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Scandia Woods Environmental Learning Lab
Stevens County, Minnesota
SWELL is a 501c3 non-profit organization
The Scandia Woods Environmental Learning Lab is located on land that has been cared for and called home by the Dakota people, and later the Ojibwe people and other Native peoples from time immemorial. By offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm tribal sovereignty and express respect for Native peoples and nations.
The Scandia Lake Environmental Learning Lab is a 20-acre site which has been leased to the Morris Area School District to be used for educational purposes. A grant was obtained in 1992 to develop SWELL. Trails were forged and a classroom was built which houses binoculars, animal pelts, insect collections and innumerable natural artifacts.
This area, located in west central Minnesota, is unique as it contains four distinct biomes: prairie, lake, forest, and restored wetland which lends itself to diverse learning possibilities. As the area was formed by receding glaciers, it is also a great place to learn about geologic processes.
An original log cabin, build it 1872, has also been reconstructed on the SWELL site offering hands-on learning opportunities for students to explore local history.
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