British Columbia’s eighth-tallest Douglas fir towers 63 metres above the site of a proposed outdoor classroom at Evans Lake.
Classes in the picturesque location, located 15 kilometres north of Squamish, provide hands-on environmental and forest-based education for elementary and high school students.
Fundraising is underway for the outdoor classroom, which will be a gathering point before students set off to learn about the important interplay between the area’s water, trees, soil, wildlife and resource management, as well as how to safely navigate the rugged terrain.
“Squamish is well known for its outdoor educational opportunities. The outdoor classroom will enhance the experience,” said Conor Lorimer, director of operations and education at the Evans Lake Forest Education Society.
The cost of the project, which is expected to be $10,625, is being offset by volunteers who will help build the classroom.
The society applied to the District of Squamish for $5,000 through the Community Enhancement Grant, and should hear the result this spring. Other fundraisers include an Evans Lake trivia night, where teams compete in rounds of general knowledge questions, to be held in Vancouver later this month.
This is the second outdoor classroom the non-profit society has fundraised for.
The site sits on 400 hectares of old and new growth forest on the shores of Evans Lake, a freshwater private lake.
In addition to hosting around 4,000 students a year, Evans Lake also offers summer and winter camps for youth and has begun developing adult education courses, including an edible mushroom workshop that was held in October.
