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McCall Outdoor Science School Wins Environmental Achievement Award
Dec. 17, 2008
Written by Sue McMurray
MOSCOW, Idaho – The University of Idaho McCall Outdoor Science School received the Idaho Environmental Summit Excellence Award for 2008. The award recognizes long-term dedication to environmental excellence and achievement.
“MOSS was recognized because of its longevity; it grew from a small idea to a statewide environmental education program,” said IES committee member Gwen Carter, Water Resources Division director for the Nez Perce Tribe. “People recognized MOSS as a place they want their children to be and gain an appreciation for the outdoors.”
MOSS was founded in 2001 with $5,000, a strong vision and two weeks of field science education for 70 Idaho sixth graders. In the seven years since, it has expanded to serve 3,500 Idaho students in both its residential science school and statewide outreach program. MOSS is the only publicly operated residential environmental program in Idaho and serves public, private and home-schooled students from rural and urban communities.
All MOSS programs include a stewardship component, whether viewing and discussing different forest management practices, hiking to a vantage point to discuss impacts on a home watershed or wildlife monitoring. Additionally, the curriculum provides self and group leadership opportunities incorporating physical engagement, inquiry and natural consequences that arise from interacting with the natural world.
Steven Hollenhorst, MOSS founder and director, accepted the award at the Idaho Environmental Summit in Boise, where nearly 400 interested Idahoans and other Northwest citizens gathered to build professional networks and discover paths to a healthier world through communication, education and action.
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About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.
Media Contact: Sue McMurray, College of Natural Resources Communications, (208) 885-6673, suem@uidaho.edu; or Steve Hollenhorst, McCall Outdoor Science School director, (208) 885-7911, stevenh@uidaho.edu
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