Whiskeytown Environmental School: A Legacy of Teaching Children About the Natural World

“After spending the week at WES camp, I realized how much I enjoy learning about nature.”

“That was the best day in my entire life!!!”

“I loved WES camp and I felt cared about. It felt like dozens of angels taking care of me for three days.”

“I will never forget my once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

These testimonials were written by four students who attended Whiskeytown Environmental School’s residential camp, and they represent the sentiments of many more of the 134,000 students who have experienced the camp since its inception in 1970.

Columbia Elementary school students learn to measure pond water levels at WES camp in 2013.

A legacy of exploring nature at WES

For 50 years, fifth and sixth graders had the opportunity to spend a week at Whiskeytown Environmental School (WES), going on hikes, singing songs, performing skits and exploring nature in a truly unique way. About 5,000 students per year would scour the pond and creek for creatures like crayfish, nymphs and water skippers, with the guidance of naturalists with names like Antelope Andy, Creekside Chris and Redbud Rosie. “The National Park System, including Whiskeytown, are exceptional classrooms for outdoor education,” says Josh Hoines, superintendent of the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

But this generational rite of passage turned to smoke when the 2018 Carr Fire ripped through the forest. Today, the Shasta County Office of Education still offers daily field labs in the spring and fall for kindergarten through eighth graders, but empty, boarded-up cabins now sit in the background, unsafe for use.

A favorite WES class activity for kids is panning for gold.

Volunteers and donors are rebuilding WES

An army of volunteers is working hard to change that. The nonprofit Whiskeytown Environmental School Community (WES Community) has led the way, raising funds for the Grow Back Stronger capital campaign. “The school promotes conservation of resources, critical thinking, social-emotional awareness and a lifelong love of nature and public lands,” says Dr. Melinda Kashuba, president of WES Community. “This is a place that’s very special in the hearts of many, many people.”

Whiskeytown Environmental School operates as a partnership between the Shasta County Office of Education and the National Park Service. To date, about $4.5 million has been raised of the $7.5 million needed to rebuild student housing and the amphitheater and construct a new safety/administration building. Other projects on the horizon include the renovation of Hatcher Hall, improved infrastructure, repaired roads and more.

The rebuild will create permanent and modern student housing, replacing individual cabins with new four-plex cabins. Structures will be fire resistant and buildings will include fire-suppression systems. The creekside amphitheater is scheduled for renovation this year.

The Shasta County Board of Education has committed $1.8 million for the construction of a safety and administration building. The efforts received a big boost in the fall with a $1.1 million commitment from the Sierra Pacific Foundation, which has been the largest private donation so far.

WES summer staff have as much fun as the kids who come for summer classes and field trips.

WES treasured tradition of learning will return

“Many Shasta County residents went to WES as children, and later their own children and grandchildren attended WES,” says Shasta County Schools Superintendent Judy Flores. “We can’t wait to resume that wonderful community tradition.” Kashuba says, “When fully operational, WES reaches 90% of the children in Shasta County. Our community is strengthened by this legacy of learning.”

To learn more about the Grow Back Stronger campaign and support efforts to rebuild and reopen WES by making a gift or serving as a volunteer, please visit http://www.wescommunity.org.

Story courtesy of the Shasta County Office of Education