McCall Outdoor Science School

The McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) is a year-round learning center that serves over 2500 Idaho K-12 students annually in residential and outreach settings. Field instructors for outdoor science programs are University of Idaho College of Natural Resources graduate students completing a certificate and master's degree in environmental education. The McCall Outdoor Science School also offers programs open to the public including Field Seminars, Faculty Lectures, and Community Partnerships. MOSS is Idaho's only residential outdoor science school.

The program is located at the 14 acre University of Idaho McCall Field Campus on Payette Lake and is operated through a partnership between the University of Idaho College of Natural Resources and Ponderosa State Park.

History
The McCall Outdoor Science School was founded in 2001 by Steve Hollenhorst (University of Idaho College of Natural Resources) and Greg Fizzell (Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute).

A short history of the McCall Field Campus and MOSS is presented below:

1938 - UI secures access to property

1939 - Dining Hall built by Civilian Conservation Corps

1942 - Forestry “Summer Camp” begins

1970s - Cabins and bunkhouses built

1990s - Summer Camp ends, facilities, decline, maintenance backlog grows

2001 - K12 programs started with 35 students in one week of programming

2003 - Grad program started with 8 students

2005 - AmeriCorps program started

2006 - $150K winterization improvements, year-round operation begins

2007 - Community Outreach programs implemented

2007 - Winter residential programs

2008 - NSF EPSCoR grant received for K-12 Science Education

2008 - Land Board grants 3-years to work out land exchange

2009 - Kresge Grant to support Field Campus Master Plan

2009 - FEMA fire mitigation and FireWise grant

2012 - Dr. Lee Vierling becomes Executive Director of MOSS and McCall Field Campus

2012 - Recipient of J.A. and Kathryn Albertson ID21 Award for Innovation in Education

2012 - DeVlieg Distinguished Scholars program established through donation from the DeVlieg Foundation

2013 - Recipient of W.K. Kellogg Foundation Award for Excellence in Outreach and Engagement for the Western United States

2013 - Named finalist for National APLU Magrath Award with Pennsylvania State University, Ohio State University, and University of Texas El Paso

2013 - New campus architectural master plan completed

2014 - Recipient of Idaho Power 'Powering Lives' grant

K-12 Program
MOSS classes are conducted outdoors, mostly in Ponderosa State Park. The park's ecosystems include coniferous forest, mountain streams, lake shore, wet meadows, and shrub-steppe environments. The subject of ecosystem science serves as the context for standards-based study of science, technology, mathematics, and language arts.

Team-building and mutual respect are important components of MOSS field programs. New life skills in communication and group decision-making result when students participate in a series of low-ropes elements. Clear communication, respect, and teamwork are stressed through active metaphor.

Graduate Program
The McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) graduate program includes several components. Sixteen graduate students serve as field instructors to K-12 student participants while earning 19 University of Idaho graduate course credits and developing a graduate project by partnering with a team of researchers or community members. Most of the work within the first year of the program takes place at the MOSS campus, with additional experience occurring in various schools around the state and at public agencies and nonprofit organizations across Idaho.

Teacher Education
MOSS offers summer and winter Teacher Institute focusing on teaching about topics such as climate, water, biofuels, and ecosystem services. K-12 teachers spend a long weekend on MOSS working alongside university scientists to discover current findings in scientific research fields and how these findings can be integrated into the classroom.