Northwoods Stewardship Center

The education program inspires stewardship of the environment in participants of all ages and backgrounds by providing diverse opportunities that bring awareness to environmental issues, connection to the natural world through education and recreation, and provide skills, confidence, teamwork and leadership that are essential to building the connection between people and place. In 2024, northwoods hosted more than 3,000 annual student visits, and 150 campers through 11 weeks of summer programs. We offered camps in our two locations at the northwoods campus in east charleston and in the hub for regional outdoor recreation in east burke. Camp themes include exploration of the natural world, building skill and sense of place through outdoor recreation and hands on experience, fostering inclusive teams, and team building and leadership.

The goal of the conservation science program is to implement projects, participate in work groups, and promote partnerships that support ecological health, habitat enhancement, and water quality. The riparian lands crew continued a longer season, remaining focused on seed collection and riparian restoration. The crews also implemented a wide range of water quality improvement projects - including open top culverts, infiltration steps, invasive species removal, riparian buffer native plantings etc. Key partnerships with area lake associations, state wide organizations, and municipal groups were essential to implementing these projects.

The goal of the forest stewardship institute is to practice and promote ecologically sound land management and understanding of forest ecosystems. This is accomplished through management of the northwoods demonstration forest, by providing services to forest landowners, and through educational opportunities. The forestry internship graduated its seventh successful cohort.