Grizzly Outdoor Learning Center. Members of the community gathered on a forest road near Tony Grove last Wednesday, Sept. 25, to celebrate the opening of the center. It brings with it a promise to preserve the buildings and provide environmental education to future generations.
LOGAN — Nestled between an ecosystem of lodgepole pine and beaver dams in Logan Canyon, a piece of 1930s history was almost leveled to the ground forever — but instead it was saved, thanks to the Logan School District and COVID relief funds.
“This happened because of a group of community members who got excited about an idea and were willing to partner with the school district,” explained Logan School District Superintendent Frank Schofield at the ribbon-cutting of the newly opened Grizzly Outdoor Learning Center. “Every great thing that happens in public education, happens because of those partnerships.”
Members of the community gathered on a forest road near Tony Grove Wednesday, Sept. 25, to celebrate the opening of the center. It brings with it a promise to preserve the buildings and provide environmental education to future generations.
The Great Depression-era buildings on the property were once known as the Utah State University Forestry Field Station Camp, but the site faced demolition after falling into disrepair and no vision for its future – that is until the Logan School District stepped in after discussions came to fruition, which began in 2022, after the idea merged with COVID relief federal funds.
“Without those funds, it really would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible for us to act on this and actually make it happen,” Schofield said, adding that as talks were being made during the pandemic to revitalize and save the property from being raised, COVID Relief funds became available for schools.
“We were looking at alternative ways to provide educational experiences for students besides just having them sit in the classroom.”
He credits Logan native Tony Johnson, who owned the lease on the property, for helping make the preservation of the existing buildings and a rebuild of the mess hall, which burnt down in the 1980s, become a reality.
Johnson said he explored several options, but until speaking with the Logan School District, nothing was panning out.
“What do we do with it?” Johnson said explaining their initial thoughts. “We’ve got some beautiful buildings, but we really didn’t have any long term objective, and so that answered that question, and it worked out really well.”
Science and environmental educator Jack Greene, who helped raise awareness about the site’s situation for the past six years, was pleased to attend the ribbon cutting.
“This to me – this is spine tingling, it’s fabulous,” Greene remarked.
Schofield emphasized the center will not only preserve a community’s history, but also offer outdoor learning to thousands of students in the district and offer students a chance to experience what’s in their backyard.
“We can expose them to just first, the natural beauty that exists up here, but also all the ways they can recreate in the mountains in healthy, safe, environmentally friendly ways,” Schofield said.
Future plans include access for other school districts, businesses, families, and community groups to schedule use of the facility to learn and recreate on the property year-round.
The location has three buildings that include a main hall, an administration building, restrooms, a shower, beds, a living space, and a full kitchen.
Before being owned by USU as the Forestry Field Station Camp it was a Civilian Conservation Corps barracks, which was built to house and train young men during the Great Depression.