Experience Learning received an Environmental Award for Education and Community Involvement from the WVDEP. We were one of two dozen businesses, groups, and individuals from across West Virginia who were presented awards earlier this month.
In order to receive an Environmental Award, the recipient had to be nominated by a WVDEP employee for exemplary actions in promoting a healthy environment in West Virginia. The recipient also had to have no outstanding environmental violations from WVDEP and have no environmental violations in the past year.
We received the award based on our programming’s success in developing effective community members through relevant, outdoor learning experiences. Our programs provide opportunities that take learning beyond-the-classroom and into the natural world. Our courses include programs for upper elementary through university students, professional development workshops for teachers, Wilderness First Responder & First Aid Courses, summer camps, and many others.
One of our flagship programs is the Appalachian Watershed and Stream Monitors (AWSM). For more than ten years, AWSM has worked with teachers and students from around WV to collect data about stream health in partnership with the WV Save our Streams program.
The heart of Experience Learning is the Spruce Knob Mountain Center (SKMC), which serves as the home base for our wide variety of educational courses. SKMC has implemented over 1,000 of these innovative courses through the years.