A vision of outdoor education and sustainability back in 1971 has become a huge success over the years in Lake County.
FOX 21 Online
Brett Scott
May 7, 2018
FINLAND, Minn.–A vision of outdoor education and sustainability back in 1971 has become a huge success over the years in Lake County.
Staff, students and visitors to this popular attraction continue to stay one step ahead of the game when it comes to going green.
“Wolf Ridge started on the idea of let’s get kids outside and get them connected to their outside environment,” said Peter Smerud, Executive Director of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.
The past five years have been busy ones at Wolf Ridge ELC in Finland, Minnesota.
Lunchboxes and students never leaving, even during chaos from construction.
“I’ve never seen a lake this big,” said Hannah, 7th grade student at East Grand Forks. “We’re doing stream studies.”
She and her classmates are bonding, but also gaining environmental knowledge during their school’s annual field trip to Wolf Ridge ELC.
“It’s a lot of fun and it’s a good experience to learn,” said Mckenzie, 7th grade student at East Grand Forks.
“We’ve gone on the North Shore trip and that’s where we go to see Gooseberry Falls and Shovel Point,” said Hannah.
Aside from long days outdoors, the group is gifted with sustainable luxury as they reside in the Margaret A. Cargill Lodge.
“This is a renovation of our original dormitory at Wolf Ridge,” said Smerud. Smerud tells FOX 21 the nearly $4.3 million renovation is part of a larger capital campaign at Wolf Ridge. “We realized the need we really had to improve our housing offerings for our schools, for our summer cam folks,” said Smerud.
On any given year, over 13,000 students will stroll through the grounds of the outdoor learning center. Now they will also experience a new way of living indoors.
Full article available at FOX 21 online.
