August 2020
Anti-Racism in Environmental Education
On Thursday July 24, Upham Woods followed through on our commitment to hold a conversation concerning systemic racism in environmental education. On June 5, Upham Woods shared a message to our community detailing how we will work to disrupt systemic racism within our organization and in our field. This included holding a discussion reflecting on how systemic racism impacts our field and begin to identify next action steps. In that statement, we argued that the over 1.1 million student field days represent over 1.1 million opportunities to act. The event grew after we invited Natural Resource Institute leadership and the Wisconsin Association of Environmental Education leadership. 60 people attended the discussion from the University of Wisconsin, other nature centers, school districts, graduate students, and Department of Natural Resource employees among many many others.
The group took on a lot to discuss and broke out into smaller groups for more intimate reflection. The groups of four people reflected on two guiding questions:
  1. How does environmental education perpetuate racism and injustice? And, how have your privileges perpetuated environmeantal racism and injustice within EE?
  2. How has the legacy of environmental education determined access and inclusion today? 
The emphasis on the conversation was not on knowing the answer but to collectively reflect and grow community understanding. Participants shared afterwards that one of the biggest takeaways they had was that they now knew the other people in the field dedicated to working on solutions to this systemic problem. Action steps brainstormed by the group included: holding each other accountable, remaining connected, leveraging our privilege to amplify BIPOC voices in the field, and revisit our pedagogy and educational approach to programming.
We thank everyone who participated and held us accountable. Upham Woods has also pledged to craft a report from the discussion and complete a status and needs survey with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of environmental education.
Virtual Animal Signs with
Madison Scool & Community Recreation
The Upham Woods program team had the pleasure of facilitating a virtual lesson based on the animal signs lesson taught during onsite Upham Woods field trips and camps. 11 students in 6th-8th grade as well as 2 adult leaders from Madison School and Community Recreation (MSCR) attended the program on zoom. Students were encouraged to share stories about their wildlife observations made outside this summer. As a class, they discussed what kinds of animal signs they discovered. The campers also had the opportunity to look at photos of different animal signs and guess what animal made that sign and what that sign tells them about that animal. Campers were able to use the annotation feature on zoom as well as answer questions and tell stories out loud. Ariel created a "scientific story" of the lesson that she sent back to the leaders and shared on Upham's social media platform. She also encouraged students to participate in Upham's Earth Stories Exchange as well as the 10K Conservation Challenge.
UW-Madison PEOPLE Program & the
10k Conservation Challenge
PEOPLE, UW-Madison's pre-college enrichment program, took part in the 10k by 2020 Conservation Challenge ! Upham Woods led a group of 24 participants in a remote Backyard BioBlitz. A BioBlitz is where participants go outside and try to log the biodiversity of their ecosystems. We were able to log 53 different species and make over 70 observations. If you would like to participate in the 10k by 2020 Conservation challenge, visit our website for project ideas and to log your conservation service hours.

New Construction Update
More progress on the new building to report!

  • New primary power installed by Alliant Energy.
  • Under-slab utilities are installed
  • Foundation walls, slab, and column footings are poured
  • First floor wall framing erected
  • Elevator shaft masonry

Quite soon, the new structure will be connected to the lodge and the floor joists and wall frames will be constructed for the second floor. Exciting!

We also carefully removed the original mural by Betty Heller from the conference room in the old Welcome Center - presevering our history while we make way for the future is an important part of this process.
Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center
N194 County Rd N
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
(608) 254-6461
Stay Connected
The University of Wisconsin–Madison does not discriminate in its employment practices and programs and activities on a variety of bases including but not limited to: age, color, disability, national origin, race, or sex. For information on all covered bases, the names of the Title IX and Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinators, and the processes for how to file a complaint alleging discrimination, please contact the  Office of Compliance , 361 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison WI 53706, Voice 608-265-6018, (relay calls accepted); Email:  [email protected] .