Join the Conservation! Our long term mission at Glacial Trails is to expand resource conservation efforts in the Western Great Lakes, especially for culturally significant resources and critical habitats. The Glacial Trails Learning Lab is for pre-college and college students who are interested in conservation, sustainability, justice, and the western Great Lakes. We offer courses and experiences unlikely to be in the course catalog as well as field opportunities essential to today’s conservationists.

Our courses are well suited for any student looking for more or different: students attending homeschool, private school, or those looking to go outside their brick and mortar walls for meaningful courses and relevant field experiences.

WHAT is the glacial trails Learning Lab?

The Glacial Trails Learning Lab offers important, high-interest courses both online and in the field. We do not have a campus (although we hope to have a research station and farm by spring, 2025). We help teens and young adults pursue their goals and take more control of their education. Our field experiences create critical opportunities for growth and learning well beyond what a classroom or lab can provide.

We offer:

  • High interest, interdisciplinary courses in the fields of conservation, sustainability, justice, and geography
  • Online courses that are self-paced
  • Online courses that are teacher supported (teachers are licensed in the field)
  • Field courses and experiences (from two days to two weeks)
  • Help getting credit for your courses and work
  • Help getting internships and jobs in conservation and sustainable agriculture
  • Connections and support for students in transition or who are curious about their future

WHO DOES the lab SERVE?

  • Students who want to spend less time in a classroom and more time traveling, in the field, working, or volunteering
  • Students who are in a school and looking to take a course outside the catalog
  • Students who want to homeschool, but don’t have a stay-at-home parent to facilitate their education 
  • Students who are already homeschooling and seeking new opportunities
  • Students who want to start college early
  • Students in college who want to expand their own formal education
  • Students who want to get a better education, but can’t leave their local school district and can’t afford private school
  • Students who are passionate about sustainability and justice, and want to spend more time pursuing it
  • Students who want to design their own high school curriculum
  • Any or all of the above!