Even in an environment as lush and wild as Southern Oregon’s Klamath Basin, plenty of children are more comfortable in front of a computer than a campfire. The mission of Klamath Outdoor Science School (KOSS) is to change that. KOSS board president Marjorie Glass said, “We find that the kids who live out in the country still get their outdoor school experiences through hunting, but the kids who live in the city don’t generally have that at all.”
Before founding KOSS, the usual outdoor school experience for Klamath County students was at the Oregon coast. “That’s a wonderful experience,” added Glass, “but we felt that our students should be learning about the Klamath Basin. It’s an incredible resource. We’ve got one of the major stops on the Pacific flyway for birds; we’ve got incredible wetlands here, and incredible forests.”
“The joy of really making contact with nature is something that many of them have never experienced before,” Glass said. “It’s like opening a whole new world for them. We’ve had many, many repeat campers who want to come back for more. Parents tell us that their kids are nagging them to take them places outside to have more of the experience. I think it awakens a hunger in them for outdoor experiences of all kinds.”
Glass thanks the Gray Family Foundation for helping KOSS to serve ever-larger numbers of students: “Multiple grants have enabled us to provide scholarships and support programs for outdoor school. They have been so supportive. It’s just amazing.”
