The Journal of the Wilderness Education Association has gone through some significant changes in the past six months. All the changes made are intended to continue serving WEA members in a more efficient and productive manner. In the next few paragraphs I'd like to review the changes as well as remind WEA member of the JWEA's purpose, and how it's a great opportunity for publishing your experiences and ideas. To begin, as you may have noticed, the JWEA is now online. This changes the... [Read Complete Article]
Hello Affiliates and WEA members, I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful fall. Things have been very busy within the association. The Board of Trustees has been sailing through the WEA strategic plan for two years now and are very pleased about the progress that is being made. http://www.weainfo.org/attachments/wysiwyg/1/WEAStrategicPlan.pdf There are many changes they are getting ready implement within the association starting January 1st , 2010. We are extremely excited about the how... [Read Complete Article]
Fall is in full gear here in beautiful Bloomington, IN! The trees are in full color right now with red, yellow and orange firing up the streets and trails. With days in the high 50's it is hard to be spending the day in the office. Thank goodness for the weekends! September marked the beginning of Mallory's second year working in the National Office. We are lucky to have such a dedicated hard working individual doing so much good work for the WEA! We are glad to have her around for... [Read Complete Article]
It is a funny thing how our perceptions are oftentimes influenced as we move through life’s journey. People that may seem totally alien to you become friends, mentors, and/or heroes. Exposure to a diverse society makes for a smorgasbord of opportunity and enlivens our journey. In hindsight, I know now that this was why my parents allowed me to choose to attend an inner-city high school. Diversity After spending the previous eight years of schooling in an upper-middleclass and higher... [Read Complete Article]
In the introduction to his iconic work in ecopsychology, Nature and Madness, Paul Shepard asks the question: Why do men persist in destroying their habitat? Although Shephard peered into the deep recesses of the human mind, I’d like approach the issue from the standpoint of more easily accessed mental processes. Two previous articles in this series have addressed the issue of how to reduce impacts related to consumerism in outdoor pursuits. While ideas for how to make changes and an... [Read Complete Article]
There are many things outdoor educators agree on. For example, a warm meal feels great at the end of the day. Cotton fabrics take forever to dry in the field and should thus be avoided. Most small groups generate less impact than large groups do. Mosquitoes and black flies come straight from hell. And, all backcountry water must be treated due to the presence of Giardia, a protozoan that has infested water sources throughout the United States, causing the debilitating gastrointestinal illness... [Read Complete Article]
California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo has a very well known motto, learn by doing. Classes at Cal Poly take a hands on approach to get students involved in their majors; they literally and physically become active within their field of study. The Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration Department offers a very unique class, RPTA 112: Parks and Outdoor Recreation. This class has two hours of lab and three hours of lecture each week. However, the lab is not a... [Read Complete Article]
Outdoor leadership as a field of study is part of the legacy left by Paul Petzoldt (Wagstaff & Cashel, 2001). In the early 1960s, when Paul was the chief instructor for Outward Bound in the United States, he testified at a congressional hearing concerning the Wilderness Act, calling for an educational component of the act (Cassidy, 1995). Although this dream never reached fruition, his goal of teaching outdoor leadership did. In reaching this goal, Petzoldt went on to be a founder of the...[Read Complete Article]
In 1978 a group of aspiring outdoor leaders gathered in Driggs, Idaho to take part in a five-week experiment with legendary wilderness education pioneer Paul Petzoldt. Petzoldt had enticed these young men and women to join him in the first full summer of courses offered by the newly formed Wilderness Use Education Association (WUEA). Among those attending were Gary Anderson an aspiring community college instructor in southern California, Jack Drury an aspiring community college... [Read Complete Article]
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12-Jan-12
