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“When we see land as the community we belong to, we may start to use it with love and respect.”
— Aldo Leopold, Sand County Almanac (1949)
Matthew Herron grew up in southern Louisiana spending most of his time outdoors, learning and teaching others about his state’s flora and fauna.
This was the beginning of his quest to guide and inspire others in the South Bay Area to learn and appreciate nature. Herron was inspired by historical pioneers of outdoor education, naturalists Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and Henry David Thoreau.
Heron, 38, started Coastal Plains Outdoor School in the spring of 2020 with the goal of “engaging people of all ages in nature and helping them develop deeper relationships with the land and with each other.”
Next month, the school will hold its first nightly retreat.
This kind of outdoor education isn’t new; outdoor schools have been connecting people with the natural world for more than 50 years.
There are more than 500 nature-based preschools in the United States. Some programs are specifically for middle school or high school students and can include residential-based or travel wilderness experiences in which students participate in outdoor activities such as hiking and canoeing, combined with environmental education.
Although they are not well known in the southern Gulf region, outdoor schools are common in the Midwest, East Coast and upper Southeast.
“I’m passionate about biodiversity, place-based education and connecting people to the land that sustains us,” he said.
Herron’s love of nature led him to teach at Boy Scout camps and other outdoor schools after earning degrees in English and German from Louisiana State University. He went on to study the ecological succession and restoration of floodplain forests and earned his master’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.he helped build Naturalist Chapter of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the Capital Region Native Botanical Society.
Herron also spent eight months as an intern at the Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center in Ohio; while there, he realized the “incredible” impact outdoor schools have had on him and thousands of children. He was determined to build a school near his home.
In the early days of the school, he and his adjunct instructors Logan Wiedenfeld, Kerri McCabe, and John Michael Kelly collaborated with limited funding to help teach “Reading Winter Landscapes,” “Winter Botany of Southern Hardwood Forests,” “Winter Mushrooms” Courses such as Piney Woods” and “Restoration Basketry: Random Weave.” One of the most popular courses is “Foraging South of the Gulf,” which includes finding plants and learning how to cook, prepare, preserve and grow them.
The Nighttime Retreat, held February 17-19, is a 2.5-day event that includes multiple lessons and a treasure hunt to find the forgotten ancient forests of the South Bay. “Reading on Winter Landscapes Weekend: Winter Botany, Old Growth Forests, and More” will be held at Chicot State Park near Ville Platte. The fee is $275 and includes instruction, handouts, lodging, and meals.
Herron said he is looking for public lands and parks to use so his classes are affordable and accessible to everyone. So far, classes have been geared toward adults and families to build a base of support to launch future youth programs, which may include summer camps and boarding school field trips. So far, he has been involved in various activities.
“I do ask that if younger kids are in our current program, it’s because it’s on their minds and they want to participate and learn,” Herron said.
He said he strives to make every class hands-on and interactive. Oregon and Washington states have made outdoor school experiences part of their mandatory CORE education programs, Herron said. Recently, the Washington State Legislature allocated up to $10 million to support outdoor school programs for fifth graders for the 2023 school year.
The immediate goal, according to the Washington Outdoor School for All website, is to help kids catch up with their academics and deal with the social and psychological barriers of being stuck at home with screens for the past two years.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a graduate of the Camp Waskowitz Outdoor School, said in signing the bill that he hopes outdoor teaching time will inspire students to pursue careers in geosciences and land management that will help his state address the climate challenge Be ready for a change.
Currently, Herron is responsible for planning and organizing classes as well as managing the school website and all communications. Obtaining official nonprofit status for the school is an immediate goal so he can formally begin fund development work.
In the past, outdoor education has been more aligned with nature appreciation and conservation, but current trends and changing environments in the outdoor world such as climate change, nature-deficiency disorder, sports fitness culture, and standards-based education reforms may make immersive outdoor learning Make it a priority for all school systems across the country, including Louisiana.
Future planned lessons include wildflower, tree and butterfly identification classes and a sustainable living skills series.
“In today’s world of overstimulation and constant distraction, it takes time to decompress, slow down, and clear your mind. It takes time to adjust to the natural world and meet new people,” Herron says.
For more information on the Coastal Plain Outdoor School or to register for classes, visit www.coastalplainsoutdoor.org.
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