About St. David's School Forest
Our School Forest is 2.5 acres of protected wetland marsh, and is used as an outdoor classroom for environmental education. St David’s School Forest was certified by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1999. There are only 105 certified School Forest Programs in the state, and only 3 in Hennepin County (including ours).

St. David's School Forest provides our Early Childhood Program participants a wonderful opportunity to learn about nature and science. The children in our programs use the forest to go on nature hikes, visit nature stops to learn about glacial deposits, and find out how wood piles help animals. Additionally, teachers use field guides to help the children identify flowers, insects and animals, and animal tracks. Children also help plant trees and participate in many other nature related activities.

In 2006 the School Forest received a grant from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District for $15,000 to support our education and restoration efforts. In addition, through a grant from the Department of Natural Resources School Forest Program, our forest also became part of the Woodland Stewardship Program which will help further our knowledge of forests, and assist us in our restoration efforts. Currently, the upland area of the forest is being restored to its original state as an Oak Savanna (part of the Big Woods, Big Rivers Biome).

Raising Awareness About the Forest
St David’s offers in-service trainings through out the year and provides curriculum to the teachers and activity group staff to further their knowledge in how to best utilize our forest as a learning tool. There is more attention being paid to the education of pre-k children in the area of environmental science, making this a great time to be teaching environmental education in an outdoor setting.

We also recently instituted St. David's annual Fall Festival, a celebration and fundraiser for the School Forest. We are pleased to report that our first Fall Fastival, held in 2006, was a smashing success! Click here to read more about it and view pictures.

Get Involved
As with many urban forest areas there are issues with invasive non-native species of plants. St David’s relies on volunteer groups to work with staff and specialists in Forestry and Natural Resources to remove non-native species like buckthorn, garlic mustard, and burdock. Those are then replaced with native seeds, plants, and tree seedlings that would grow in an Oak Savanna forest and other species that would grow in and near wetland marsh.

Throughout the year, we are also in need of volunteers for a variety of Forest-related projects. If you are interested in helping with our school forest, please contact Melissa Musliner, our volunteer coordinator, at 952-939-0396 or via email. You can also view current volunteer opportunities here!

Contact Information
If you would like more information about St. David's School Forest, please contact Melissa Stine at 952-939-0396 or via email.