It Takes a Community: Building an Outdoor Education Program in the North
Connecting local youth with wilderness experiences through partnerships, day trips, and overnight adventures.
No Boundaries To The Boundary Waters
Designed to bring the ecology and wonder of the Boundary Waters into classrooms across Minnesota, our outdoor education program provides the means and opportunity for diverse and underserved students to go on week-long canoe trips into the Boundary Waters.
Educator Resources
We provide free online curriculum and resources that start at the computer and end outdoors.
School Visits
Our programs for grades 6-12 inspire students to learn more about the natural world and address MN state standards. Topics include ecosystems, water quality, teamwork, and outdoor skills. Classroom, outdoor, and virtual options are available.
Canoe Trips
To promote equity in the wilderness, we offer scholarships to students from underserved backgrounds so that they can build on their classroom experiences and become the next generation of wilderness stewards.
Join the No Boundaries to the Boundary Waters Educator Network and get equipped to introduce your students the Boundary Waters through our programs. It’s free and you’ll get access classroom materials, digital lessons, and more!
“Friends of the Boundary Waters have provided our students with unique learning opportunities within the classroom and beyond. The online content is engaging, uses beautiful photos, and is easy for our teachers to use. Students have been able to engage in conversation with staff that have similar cultural backgrounds as them to elicit meaningful, culturally relevant conversations. We are excited to continue our collaboration and look forward to getting outdoors with the staff and families.”
—
Lindsey Mieras
Science Instructional Coach/District Assessment Coordinator
Prairie Seeds Academy
Wilderness Education Stories
Learn how including a Boundary Waters curriculum has enhanced the classroom experience for teachers and students.
Bringing Ojibwe ecological knowledge to classrooms
In developing an Ojibwe curriculum for our education program, we aim to explore the culturally diverse nature of the Boundary…
More kids are having a BWCA Summer
The education team works hard to make sure kids across Minnesota learn wilderness and canoe skills in “No Boundaries to…
Funding for many of these trips is made possible by the Thomas Flint Memorial Fund. The Thomas Flint Memorial Fund was started as a remembrance of Thomas Hunter Flint, an outdoor advocate and Boundary Waters enthusiast who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident at age 24. Thomas loved the Boundary Waters and treasured the trips he took with his father, his family, and friends. As a tribute to his love of the Boundary Water, Thomas’ family created this Memorial in hopes of helping underprivileged youth experience the beauty of the BWCA.
Substantial funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
