Education

Explore the West Virginia Outdoor Learning Lab

Welcome to the West Virginia Outdoor Learning Lab (WVOLL)! Here you’ll find information to take your Environmental Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (E-STEM) knowledge to the next level!

The goal of the WVOLL is to give you a sound appreciation of West Virginia’s water resources, the need to use them wisely, and to pass on the information to others in your life. Through the program, you’ll learn about nature and receive hands-on training by taking measurements using modern technology, making observations, and analyzing and recording data, just like a scientist!

Whether its learning about the benefits of the forest while zipping from platform to platform on the canopy tour, using technology to test water quality or identifying plants and animals using your smartphone on the wetland boardwalk, this program has something for everyone.

E-STEM Program Subjects

Wetland Ecology

Students will learn the importance of wetlands by learning how to identify wetland wildlife, discovering ecosystem services, and how to use technology to record and observe wildlife.

Phenology

Students will learn how to make observations on how plants and animals respond to changes in climate by using the power of citizen science.

Freshwater Ecosystems

Students will learn the basics of freshwater ecology by observing the differences between stream and lake ecosystems as well as how to conduct ecosystem assessments in these difference environments.

Ecohydrology

Students will learn the importance of the landscape, climate, water, carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems by completing a guided canopy tour at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.

Resources

Nature’s Notebook

Contact

Melissa O'Neal, Assistant Director

melissa.oneal@mail.wvu.edu