FOPPI Partners with the Ridges Sanctuary Forest School

Prepping Forest School students at Gills Rock dock. Queueing to clean shoes at the boot brush on Plum Island. Photo by Jude Kuenn

The Friends of Plum and Pilot Islands and the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge team are excited to announce a partnership with the Ridges Sanctuary and their Forest School!

The Forest School is designed for homeschool students, ages 5-8 who enjoy outdoor, hands-on learning. During this program students hike through and learn from diverse ecosystems, journal, and make personal connections with the natural world.

On May 28th, the students visited Plum Island to explore the Dwarf Lake Iris area and compare it to the plants found at the Ridges Sanctuary. The students drew the irises that they found, wrote a data analysis and reached a conclusion between the two iris locations. FOPPI Volunteer, Jude Kuenn noted that the students were curious, focused, and fully engaged in their natural environment.

The USFWS/Ridges partnership will connect youth to Great Lakes ecosystems while directly contributing to the conservation of the federally threatened dwarf lake iris on Plum Island. Students will participate in hands-on ecological fieldwork, monitoring and stewardship activities. The program is planned to expand to include Plum Island excursions, invasive species monitoring, plant identification training, and participation in various citizen science projects.

For more information on the Ridges Forest School, contact Anna Hinkle at 920-839-2802 x105 or ana@ridgessanctuary.org.