JULY 25
- 8:00 a.m. - Check In
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9:00 a.m. - Welcome, Opening Remarks, Housekeeping
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10:00 a.m. to noon - LEAF Field Enhancements – LEAF Staff will model how to use the Field Enhancements found in the LEAF Guides
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Noon to 1:00 p.m. - Lunch Speaker – Bill Millis, WDNR Forester - Forest Stewardship Plans and How to Use Them
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1:00 p.m. - Speed Networking
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2:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Tour the school forest in a tractor-pulled wagon
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4:00 p.m. - Lightning share sessions – Ecology, games, and recreation
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5:30 p.m. - Cookout
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 26
- 6:00 a.m. - Sunrise hike on part of the Ice Age Trail
- 7:30 a.m. - Pancake breakfast and School Forest maple syrup tasting contest
- 8:45 a.m. - DNR School Forest Award presentation
- 9:00 a.m. - Energy Education - Solar at School Forests Presentation from KEEP
- 10:00 a.m. - Project Learning Tree session
- 11:00 a.m. - Lightning Share - Ecology
- Noon to 1:00 p.m. - Lunch Speaker – Paula Zwicke, Educational Consultant - Class Act Charter School – A Case for PBL by Paula Zwicke
- 1:00 p.m. - Project-Based Learning workshop
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2:00 p.m. - EE Research to Practice
- 3:00 p.m. - Summit Photo, Wrap-up, and Evaluation
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Optional Add-on Day - Thursday, July 27 | |
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9:00 a.m to 2:30 p.m. - School Forest Foundational Planning Workshop
- Separate registration is required. *Summit registrants use discount code SFFP23 in your registration cart to claim discounted rate.
- $25 to attend independently from Summit registration.
9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - PLT Facilitator Training Workshop
- Participants in this training must have participated in one of the Summit's Wednesday, July 26th, PLT sessions or have previous PLT training.
- Free with Summit registration. Separate registration is required. Item will be offered for you to add to your cart as you register for the Summit.
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LEAF School Forest Resources | |
School Forest Home
The school forest program serves as a resource for all school forests in the state. The program is the result of a partnership between the Department of Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education in the College of Natural Resources at UW-Stevens Point.
Visit Page
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School Forest Map
The interactive map shows the location and boundaries of the school forest lands registered with LEAF-Wisconsin’s K-12 Forestry Education Program. Use this as a resource to find and learn about different school forests in Wisconsin!
Visit Map
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School Forest List
The registered school forest list includes the name, number of acres, location, management plan and education plan dates for each registered school forest in Wisconsin..
View List
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School Forest Lessons
LEAF’s Field Enhancements are a collection of lessons specially designed to be taught outdoors, making them perfect for education in the school forest. Each of LEAF’s Wisconsin Forestry Lesson Guides contain field enhancements, found near the back of each grade level guide. Participants in the School Forest Summit will have a chance to try out some of these field enhancements in a hands-on session on Tuesday during the Summit.
View Lessons
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School Forest Awards - 2022 Winners Announced
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Other Upcoming Professional Development
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Project Learning Tree - Together for Birds - Activities for Educators |
DESCRIPTION
Join us for this short in-person educator workshop to explore Project Learning Tree’s new activity collection, "Together for Birds." Designed for grades K-2 and including adaptations for 3rd-5th, "Together for Birds" makes place-based education easy and exciting. Through this collection of activities, elementary students explore the birds and other organisms that live on or around your school site. In doing so, they also consider how this habitat provides the food, water, shelter, and space these organisms need to live.
LOCATION
Open Door Bird Sanctuary | Jacksonport - Door County, WI
DATE & TIME
06/27/2023 | 9:30 - 11:00AM
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Have questions or need additional resources? Contact us at leaf@uwsp.edu. We are here to support educators and students with forestry opportunities. | | | | |
