Jack Pichotta

This is a very brief look at the first 50 years of residential environmental education in Minnesota, from my point of view.

Shortly after arriving at Isabella in 1972, I determined that I would do all I could to enable the ELC to be recognized as a school, and to influence the eventual outcome of enabling all of Minnesota’s students to attend a residential environmental learning center. 

The first effort to  enable that outcome was to secure school certification from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  We then encouraged and supported the growth and development of other NCA accredited full-service outdoor schools.

In 1988 we left the leased Job Corp camp near Isabella for Wolf Ridge,  a new 2000 acre campus overlooking Lake Superior.

In 1999, due to Wolf Ridge initiative, a $25,000,000 ten-year effort to increase capacity at five accredited outdoor schools was completed.  One year later Genea and I retired.

In 2025, due primarily to the leadership and example provided by Wolf Ridge and the leadership efforts of ELC Director Pete Smerud, the legislative goal of “Outdoor School for All” to be provided by NCA accredited outdoor schools, was passed into Minnesota law.

The following narrative was included in the MN DNR legislative proposal for 2025 funding available to Minnesota’s full service accredited outdoor schools.

Wolf Ridge’s Story: During the week of the first Earth Day in 1970, the idea was crafted by a schoolteacher in Cloquet, Jack Pichotta, to build the first center designed specifically for school children to spend a week of outdoor learning. The Environmental Learning Center opened in 1971 and in 1980 was the first in the nation to be accredited as a school. A move from Isabella to Finland, MN occurred in 1988 and a change of name, the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, which has grown to be the largest accredited center in the nation, and a model for development of programs and facilities throughout the world.”

The Isabella/Wolf Ridge ELC efforts described above would not have occurred without the support of thousands of elementary school teachers, parents as chaperones, ELC program and education staff and an ongoing   visionary board of ELC trustees.  Frosting on this cake was provided by many more than 500,000 students spending a few days living and learning at our outdoor school, first at Isabella and then at Wolf Ridge.