Timeline of the NOSD School Forest
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1973 Mr. James Dyrhaug and 14 students from his Special Education Class created an area called “Habitat 10 Environmental Education Center” The present School Forest is on the same site.
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1997 The area was renamed the Mark Montaba Nature Center in honor of the School’s Biology Teacher who taught here for over three decades.
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2002 Trails were marked out
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2003 Wood chips were put down and the 50 station nature trail posts were put in. The pond was dug out. The prairie was planted. High school ecology students began making packets for classes to take self-guided hikes to learn about the area. This space was primarily used by high school science students, with the occasional middle school class.
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2010 A Nature Trail Project project packet was developed to explain trail markers
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2015 the area became a Registered School Forest in Wisconsin. “A school forest is an outdoor classroom. A school forest is land registered through the state community forest program and owned or controlled by a public or private school and used for environmental education and natural resource management.” https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/leaf/school-forests/Pages/School-Forests.aspx
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2021 A new committee is formed and an effort to refurbish the nature center begins. With the addition of the Scientist in Residence, the NOSD School Forest begins to be utilized by 4K-12th grade.
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2022 Trails were all graveled through a grant awarded by the Bruce Krier Charitable Foundation
