Leelanau Outdoor Center hosts first annual educators’ conference

From staff reports

Despite the wet weather earlier this month, educators and community members from Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Antrim Counties attended the first annual Branch Out! Conference, hosted by the Leelanau Outdoor Center (LOC). This conference was designed to provide attendees with an awareness of the significant impact of getting students outside of classroom walls, and presenters included representatives from the National Wildlife Federation, the National Park Service and the Leelanau Outdoor Center.

Attendees at Branch Out! Said they loved hearing what educators are doing to connect kids with nature and that it was “a great inspiration to get the kids outside more.” LOC Development Director Jen Murphy echoed the attendees’ comments as she states, “The Leelanau Outdoor Center is designed to connect kids with nature while helping them to develop positive character values by learning about themselves and others. The Branch Out! Conference is just one way LOC can help to fulfill that mission.”

The Leelanau Outdoor Center is located at the end of Port Oneida Road, surrounded by national park land. LOC runs year-round hands-on outdoor and character education programming for students throughout the state of Michigan. Last year, the center served just over 2000 students. For more information about LOC and its programs, please visit www.locprograms.org.