Environmental Education and Outdoor Recreation Programming

Winneshiek County Conservation offers a wide array of free environmental education and outdoor recreation programming for classrooms, organizations, youth clubs, and more! Start by reviewing our program guide, then contact our office at education@winneshiekwild.com or (563) 534-7145 to see how we can help meet your needs!

Winneshiek County Waste Reduction Education

Learn about recycling and reducing your waste with the Winneshiek County Recycling and Waste Reduction Education program, provided by Winneshiek County Conservation.

Winneshiek County Waste Reduction

Contact Evan Neubauer, Recycling and Waste Reduction Educator, to learn more or visit https://www.winneshiekwaste.com/

Follow these 7 Leave No Trace Principles to reduce your impact while exploring the outdoors.

Kids fish on the shore of Lake Meyer
Students hunt for clues near the butterfly garden

Anchor Your Learning with the Local Wonders of Winneshiek County

Decorah Eagles

Two bald eagles sit in a tree at the Decorah Fish Hatchery. One eagle opens its beak as if calling.The Decorah Eagles nest is famous worldwide as a high-quality webcam to live stream bald eagle nesting behaviors. Watch the Decorah Eagles live and learn more through the Raptor Resource Project.

Watch for bald eagles soaring across the sky or resting in the treetops at any Winneshiek County public area.

Wildlife Migrations & Bird Friendly Iowa

Three monarchs feed on the nectar of pink Joe Pye Weed flowers.Located in the Driftless Area, Winneshiek County is part of an important migration route for hundreds of species of birds, insects, and other wildlife. Winneshiek County is designated as a Bird Friendly Iowa county for our community's continued efforts to support local bird populations. Learn more about migration and local wildlife at these resources:

Want to bring a fun & engaging lesson about the migration of birds or butterflies to your classroom? Contact us to schedule a program!

Decorah Impact Crater & the Giant Sea Scorpion

Artist rendition of Pentecoperus decorahensis, a giant "sea scorpion"470 million years ago, a meteor the size of a football stadium crashed into the shallow sea covering what is now northeast Iowa. The meteor left a 3-mile-wide impact crater basin where Decorah, IA, is now. Although buried deep underground, new scientific discoveries and research are uncovering more about the crater and its unique fossils. Learn more at https://visitdecorah.com/decorah-impact-crater/

Winneshiek County Conservation offers a comprehensive, place-based geology unit that includes hands-on lessons and modeling about the Decorah Impact Crater for all ages. Contact education@winneshiekwild.com if you are interested in learning more!

To donate towards the development of Crater education and tourism resources, visit https://northeastiowarcd.org/project/decorahcrater/

A group of people learns about the wetland at Lake Meyer
Students paint wooden monarch butterfly wings for a photo backdrop at Lake Meyer Park
Students learn about the Winneshiek County Sanitary Landfill on a tour

An Award-Winning Program

Winneshiek County Conservation provides environmental education to all Winneshiek County schools, youth organizations, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, civic groups, and the public. In 2023, we offered a record 1,160 programs reaching 27,672 people. The education program has won numerous awards through the years from the Iowa Association of Naturalists and the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition. Awards include:

  • "Driftless Safari": 2012 "Ding" Darling Environmental Education Award for outstanding EE program which educates the general public
  • 2014 Outstanding Environmental Education Program (2 or less interpreters) for excellence in EE programming by a county conservation board
  • Larry Reis, Winneshiek County Naturalist of 40+ years: 2015 Aldo Leopold Environmental Education Award for lifetime achievement in EE excellence and leadership
  • "Exploring Winneshiek County Over Time: A Fourth Grade Geology Unit": 2021 Chris Holt Youth Environmental Education Award for outstanding environmental education program for youth

WCC Programming in regards to Covid-19

Our educational goal is always to advance understanding and appreciation of our local natural resources in a way that is long-lasting, productive, and meaningful. When it comes to our school-based education, that means continually adapting what we do to meet the needs of students, teachers, schools, and districts. We understand that those needs will be different for the foreseeable future, but we are committed to helping our schools and communities navigate through and succeed in this unusual and stressful educational environment.

We remain committed to helping students connect with our local natural resources and make progress toward CORE requirements. Below are some of the ways we believe we can support students, teachers, and schools as we adapt to new learning modes and environments. This is not an exhaustive list and we are always available and willing to work creatively and collaboratively with teachers, teams, and schools.

Please don't hesitate to contact our office with questions, requests, or suggestions.