Smith: Youth outdoor education expo a hit at Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee

At 11 a.m. Wednesday (May 10) a line 40 students-long snaked out of a huge white tent at Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee.

The atmosphere was electric. Anticipation was high. Chatter was non-stop.

The enthusiasm was on par with popular concerts I've attended.

But this was not a spectator event.

These 4th to 6th graders were queueing at the archery venue at the Midwest Outdoor Heritage Education Expo.

Inside, under the supervision of a certified archery instructor, they would shoot a bow and arrow at a target.

The energy in the crowd included some of the nervous variety.

"I've never shot a bow," said Isabel Jop, a 6th grader at Bruce-Guadalupe Community School in Milwaukee. "I don't know..."

The line moved and a dozen instructors inside called out: "Next!"

Jop stepped into a line run by Scott Cleland, a National Archery in the Schools instructor who lives in Kenosha. He handed Jop a compound bow, told her how to stand and draw, and within moments she was hitting the 3-D deer target.

Jop's anxiety was replaced by a feeling of accomplishment. A smile spread across her face.

They exchanged a high five and Jop was off to another activity while a fellow student stepped into place at Cleland's line on the range.

And so it went at MOHEE.

On a school day when they would normally be inside, 700 students from southeastern Wisconsin attended an event to learn and do outside.

The goal of MOHEE is to connect kids with the outdoors, said event founder Mark LaBarbera of Hazel Green.

"We try to present a wide range of opportunities and help pique their interest in something that could become a life-long activity," LaBarbera said.

The event ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Havenwoods. Thanks to the contributions of partners and donors, the event is free to students; MOHEE organizers also provide funding for bus transportation.

The event was staffed by Department of Natural Resources employees and members of more than a dozen conservation organizations.

The activities and educational materials are geared to students in grades 3 through 7.

The students have a veritable buffet of activities and learning stations to feast on, including fish and wildlife identification, casting, shooting BB guns, tying flies, meeting retrieving dogs and practicing wildfire control.

The fisheries tent not only included educational materials but volunteers were serving nuggets of freshly-cooked walleye.

Yes, there was a line there, too.

At another booth white pine saplings were given out. And on a grassy stretch behind the visitor center, the Milwaukee Police Department had several horses on hand from its mounted patrol.

LaBarbera and his wife Coni founded MOHEE in 2014 through their non-profit Outdoor Heritage Education Center. The event has been each year since at the MacKenzie Center in Poynette.

This year marked the first time MOHEE was also held in another location. It didn't happen by accident.

Former DNR Secretary Preston Cole encouraged LaBarbera to hold one in Milwaukee. And the expansion is in keeping with a long-term MOHEE goal of reaching more students in urban areas.

Studies show Americans of all ages are becoming increasingly sedentary and disconnected from the outdoors. The problem is particularly acute with youth who now grow up seemingly tethered to digital devices.

But the health and many other benefits that stream from outdoor recreation are too great to ignore. MOHEE is one attempt to improve what author Richard Louv has described as "nature deficit disorder."

Havenwoods State Forest, Wisconsin's only urban state forest, was the perfect site for the event.

The property covers 237 acres of grasslands, woods and wetlands on the north side of Milwaukee.

It's classified as a day-use property and is open year-round from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; visitation is free and, unlike most state-owned parks and forests, no vehicle admission sticker is required.

Havenwoods includes 6 miles of trails for hiking, biking, running and wildlife watching as well as a nature center and a boardwalk.

The property has a rich history. Since the 1800s it has been used as a farm, a correctional facility, a U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks for soldiers and prisoners of war, a Nike Ajax missile base, a landfill and an Army Reserve training facility.

After the Army in 1974 decided it no longer needed the land or buildings and declared them surplus, Havenwoods was in flux until 1980 when local efforts were successful in transitioning the property to a state forest.

It now serves as a place where all people can come to take a hike, see migrating birds, attend a nature program and volunteer their time and energy to see that Havenwoods remains a haven for people and wild things, according to the DNR.

Steve Schmelzer, DNR state park director, was on hand Wednesday to welcome the students and volunteers.

"We're thrilled with this opportunity with MOHEE," Schmelzer said. "Not only do the students get exposed to many new outdoor activities, but for many it is an introduction to Havenwoods. We're hopeful they will come back many times and bring their friends and families for outdoor recreation right here in Milwaukee."

Certainly the day was full of firsts. How many? In mathematics terms, I'd have to put it at "infinity."

In one tangible category, it was the largest event ever held at Havenwoods, said property supervisor Angela Vickio.

Lily Zeitler, a teacher at Bruce-Guadalupe, said she and other instructors had brought all 115 students from the school's 6th grade.

She was learning things right along with her pupils, she said.

"I think all our staff would like to bring students back again next year," Zeitler said.

That brings up the number two. LaBarbera and Ruth Ann Lee of Poynette, MOHEE executive director, both said they expect to hold the event in Milwaukee next year.

The number of students will likely increase as more schools learn about the opportunity.

As buses filled with students Wednesday afternoon and drove out of Havenwoods, the event was widely proclaimed a success.

LaBarbera said about the only question was whether it should be one or two days in 2024.

"We would love to fill (Havenwoods) for multiple days and give more kids the chance to attend," LaBarbera said. "That's our goal."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Students attend outdoor heritage expo in Milwaukee