University of Wisconsin - Extension

Environmental education is a perfect example of how the 4-H program promotes youth development, according to Amy Workman, the assistant director of Upham Woods Environmental Center.

"The whole goal of environmental education is to give people the knowledge, skills, attitudes and leadership ability to address environmental issues head on," she explained. "It's not just a field of study, it's about the way you live your life."

Helping young people learn to appreciate and value the natural world and the importance of protecting natural resources is Workman's job. And she gets to do that job in a scenic wild area near Wisconsin Dells -- the 4-H environmental center and camp.

Earth Day in 2004 falls on April 22, but every day is Earth Day at Upham Woods.

Throughout the year the camp welcomes 4-H clubs, school groups, and other youth organizations. Last year, about 9,000 people visited the center; about 7,000 of them were young people.

When they arrive, they participate in a variety of programs designed around the hands-on philosophy of 4-H education. Among the most popular are a water cycle class, where they experiment with a water model that shows just how pollution can enter ground water; nature hikes on Blackhawk Island, and paddling the great voyageur canoe and learning about native Americans, the early French explorers and the impact of the beaver trade. The programs stress hands-on education, a hallmark of the 4-H youth development program, which is part of the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

"Some of the kids we get have never been in a place like this," Workman said. "If they live in the city and their families aren't particularly interested in nature, they may never have been in the woods before.

"Sometimes we get kids who think nature is scary or dangerous. They may think all snakes are poisonous because they've never seen one except on TV." Workman thinks that environmental education and an opportunity to experience the natural world can be life-changing.

"When you begin to understand how what we do affects the environment, it will affect how you live your life and help you make informed choices about that. It can change the choices you make as a consumer. Do you drive, carpool or take the bus? If you own a boat and you know about the zebra mussels, you're going to be very careful to keep from transporting them from lake to lake in your bilge water."

Workman said teachers who bring class groups say that the 4-H "learn by doing" learning method is particularly good at reaching kids who are not particularly motivated in the typical classroom setting, and that their students say the experience is interesting and fun.

For more information about programs at Upham Woods, you can go to the website at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/uphamwoods/ or call the center at (608) 254-6461.