Merrill School Forest Director Russ Noland has been recognized with a School Forest Award by the LEAF Program for his contributions to the Nels P. Evjue School Forest in Merrill.
Noland has continued to expand the offerings of the school forest to students, families and the community. At least twice a year, students head to the School Forest to participate in engaging activities that tie into the curriculum. Parent volunteers, many who had these childhood experiences, have the opportunity to build memories with their child. Last summer, under Noland’s leadership, week long camps and classes were offered. Lastly, community events were offered which provided opportunities to ski, snowshoe and learn about Northern Wisconsin’s logging history. With help from Friends of the Forest, the School Forest continues to thrive and is truly a special place to Merrill families and residents.
Wisconsin’s school forest program was created more than 80 years ago to allow schools to own property for forestry programs. The primary focus was to engage students in replanting our forests. Since those early days, the program has grown and evolved considerably due to the efforts of many individuals and organizations. Today over 400 school forests are available to integrate environmental education into schools’ curriculum, provide experiential learning for students, teachers, and the public, meet state-mandated education standards, demonstrate sustainable natural resource management, strengthen school-community partnerships, and provide income for education activities.
The current strength of the school forest program would not have been possible without contributions from educators like Noland, resource personnel, community members, students and school administrators that help their school forests “reach new heights.” The award was presented to Russ during a ceremony at the School Forest.