Environmental Education Program Overview

Au Sable Institute’s Environmental Education Program is the premier organization in Northwest Lower Michigan offering a variety of day-long field trips for local schools and other groups.

The program serves around 2,000 school age children each year, offering a variety of learning experiences to children spanning from kindergarten to 12th grade. Each environmental education unit is tailored to the specific grade level of the student and also addresses Michigan science objectives for that age-group. Children have the opportunity to experience nature from an environmental perspective, learn more about the world that surrounds them and even learn about the cultural history of the area.  

This program also serves to train the next generation of environmental educators by utilizing recent college graduates as teaching interns. Our program coordinator, Paul Wiemerslage, teaches interns in the principles of environmental education and trains them to lead school groups in field trips at our Au Sable campus. The internship takes place in both the Fall and the Spring. Interns receive on-site housing at Au Sable and a living stipend during the duration of the internship.  

Our school groups, teachers, and interns experience lasting lessons from the program that influence their lives in profound ways, generate a greater love for the world around them, and lead them to care for the environment through meaningful action.

For more information on the community schools program or to schedule a field trip, contact Paul Wiemerslage at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (231) 587-8686.