SUPPORT
Starting small, but still with a bang! In order to pull this off we need your support. The idea of this nature school is to provide a space for children to explore and discover the natural world. Within an ever-changing, fast-paced, technologically dominated world, this need is becoming ever so great. At the nature school we would like to focus primarily on outdoor, nature-based activities and allow kids to have the time to disconnect from their otherwise "plugged-in" society. More and more children are spending less time in the outdoors and more time exposed to artificially colored digital experiences. Here at Wild Roots we want nature to shine, not tablets.
We will provide a fun, day camp-like experience great for Summer break, Spring break or for homeschoolers; and will offer weekly registrations Mondays through Thursdays. Our Nature Lab will also be available to reserve at a daily rate for educators. Inspiring education is truly an invaluable measure of our society, which is why we feel knowledge is to be shared with an adventurous spirit and by connecting to the roots we all share. In order for Wild Roots become a reality we need the support to acquire two main components; property with explorable land rich in biodiversity and a nature laboratory.
Explorable Land
The area in which we are seeking land is Grant County, New Mexico. The outdoor space required would ideally be made up of native and naturally diverse habitat, with both mature and young trees, shrub-lands and an aquatic/riparian element. These biodiversity highlights will allow for more rounded learning experiences. The land will also be conserved aside from containing a small Nature Lab and a possible caretaker facility on the property, but the intention is that the property will be protected largely from development. The land will not be tilled unnecessarily unless restoration is needed and will not be used for agricultural crops, ranching or hunting. It will also act as a haven for native wildlife. This piece of property will also need to be large enough in acreage to allow for exploration and to be able to host the biodiverse elements we are seeking.
The Nature Lab
Wild Roots hopes to provide a Nature Lab equipped with an array of learning materials; from reference guides, plant and animal displays, microscopes, lab tables, organismal life-cycle displays, animal bones, fossils, scientific diagrams, critter terrariums to other natural curiosities. We hope to create a space to excite children to learn more about their natural world and to inspire them to adopt a caring spirit about all things wild. The building would be small enough to not dominate the land, but will be large enough to host up to 20 people at a time. In an effort to make the experiences more memorable at Wild Roots, we hope to operate as a small-scale service, hosting only up to 20 children in a weekly registration period. This also protects the land from overuse which harmonizes with our main goal of conservation.
