WWA's Education Programs

Outdoor Adventure Days

Ten years ago the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association started our "Outdoor Adventure Days" youth education program.  Working with our partners at the Ho-Chunk Nation, the Antonia Foundation, the USFWS and other chapter and member donations, we put together an education trust account.  This money is set aside to support youth outdoor education and to build a foundation for this long-term program.

In 2001 we asked our membership to help us decide the focus of our education program.  Your response overwhelmingly indicated that promoting the development of environmental ethics in youth had to be our number one priority.  We have set about to meet your expectations.

We have continued the tradition of providing field guides to classrooms that attend our field trips and in one year we were able to plan field trips for 755 students from schools across the state. These students come out on one of our restoration sites and are expected to get a little wet and a little dirty and work to learn all about the restoration process.  The result?  They love it!  And, they go home with a greater appreciation for our environment.

 Environmental Charter Schools

In 2002 WWA was presented with an exceptional opportunity by the Portage Community School District.  A successful grant had been written to develop a charter school with an environmental science-based curriculum.  WWA was asked to be a part of this program, to be called the River Crossing Charter School and we, of course, eagerly accepted.

The kids from River Crossing are out in the field with WWA staff each and every Wednesday of the school year, working on our habitat projects.  Rain, shine or snow, hot or cold, the kids are out working with our field staff.

Programs like this bode well for the future of Wisconsin's natural resources and we are very excited to be playing a role in helping these children, our future environmental policy makers, develop a deeper respect for the environment and those traditions we are trying to protect.

Due to River Crossing's outstanding success many other schools across the state are starting their own charter schools.  Last year WWA joined with the Lodi School District to work directly with their charter school students.  WWA Wildlife Ecologist Matt Ruwaldt works weekly with these students restoring wetlands, building wood duck box houses, performing prairie burns, you name it, they do it.

In 2005 WWA is being asked to be a part of at least a half dozen new charter schools for the 2005-2006 school year.  In order to do this, we need your help.  Please see the sidebar for how you can donate to support WWA's Education Trust fund so that we can continue to be involved in this groundbreaking new charter school program that is doing wonders for our state's students and Wisconsin's natural resources.

To learn more about WWA's River Crossing Charter School, READ ON

Adult Education

WWA doesn't stop at just educating our children, we actively work at educating adults as well.  Every year we present at various conferences across the state to share our experiences with wetland habitat restoration.  We also conduct several tours of our restoration sites.

WWA also puts together wetland training courses in partnership with the USFWS, Wisconsin Wetlands Association and the Aldo Leopold Foundation.  We always encourage our members to attend these wonderful courses which give an in-depth perspective on how to evaluate and identify a potential restoration site as well as contact information on the many restoration programs available to private landowners.