Winneshiek County Conservation offers a variety of recreation opportunities to engage students in schools, community organizations, and the public in learning through physical activity in the outdoors! Outdoor recreation programs are available to Winneshiek County schools and other organizations such as 4-H, scouts, or civic groups. Opportunities include:

• Kayaking & canoeing
• Fishing (spin-cast or fly)
• Geocaching with GPS
• Orienteering with compass
• Archery
• Cross-country skiing
• Snowshoeing
• Survival & outdoor skills
• Bird watching

To inquire about scheduling an outdoor recreation program with Winneshiek County Conservation, please email education@winneshiekwild.com.

Winneshiek County Conservation has offered outdoor recreation for decades, but the outdoor recreation program truly took off in the early 2000s with funds from the Iowa DNR's Resource Enhancement and Protection - Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP). This project, known as "Fit Environment" was created by the Winneshiek County Conservation Board as a way of addressing two increasingly concerning characteristics present in our youth: rising levels of obesity and decreasing connection to the natural world. Fit Environment works toward resolving both of these problems by developing in youth the engaging, lifelong, and fun skills of outdoor recreation, increasing knowledge of and appreciation for the outdoors while promoting physical fitness.

Click here for a full introductory letter to the Fit Environment program.

Thank you to the many students, educators, and youth leaders, in your many roles, that helped bring Fit Environment to its present form. We are grateful for your insight, suggestions, and enthusiasm. Thank you as well to the Iowa DNR's REAP-CEP program for making this project a reality that continues to expand and benefit thousands of youth in Winneshiek County each year.

The following information on this page serves as guidance and resources for educators and parents to increase youth connection with the outdoors through recreation: