Outdoor
Education

Salmon Valley Stewardship’s Outdoor Education program began as a partnership with the Salmon Field Office Bureau of Land Management and Salmon School District #291 to establish "Hands on the Land" science and recreation field trips. It has since expanded to include cultural history education, STEAM activities with partner groups, and more!

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Hands on the Land
Connecting Students to Public Lands Through Hands-On Learning

In 2012, Salmon Valley Stewardship began a partnership with the Salmon Field Office, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to establish Salmon, Idaho as an official Hands on the Land (HOL) site, focused on
helping to implement trails and travel management outreach to the community. This partnership has evolved to include additional partners such as the Salmon-Challis National Forest, Fernwaters Public Charter School, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and other local nonprofits.

Since the inception of the HOL program, partnerships have developed with Salmon’s Junior/Senior High School teachers and dozens of field trips have been coordinated with the support of land management agency staff, community volunteers, and SVS staff. Over 2,500 Salmon students have participated in SVS-coordinated youth education programming over the past 12 years. The goal of Hands on the Land opportunities is to engage youth outdoors, learning about stewardship, ecological concepts, and outdoor recreation activities on their public lands. Hands on the Land experiences have included:

8th grade field trip to the Mt. Borah earthquake site
7th grade's annual cross-country ski and snowshoe trip to Chief Joseph Ski Area
Frisbee golf and mountain biking at Discovery Hill
Field trip to Craters of the Moon National Monument
Hikes within the Salmon-Challis National Forest
River floats on the Main Salmon River

“I know of no other thing I do that teaches my students new skills in places they want to visit again, connects them to our public lands and community members, and provides them with a knowledge of careers that can get them outside; all in one setting. These experiences are invaluable for my students and myself as an educator.”

- Leslie Deschaine, Educator (2017)

Expedition in a Day

In April 2024 SVS partnered with the Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural, and Educational Center here in Salmon, Idaho to offer a weeklong field trip series for Salmon’s Pioneer Elementary school. Nearly 300 students in kindergarten through 5th grade came to the Sacajawea Center to learn about place-based cultural history and natural resources. This inaugural program was a huge success in providing our local elementary school the opportunity to learn about the Lewis and Clark Expedition which traveled through this landscape, Agaidika (Lemhi Shoshone) lifeways, and natural and cultural resources of the region.

The Expedition in a Day field trip series not only provides students a unique outdoor learning experience; it also provides them with necessary science, social studies, art, and cross-cultural competency skills. Despite the Sacajawea Center being located within city limits, there were a handful of kids from each grade level that had never been to the Center. While this experience's goal is to provide a place-based learning experience, we also want to provide kids with knowledge of outdoor opportunities within the community. We hope to make this an annual program, and expand the opportunity to other local schools.

Outdoor Education For All

Beyond school-based education opportunities, SVS collaborates with community partners such as the Salmon Public Library, Salmon-Challis National Forest, Lemhi County Extension, and other partners to provide adult and youth education and outreach!