District increases land in School Forest Program
For the Metro Wire
The Wisconsin School Forest program welcomes the addition of three new forests recently registered by the Stevens Point Area Public School District.
The new school forests consist of a five-acre parcel at McDill Elementary, 21 acres at Point of Discovery, and 3.5 acres at Madison Elementary School.
McDill has built and incorporated two outdoor classrooms for learning collaborating with an Eagle Scout project to create the “The Wolf Den”. Students and Families have also been involved creating chipped trails using downed trees from the woods, hosting Candlelight Hikes, an owl call night and utilizing the trails for gym class, to include skiing and snowshoeing.
Madison School has turned the forested area just to the north of the school into an outdoor classroom, with a wood chipped area and stump seats for classrooms to meet and learn. Trails have been carved through the forest, with additional trails planned in the spring. A music wall has recently been added by an Eagle Scout and former Madison Mustang. The forest to the east of the horseshoe drive has just been added to the School Forest, and more plans are being discussed for the future.
Point of Discovery School (PoDS) plans on adding an outdoor classroom that will be designed and created by students, who will use geometric principles to identify ideal locations on the land for group and individual seating, as well as a gazebo, enhancing their understanding of environmental content covered in learning expeditions, to build relationships with one another and develop an appreciation for the natural world.
The Boston School Forest, registered as a school forest in 1937, is frequently used by the district and seen as a leader in school forest programming in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources forester Lyle Eiden assisted the school district with the registration process, will be creating a stewardship plan for the land, and will continue to ensure the property is sustainably managed as a healthy forest.
Registered school forests are eligible to receive free forest management assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, receive free seedlings from the state nursery program, and receive assistance from the statewide school forest education specialist.