The Wilderness Education Institute

Andrea Joliat
When my son, Louis, was three years old, we received a subscription to My Big Backyard magazine. A couple of years later, he graduated to ranger Rick. He's now 15 and we're receiving National Wildlife Magazine. During those years, he learned a lot about the environment through the engaging articles and by trying many of the projects.

The little frog pond we built in our own backyard is just one example. Last year when we heard about the Wilderness Education Institute we were eager to give him the opportunity to participate. I can still see him the day he returned, exhausted but not too tired to fill us in on every experience. He had many exciting stories to tell and some great photographs that he had taken. The camp was well run by the qualified counselors who served as good role models and taught him about the plants and animals along the way as well as how to have a healthy respect for the environment and weather conditions. It gives me a great sense of joy to see how Louie's environment has grown literally from his Big Backyard to the Rocky mountains. Thank you Wilderness Education Institute for affording him this opportunity. Sincerely, Andrea Joliat