Wausau School District Opens New Environmental Learning Center

Monday, November 13th, 2023 -- 8:04 AM

(Chris Conley, WSAU) The Wausau School District has opened its new environmental learning center at the school forest, according to Chris Conley with WSAU.

“We have, on average, 10,000-13,000 people a year attend our facility and my goal is, with this new building and more space, that we might be able to make it bigger and better than it ever has been,” said Chris Nelson, the Environmental Education Coordinator with the Wausau School District.

The facility was first conceptualized nearly 10 years ago, on a napkin, according to Nelson. The forest had previously offered plenty of outdoor learning space, but the new facility now offers plenty more indoor space for hands-on learning and lectures.

“We’re going to be adding more and more to this; it gives us the opportunity to reach out on more things that we can’t always find seasonally here at the school forest,” Nelson said. Multiple districts are expected to use the new space, and Nelson says there are several possibilities in mind to expand what can be done in the future.

“I want to have it available to the general public. It’s such a cool space, I want people to get  a chance to use it, so even if we’re doing other things, I want to make it a possibility for other people to use it also,” he said.

There’s even a little tribute inside the front door to the facility that stood on the spot before, the Old Lodge. The public will get its first chance to see the facility Monday night, with a ribbon-cutting and open house beginning at 6pm.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.