Audubon Center of the North Woods
Spring/Summer 2016
News from the North Woods
Volume 42, Issue 1
Experience Your Environment
Making Connections by Bryan Wood, Executive Director
There is much to share about what’s happening at the Audubon Center of the North Woods (ACNW). We are completing our first school year with changes in class length and structure for attending K-12 schools, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Students are experiencing more classes during their time here, connecting them to more environmental topics. I am very pleased to announce the unveiling of the Audubon Center of the North Woods Legacy Society, which provides a platform and recognition for individuals who wish to leave a lasting legacy by including ACNW in their will or estate. The article on the following page further details the Legacy Society and options it presents on how you can leave an enduring mark at ACNW. This summer will see more programs than in the past, with five summer camps weeks including Rocks, Ropes & Rafts, Ways of Wildlife I & II, Outdoor Explorations and Junior Naturalists. These exciting camps are unique to ACNW – you simply won’t find camps like these offered anywhere else. They utilize nearby outdoor recreation opportunities, diverse habitats, wildlife educational and rehab organizations, myriad adventure courses and reach across earth, physical and biological science areas. Scholarships are available to help make these camps a reality for a special ten to fourteen year-old in your life.
Also offered this summer are expanded Road Scholar program opportunities. We will continue to offer on-site Migration Mysteries weeks, off-site Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) trips, and Hiking Discoveries along Lake Superior’s South Shore. We are also adding a Hiking Discovery along Lake Superior’s North Shore program, with weeks in June and August. Like last year, the Lake Superior programs will be expertly led by Mike Link and Kate Crowley, and BWCAW trips by Douglas Wood.
If you would like to be part of the Summit, which will bring together 150-200 nature center professionals from around the country, please contact me. We would love your help as a volunteer. Beginning this summer, a series of events throughout the area will lead up to the Grand Opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s Water/ Ways traveling exhibit at ACNW. From Nov. 19 – Jan. 1, we will host this very exciting and relevant exhibit and encourage you to bring your friends and family to enjoy it. You can find out more within the newsletter. All of this really starts with you. Your support allows learning opportunities like those aforementioned to make a difference for individuals of all ages. Every season, every month and every week, someone experiences a magical moment of learning at the Audubon Center of the North Woods and it is because of your generosity.
This August we look forward to being the first Minnesota site to ever host the annual Association for Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) Summit. ANCA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 that is a professional association of and for leaders in the nature center profession. ACNW has a long connection with ANCA, dating back to the early ‘90s when Executive Director Mike Link served on its board and hosted meetings at Schwyzer Lodge.
Thank you so much for making that magic possible.
In This Issue Making Connections ..............1
Smithsonian Water/Ways ......5
Legacy Society .......................2
2016 Events............................6
Thank You ..............................3
CCS Authorizer Evaluation .....7
New Tools for Wildlife Ed.......4
Wish List ................................7