“To absorb a thing is better than to learn it, and we absorb what we enjoy. We learn things at school; we absorb them in the fields and woods… Hence I say the way of knowledge of Nature is the way of love and enjoyment, and is more surely found in the open air than in the school room or laboratory.” --John Burroughs, Time and Change

The mission of the environmental education trunk of the Youth Education Service tree is to foster better understanding of, and love for, the Earth by helping students learn about their environment directly, through positive experiences outdoors. Why try to bring nature in a box into the classroom when Sylvan’s YES can bring the classroom outside with little added effort? Then students can learn about nature as a naturalist does.

The YES offers a wide variety of environmental education programs from which to choose. They all draw on Sylvan Willig’s 17-year experience as an interpretive naturalist and the abundant educational resources he has gathered and the lesson plans he has designed for each subject. In these programs students are first introduced to the basic principles of the program’s subject matter; then they have the opportunity to observe that subject in the field.

The YES can also help develop, coordinate, and lead student citizen science projects like stream monitoring and transect biotic surveys. You may also speak with Sylvan about custom designing a program. He is very knowledgeable in many different areas of ecology, and he wants to meet your unique needs. As with all of the YES programs, the environmental education programs are hands-on and designed to be enjoyable for students. All programs may be held at your grounds, or the YES can provide a suitable location.