Page 20
Progress — 2014
Trees For Tomorrow celebrates 70 years
Eagle River nature center has reached 200,000 people
Trees For Tomorrow is celebrating
70 years of providing people of all ages
with “A Natural Resources Educational
Experience That Lasts A Lifetime!”
It’s a milestone that the private
nonprofit natural resources specialty
school will celebrate throughout the
year during its annual public events —
Spring Celebration, Forest Fest and
Hallow-Fest — and one that also coincides with leadership changes at the
school.
Since it’s founding in 1944 on U.S.
Forest Service property in Eagle River,
Trees has reached more than 200,000
people, providing them with balanced,
objective information on the management and use of trees, forests and other natural resources.
“Our dedicated, highly-trained, and
passionate staff are the key to our success,” said Bill O’Brion, president of
Trees For Tomorrow’s board of directors. “They make natural resource education a life-changing experience,
something we witness every day as we
watch students and hear from alumni.”
While Trees provides workshops
and classes for adults and has several
community programs throughout the
year, middle and high school students
are its primary focus.
Classes of students from throughout
Wisconsin, Michigan and northern Illinois visit Trees for two- to four-day
workshops. While on campus, they stay
Students from Denmark Community
School work as a team using a GPS
to follow coordinates during an orienteering exercise at Trees For Tomorrow.
—Contributed Photos
in rustic dormitories and spend much
of their time outdoors in direct contact
with the natural resources that support human needs.
As a result, they learn about the resources and gain the skills that lead to
responsible lifestyle choices and, ultimately, good stewardship and informed
participation in policymaking that supports the renewal of natural resources
for use by future generations.
History of the school
Trees was founded by a group of
Wisconsin paper companies for the
purpose of reforesting northern Wisconsin, as well as educating landowners and citizens about the need for
property land management.
Early in its history, Trees gave away
tree seedlings, loaned planting machines to the community and hired
foresters to develop management plans
for landowners.
It also established an education facility — the current campus on Sheridan Street in Eagle River — and used
the recovering northern forest to teach
students, their teachers and the public
about the need for proper forestry
practices.
By the 1960s, with reforestation essentially completed, Trees began focusing all of its energy on education.
Today, it is the Midwest’s leading independent, nonprofit natural resources
specialty school with field workshops
renowned for their effectiveness in
teaching sustainability concepts to students, teachers and the public.
“Support and demand for objective
natural resources education continues
to swell,” O’Brion said. “Today’s youth
often miss that connection to the natural world. Parents, teachers and industry all want the public to have natural
resources knowledge in order to make
informed decisions and have a richer
life with more appreciation of the natural world around us.”
Outreach activities
In recent years, Trees has added educational programs that help reach out
to residents in Eagle River and other
area communities.
The annual Spring Celebration, a
free family event designed to celebrate
the season, started in 2011. This year’s
event, set for April 12, will focus on nature and learning about springtime in
the North Woods. It will include live
animals, crafts, face painting, “egg-citing” experiments and other familyfriendly activities.
Trees expanded its summer programs in 2010, launching a weekly outdoor adventure day cam