NATIONS FIRST RESIDENTIAL LEARNING CENTER OPERATED BY U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE OPENS IN FERGUS FALLS

The nation’s first residential environmental learning center operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened Saturday, August 8, 1998, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, at the newly-constructed Prairie Wetlands Learning Center (PWLC). The PWLC, built at a cost of $3 million, is the result of a unique partnership between the city of Fergus Falls, the State of Minnesota, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The new PWLC, hosting students from Minnesota as well as North and South Dakota, will educate students and the public on the prairie pothole ecosystem. Environmental education programs at the 320-acre site will include overnight residential programs, day programs, summer camps, and special events for all visitors. Up to 96 students and instructors can be accommodated in the fully accessible dormitory facility.

In her keynote grand opening address, Janet Ady, Chief of Education Outreach at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia, cited the Fergus Falls PWLC as an important regional education tool. “Environmental education is a critical component of every student’s education, and residential centers such as the Prairie Wetland Center, which actually immerse students in the curriculum over a period of days, are excellent education tools.”

Not only are these programs effective, “the kids love ‘em,” notes Ady. “When you provide hands-on training, where the kids actually get out in the field and ‘get their hands dirty,’ you can see the excitement in their faces--and you know they’re really learning.”

There were plenty of opportunities for just that type of experience as Ady donned hip boots and helped students collect pond samples at one of the many wetlands located at the PWLC during the grand opening. When asked what he caught, one student replied “bugs.” A closer examination by PWLC biologists revealed 25 different types of invertebrates, just a sample of the life which exists under the surface of the fertile prairie wetlands.

Along with students, PWLC Director Tim Bodeen also invited the public to visit the facility. “We’re located just a mile off I-94,” said Bodeen. “In addition to our education programs we’ve got 35 wetlands on the grounds and self-guided walking tours along four miles of trails surrounding the Center. And the Center’s open year-round, so we encourage everyone to stop in and visit when they’re in the Fergus Falls area.”

Bodeen has already received requests from educators who would like to reserve the facilities for their students, with calls coming from Fergus Falls, the Twin Cities and Fargo. “Once we have all our programs in place, we expect to attract students from all across the Midwest,” said Bodeen. “This is the only residential facility we know of that’s dedicated primarily to teaching about the prairie pothole ecosystem--so we expect to be very busy.” The PWLC will try to meet each individual school’s curriculum needs. Bodeen and his staff are now in the process of preparing Graduation Standard packages for Minnesota schools which use the facility.

For more information about the PWLC, call 1-800-266-4972 or access the PWLC website at www.fws.gov/r3pao/wmd/index.html . No appointment is necessary to visit the PWLC. Daily hours are 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. The PWLC is located just off I-94 at exit #57 on the Highway 210 bypass near Fergus Falls.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov