Emery Babcock Outdoor Classroom
The Emery Babcock Outdoor Classroom is located at 5087 Lincoln Ave Plover, WI 54467 and is open for use by public and private schools, homeschool groups, youth groups, and community organizations. The EBOC shelter has 2 large tables, 12 benches, educational supplies, vault toilet just down the path, and trails surrounding the area. A request for use must be submitted 2 weeks prior to the scheduled date. Someone from the Boston School Forest will get back to you within 5 business days to confirm your dates. For information, please email Boston School Forest or call 715-345-5526.
Resources
History
Respectfully submitted on June 7, 2024 by Karla Lockman, Program Leader, BSF
The idea for a new teaching space came about during COVID. We ran 95% of all our field trips outside which is really why people come to BSF. We realized that a covered area would be really great and that kids could still be outside, spaced out, surrounded by nature, and yet out of direct sun or rain. We also get phone calls from surrounding schools asking to bring their students to BSF. It’s not that we’re being exclusive, but just counting Stevens Point School District classes, we hosted 277 field trips in a 180-day school year. That’s nearly 6,000 students in grades 4K-10. A new teaching space could serve as classroom for other youth groups, organizations and surrounding schools. But where to put it?
Mother Nature helped us with that one. The school forest changed a lot on July 20, 2019 when the derecho wind storm came through. We lost 1500 trees in about 30 minutes. Thankfully, Eagle Tree Care, Weekly Timber, and our own district grounds crew were able to come out and salvage the trees for pulp and bolts. This specific spot had every tree knocked over. Instead of sending these trees away, they were cut into saw logs and stacked right over there. This was the perfect place for a new teaching space. Open but still cozy, not far from the road but just far enough off the road, and surrounded by nature. The land was cleared and leveled, and the concrete was poured by Sobczak Concrete Masonry.
Tomorrow River Portable Sawmill came and worked with Wisconsin River Academy students from SPASH for nearly a whole day to mill the trees right here on site. My neighbor Steve Lybeck taught the WRA students how to sticker the boards so that they would dry straight and true. When you look at the structure above you, all the purlins and support boards are all from trees that stood and grew here for probably 80 years. I think that is pretty special.
Michael Rutta and Steve Lybeck put together plans but we needed a building crew. There is only one building crew I could ever recommend, and that is Woodlands Church! Woodlands Church has this thing each May called Spring Into Action. Well, during covid, that volunteering in the community day was not happening… except for BSF. Jacob Kazda, Pastor Doug, Ziggy and a whole bunch of other very skilled, very professional folks with tools and a generator came for two full weekends that summer and built this amazing place. It was hot work but everyone involved had a great attitude and labored until the work was done. Jacob, Steve, and Alex Brzezinski did the finishing work around the shelter including the gables. Finally, Fahrners excavating came in and put in a driveway and river rock to shed the water. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank Worzella & Sons Potatoes for allowing us the use of the corner of their farm field throughout this project.
Trees and shrubs were donated by the Rotary Club of Stevens Point, Rotary Club of Portage County, and the Green Team at Frame Presbyterian. Girl scouts also helped to plant dog wood and ninebark in this area. Other donations came from Jason and Leigh Kraemer, Stud Brother’s construction, Phillip and Barb Hall, Cherie and Carey Cisewski, Eloise Hall, Janet Langton, Sally Ellingboe, and Autumn Babcock.
Now, we have this great empty shelter so we should get some furniture. The big tables in the back were rehomed from Plover-Whiting elementary art room during their renovations. And the amazing benches you are sitting on? Steve Lybeck is an RSVP volunteer not only at BSF but also at the Charles Fernandez Center where he and other mentors share their time and woodworking skills and their life philosophies with students at CFC. Steve used the Leopold bench model and modified it to be these comfortable benches you see here. Students at CFC worked to build these 12 benches, sand them, stain them, and even add an artistic touch with wood burning the different trees and names on the boards. Their work even made the news!
Now we had a place to sit, but what should school groups DO out here? We needed some stuff, some environmental education stuff. Cellcom has a program that helps organizations like us. Cellcom awarded us a Green Gift Grant so that we could purchase that patio box, binoculars, bug boxes, compasses, field guides, hand lenses, a first aid pack, and more! Thank you Cellcom.
There was just one more thing we needed to be able to use this with students….Um, I have to go to the bathroom.” But the closest one is across the road in a different building. So, we wanted it to be something nice (not a scary outhouse), safe, maintenance free, and something the forest critters couldn’t take over. But outhouses like this are really expensive. So we reached out to The Town of Plover Tourism Commission who sponsors the Forest Family Fun Run event in August and Chris Brooks, Mike Lubinski, and Jim Garbe were so kind and made a large donation towards the outhouse. Thank you. We also applied for a Community grant through the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin and were fortunate to receive partial funding from that grant as well. Thank you to Jenny Riggenbach and the amazing team at Community Foundation. You help organizations like BSF achieve our goals.
Even after these donations, we were still a bit short. Each December we have one fundraising event called the Polar Pond Plunge. This year we had more pond plungers than ever. It seems that everyone wanted to help fund an outhouse! We had family sponsors, school sponsors, and of course the pond plungers themselves. They include:
Woodlands Spring Into Action was in full force this spring as they brought back nearly 70 volunteers. With their help, we established a north-south trail, stained the posts, built a pollinator garden and made this new outdoor classroom ready to go.
So, now to my favorite part of the story. Why the Emery Babcock Outdoor Classroom? Boston School Forest is named for Mr. HD Boston who donated the land. Noble Lodge is named for Mr. Harry Noble who was the UW-Extension agent who worked to make this school forest land. Oelke Lodge is named for Gil Oelke. It’s Mr. B’s Discovery Center after Steve Bogacyzk, Ellingboe Pond for Sally Ellingboe, Kari’s prairie for Karen Dostal, and Sandy Land for Sandy Masterson. And I think people are my favorite part of Boston School Forest. About 2 years ago when plans were coming together for this place, Sally suggested Emery as the name sake. It didn’t take long to understand how important Emery was to the Stevens Point School District. He was a principal at Jackson Elementary, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent of Schools until his retirement in 2002. Emery was an outdoorsman and developed the Tiger Cubs program for the Stevens Point boy scouts. Emery understood the value of sharing nature with children and giving them a chance to try an outdoor skill. So it wasn’t a surprise that he was determined that every elementary student in the school district should have the opportunity to visit BSF each year and learn and grow from this amazing place. Emery made the decision, He made the position, and he made the budget to hire a full-time environmental education coordinator to lead programs at BSF. That was a defining moment because it gave BSF the time, manpower, the enthusiasm, and the support it needed to become the program that it is today. I’m so glad that Emery chose Sally to be the first coordinator and together they built an amazing place for students to learn and experience the great outdoors. Emery’s love for the boy scouts carries through today as well. BSF is still offered for use through reservations to all scout and other non-profit youth groups at absolutely no cost. In return, nearly 60 Eagle Scouts have completed their capstone projects at BSF making us the beneficiary of things like bird feeder stations, trail signs, nature playground structures, new trails, and so much more. On behalf of everyone who works or has worked at BSF in the past, we are proud to be part of this amazing place and to continue Emery Babcock’s vision for outdoor environmental education at in the Stevens Point Public School District..
Although Emery passed away in January 2021, many of his family members are here today. Don Babcock and his daughter Lily. Cherie and Carey Cisewski and their daughters Maddie and Cora. Michael Babcock and his daughter Autumn. I’d like to especially thank Autumn for being part of this project by inspiring the art work on the sign. She volunteers for all of our special events and has taken a special interest in the outdoor classroom named for her Grandfather.
On this day, June 7th, 2024 we dedicate the Emery Babcock Outdoor Classroom area at Boston School Forest to the memory of Emery Babcock in recognition of his important contributions for the people and programs at Boston School Forest and the Stevens Point Area Public School District.
Donations
KEY PARTNERS & MAJOR SPONSORS
- Town of Plover Tourism Commission
- Woodlands Church Spring Into Action
- Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin
COMMUNITY SPONSORS
- Jason & Leigh Kraemer
- Cellcom Green Gift Grant
- Fahrner Excavating
- Rotary Club of Stevens Point
- Rotary Club of Portage County
- RSVP Program
- Steve Lybeck
- Michael Rutta
- Jacob Kazda
- Stud Brothers
- Phillip and Barb Hall
- Cherie & Carey Cisewski
- Eloise Hall
- Janet Langton
- Sally Ellingboe
- Autumn Babcock
- Jason Dostal
- Stevens Point Brewery
- Stevens Point School District
- SPASH
- Kennedy Elementary
- PJ Jacobs Junior High
- Ben Franklin Junior High
- Jefferson Elementary
- Madison Elementary
- McKinley Elementary
- Washington Elementary
- Charles Fernandez Center
- Wisconsin River Academy
- Visitors & Friends
POLAR POND PLUNGE FUNDRAISING EVENT 2023
- Brzezinski Family
- Losinski Family
- Thomas Fields
- Williams Family
- Paul & Kelly Caufield
- Briggs Family
- Dale & Amy Okray
- Jean Diedrich
- Chandonais Family
- Ron & Jodi Plaster
- Lynelle Martens
- Ives Family
- Janessa Reid
- Mike & Audrey Esser
- Dave & Kathie Plaisance
- Orrin & Jo Luedke
- Kendra Liddicoat
- Rose Helm
- James & Deborah Billings
- Dave & Christine Greco
- Larry & Mary Feltz
- Franklin & Finnley Schmidt
- Levandowski Family
- Al & Karen Trzebiatowski
- Jennifer Melville
- Gigi Stahl
- Jennifer Knecht
- Miranda Moody
- Joel Burgener
- Derek Kirklewski
- Olivia DeValk
- Olivia Leach
- Mary Kluck
- Anna Lamb
- Molly Demrow
- Elliot Eron
- Jason Bull
- Kurt Freund
- Morgan Pitner
- Kam Anderson
- Landon Dehnel
- Ivannia Mimier
- Brian & Bre Leahy
- Michelle Cornell
- Tatianna Sherman
- Ella Moertl
- Kaitlyn Kort
- Anna Johnston
- Alex Brzezinski
- Amberle Schwartz
- Karla Lockman
- Abby Jackson
- Chris Scott
- Shana Pitcher
- Mike & Stephanie Feltz
- Becca Ives
- Molly Williams
- Teri Pinter
- Dean Hodsdon
- Josh Hodsdon
- Callie DeGroot
- Amanda Stevenson
- Jacque Gerritsen
- Hannah Jackson
- Chris Nyman
- Jeff Mlsna
- Ted Kowalski
- Lily Meeks
- Cheyenne Cornell
- Edith Franzen
- Illyana Schneiderman
- Luke Frisk
Reservations
Emery Babcock Online Request for Use
Emery Babcock Outdoor Classroom
Link: Request for Use
Facility Rules and Information
Please read through this document carefully. It is the responsibility of the group leader of each user group
to inform all participants of these rules and procedures. Direct any questions to Karla Lockman 715-345-
5526.
Rule 1. The Boston School Forest requires user groups to maintain a 1:10 adult to child ratio during your camp stay. For children 6 years of age or younger, the ratio must be 1:4. Children must be supervised at all times.
Rule 2. Damage to the natural environment is prohibited. Practice Leave-No Trace-ethics. Fishing and
swimming in the pond are prohibited. Walking on the ice-covered pond in winter is prohibited.
Rule 3. No firearms, ammunition, pets, fireworks, weapons, skateboards, roller blades, snowboards or
motorbikes of any kind are permitted.
Rule 4. Tobacco, alcohol or any illegal substances are not permitted in any building or on the grounds.
Rule 5. No campfires are allowed at the Emery Babcock Outdoor Classroom area.
Rule 6. Upon the completion of your visit, all facilities and equipment used by your group are to be left in the same condition as they were upon your arrival. Please report any items which are broken or not working.
Info: User groups should notify the Portage County Sheriff’s Department (911) when emergency situations
such as serious injury, lost or missing participant, fire, etc. occur. The address is 5087 Lincoln Ave. Plover.
Info: A phone is available in Noble Lodge (across Lincoln Ave). For emergencies, you need to dial 8-911.
Info: Vehicles are to be parked in the parking lot. Not more than two vehicles can park at the Emery Babcock Outdoor Classroom area. The driveway must remain clear at all times.
Info: The vault toilet building is the designated storm shelter. Additional storm shelters are across Lincoln Ave in the green bathroom building and the basement of Oelke Lodge.
Info: Only those buildings (EBOC picnic shelter, tables, benches), facilities (outhouse, walking trails), and equipment (supplies in the locked deck box) specified as available may be used.
Info: Groups are responsible for bringing food and consumables such as napkins, paper plates, etc. Please put all garbage and recycling into the designated receptacles.
Info: The Boston School Forest staff has the right to terminate any activity, program or behavior and eject any person from the facility that is deemed potentially harmful to the participants, facilities, grounds, or image of the Boston School Forest.