Snowshoe at Our School & in our Community Program
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve strives to make nature more accessible in the winter months with our Snowshoe at Our School and In our Community Program.
Heckrodt has partnered with Be Well Fox Valley and US Venture to offer free onsite or at the Reserve snowshoe/winter wellness programs for local qualifying school districts and other marginalized populations. Despite the mild winter, Heckrodt trained staff and dedicated volunteers have been busy educating various schools using snowshoes, winter wetland hikes, and other relevant and impactful environmental education.
Our environmental education programs are ever changing to meet the needs of our community. Snowshoe at Our Schools & In our Community is an example of this. We started our Snowshoe at our Schools in 2021 with a partnership with Banta Bilingual School in Menasha School District (6 programs that reached 150 youth) and in 2022 expanded it to include Neenah School District (24 programs that reached 536 youth). Our pillars of education, evaluations, partnerships, and our collaborations like Inclusion in the Outdoors keep us dialed into our mission and show growth in environmental literacy.
Inclusion In the Outdoors Research Report 2022 showed us that “BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people reported more barriers to doing outdoor activities, including, but not limited to cost/not enough money, lack of awareness/options, and nobody to go with.” Our Snowshoe at Our Schools & In our Community Program will decrease some of the barriers shared by our community. As we continue to support free (or at a reduced rate) access to the environment and education programs, we will continue to see growth in environmental literacy, self-growth/accomplishment, mental health, and improved sense of community.
Join us as we continue to make nature more accessible for our community! Donate Here