Wildwood Outdoor Education Center’s mission is to ‘…bring kids outside to learn and grow together, transforming summer into a season of learning, youth development and outdoor adventure.’ With this mission in mind, the master plan addresses several aims:
1. To increase camping, retreating, and outdoor education capacity and to allow for concurrent activities;
2. To establish a progression of experience, and;
3. To identify an ecological strategy for site development and outdoor experiences in support of increased camp, retreat, and outdoor education capacity.
This conceptual plan ‘fits’ Wildwood’s future program elements to the most suitable locations on the property. Different land uses and activity areas are identified by distinct zones, based on the proposed activity or type of land use. The zoning provides for like and common uses to be efficiently grouped together in areas identified as ecologically suitable for the scale and nature of the proposed activity.
Situated at the south end of the north meadow is the new Welcome Center. It will serve as a hub for dropping off and picking up campers, support day use programming including behavioral health programming, and day retreats, as a gathering space for Adventure Challenge day use groups, and as office space, including copy machine, supply storage, and open workspace for four staff.
A new yurt village is proposed for the northeast corner of the property. The aim of this village is to provide an advanced and unique camping experience. The yurts are aligned so as to provide a unique experience with the surrounding landscape while also providing a shared access point via a new camp road.
A new cabin village is proposed for the area above the upper lake. The cabins will be in the style of platform-mounted tents, situated in the wooded ravine to provide unique experiences and relationships with the landscape.
The Stream Program Area establishes a new interactive and immersive program experience, near the platform cabins.