July 2020
Anti-Racism in Environmental Education: Reflective Conversation on July 23
At the beginning of June, Upham Woods issued an action statement to our communities about systemic racism in environmental education. We have pledged to make conversations about systemic racism commonplace in our workplace.
Over the course of this month, our team has brainstormed and followed up on executing steps we can take in our professional capacities to dismantle systemic racism in environmental education. You can see our scientific story describing those actions below:
We have also been planning a reflective conversation for our network on environmental education’s role in perpetuating systemic racism. This conversation has been scheduled for July 23 rd . All are welcome. There will be pre-reading and you join the conversation by registering here . We have posed two important questions we encourage you to consider as well.
  1. How does environmental education perpetuate racism and injustice?
  2. How has the history of environmental education determined access and inclusion today?

We've worked to be intentional with our framing and the questions we posed so that we can begin a marathon against systemic racism in environmental education. Following NAAEE recommendations from their most recent webinar on centering equity, we are setting this first conversation up for reflection on where the field of environmental education currently stands on issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity. After this initial conversation, we intend to encourage participants to conduct an equity assessment for their organization. Then, we hope to reconvene and discuss what action could look like for our organizations. 
Upham Woods Collaborates with Wisconsin Sea Grant on
Great Lakes Quests
In last month’s Woods Writings, we teased the release of the collaborative work of Upham Woods and the Wisconsin Sea Grant – the Great Lakes Quests. These quests are now live and featured in the Wisconsin Coastal Guide, an interactive map that supports coastal heritage tourism along the Great Lakes coasts of Wisconsin. This collaborative work, the Great Lakes Quests, is a series of story map guided tours created using ArcGIS StoryMaps. This project aims to increase awareness of natural, cultural, and historical coastal issues both locally and statewide by increasing access to the relevant and on-going coastal issues for both local and non-local participants – helping develop Wisconsin’s identity as a coastal state. Each Great Lakes Quest guides participants on virtual tours of a coastal city, featuring natural, cultural, or historical assets of the city. The current Great Lakes Quest feature virtual tours of ecological restoration projects in Wisconsin Point, plans to protect the sand dunes in Kenosha, beach restoration projects in Racine, and fishing heritage of Two Rivers. The quests contain interactive educational components including links to external content, inquiry-based questions, and quizzes. Each correct quiz answer reveals a clue that spells a final word that’s significant to the coastal city.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the educational system in Wisconsin and the country. These virtual experiences allow place-based learning to continue from a distance, providing access to faraway lands without physical participation. They will continue to be available to anyone with internet connection and support place-based learning after the COVID-19 pandemic resolves. The Great Lakes Quests are available on the Wisconsin Coastal Guide website .  

10k Conservation Challenge
Continues Remotely!
Within Upham Woods Earth Stories Exchange, there is a section focused solely on conservation. To participate in the 10k Conservation Challenge, several people have submitted Earth Stories about pulling garlic mustard, an invasive species. This is a picture from a group of 2 adults and 4 kids who were pulling at Fern Dell Gorge. They harvested 7 bags of garlic mustard in just one hour! This group added 6 hours towards our 10k Conservation Challenge. To find out more about our Earth Stories Exchange, Remote Conservation resources, and more remote learning opportunities visit our COVID-19 Response page on our website below:

New Construction Update
The construction of our new building continues - lots of progress has been made!
  • The new driveway is completely graveled.
  • The foundation walls and footings are poured.
  • Foam insulation installed around the entire foundation.
  • The foundation is backfilled all around outside and inside.
  • The plumbers and electricians are finishing up their under-slab work.
  • Prefabricated wall panels and trusses are arriving at the site daily.
Coming soon, we expect to see:
  • The concrete slab should be poured by next week.
  • Alliant Energy will be installing the new primary power and transformer.
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] .