Wolf Ridge, coalition members recognized for expanding outdoor education access – Duluth News Tribune

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FINLAND, Minn. — Accessible outdoor education has long been baked into the mission of Wolf Ridge Environmental Center. The hands-on outdoor overnight education camp, a common field trip destination for local schools, received national recognition for its collaborative efforts with similar organizations across the state.
Wolf Ridge is one of five Minnesota-based residential environmental learning centers that make up the Outdoor School For All Coalition. The coalition received the Izaak Walton League of America’s National Honor Roll Award for its collective contributions to environmental conservation, education and expanding student access to outdoor learning.
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“It took us aback that this outside organization was acknowledging this collaborative work we were doing,” said Vanessa Riegler, Wolf Ridge’s executive director. “They kept joking that we were collaborative competitors, but what a nice thing that is to see in the world.”
Riegler came to Wolf Ridge just five months ago, joining an effort that has been years in the making.
The coalition has been working to pass the Outdoor School For All Act, which would establish a grant program to remove financial barriers for schools sending students to overnight camps at accredited residential ELCs.
The legislation, first introduced in 2023, would provide funding to help cover programming fees, transportation and teacher stipends.
It was signed into law in June 2025, allocating $848,000 over two years. Wolf Ridge, the largest ELC in the coalition, received nearly $263,000, which is used to provide scholarships for schools, particularly those with high numbers of lower-income students.
“It’s taken so many people to get this far,” Riegler said. “Teachers to plan the trips, the parents to have the faith to send their children, legislators to listen and sign on to this legislation. For me, it’s a real testament to collaboration and what can come of it.”
As an accredited residential ELC, Wolf Ridge’s curriculum is reviewed to ensure it aligns with state standards. Students are able to participate in a wide variety of classes and activities during the overnight field trips, which range from three to five days.
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The center provides more than 50 different hands-on lessons, from the ropes course — a staple of the Wolf Ridge experience — to experiences focused on cultural history, ecology, environmental studies and physical science.
“We offer an opportunity for these, typically fifth graders … to have this coming-of-age trip,” said Paul Davis, a Duluth teacher who has been bringing students to Wolf Ridge for more than 15 years.
Davis, who teaches fifth grade at Lester Park Elementary School, took his class to Wolf Ridge in September. There, students participated in the Voyager Life class, getting to experience a taste of what it was like to live during the 1790s North American fur trade.
It’s a three-hour immersive class, where students learn about history, the role of French voyagers in the fur trade and interactions between local Native Americans and European colonists. There’s even an opportunity to try out a replica 30-foot birch canoe and paddle out onto the lake.
“They get to live history … I can anchor to that all year long,” said Davis, noting that Wolf Ridge experiences are brought up in classroom conversations throughout the year. “That interconnected web of learning, there’s no way you can replicate that in a classroom.”
For many Duluth Public School students, the trip up to Wolf Ridge is a rite of passage, Davis said. Younger students eagerly anticipate reaching the point where they’re old enough to attend the sleep-away camp, he said, and it’s an experience they never forget.
“I’ve had amazing times there, where kids grow up literally in front of my eyes,” Davis said of watching his students discover new skills, new friends and new experiences. “It just all of a sudden changes the course of the rest of their year.”
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As popular as Wolf Ridge is locally, the camp receives visitors from all over, with students coming from Wisconsin and North Dakota and even farther away.
The ELC is busy every week of the year, including through the winter, Riegler said. Last year about 10,000 people visited Wolf Ridge. New schools continue to reach out following the passage of the Outdoor School for All Act.
“It’s easier for them to say yes because they know that it’s a level playing field,” Riegler said. “It takes a lot of work for a teacher to organize a trip … but once we’ve had a school with us, they know the value, and they’re hooked. Our schools come back year after year.”

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