Written by Naomi RaMona Schliesman, West Central Community Engagement & Partnership Coordinator

Every once in a while, a place comes into your life that quietly changes the course of it.

For my daughter, Zara, that place has been the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

As a parent, there are moments you hope for but can never predict—the moment your child discovers what truly excites them, what makes them curious, and where they feel most like themselves. This past year, I watched that happen. The prairie became Zara’s classroom, and in doing so, it became a place where she flourished.

The Prairie Wetlands Learning Center is much more than an environmental education center. It is a living classroom built from a vision that began in the early 1970s when local conservationists imagined a place dedicated to the Prairie Pothole Region of northwestern Minnesota. Thanks to decades of dedication, and the work of the Friends of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center established in 1989, that vision became a reality.

Today, the Center protects more than 325 acres of native and restored prairie, 28 wetlands, and nearly four miles of trails where visitors can walk, observe wildlife, and experience one of Minnesota’s most remarkable ecosystems. Throughout the year, the Learning Center offers environmental education programs for learners of all ages, interpretive walks, teacher workshops, wildlife training, and community events that celebrate both the cultural and natural history of our prairie landscape. Their mission—to promote conservation, support education, foster volunteerism, and deepen understanding of the Prairie Pothole Region—is woven into everything they do.

But what they have given my family is something that cannot be measured in acreage or programs.

They have helped nurture a young naturalist.

Since Zara was very little, she has been drawn to nature. She has always noticed the smallest flower blooming in the ditch, the tiny insects hidden beneath leaves, and the birds that many of us walk past without ever seeing. This year, the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center gave her the opportunity to deepen that curiosity every single day.

Learning outside transformed her.

She came home excited to tell me about wetlands, prairie grasses, migrating birds, lichens, muskrats, prescribed fire, and the interconnectedness of every living thing. She began journaling more, sketching what she observed, painting with watercolors, asking thoughtful questions, and slowing down long enough to simply watch.

She wasn’t just memorizing science facts.

She was learning how to pay attention.

She was learning patience.

She was learning stewardship.

She was learning that every bird, every insect, every prairie flower, every cattail, every frog, and every wetland plays an important role in helping an ecosystem thrive.

As an artist, I spend much of my life encouraging people to observe and to notice texture, light, relationships, and beauty. Watching Zara discover these same practices through science and nature has been one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.

The teachers at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center have created something extraordinary. Their curriculum doesn’t simply teach environmental science; it teaches children how to become observers, critical thinkers, artists, writers, and caretakers of the world around them. They encourage curiosity rather than certainty, wonder rather than fear, and exploration rather than memorization.

Nature became literature.

Nature became science.

Nature became art.

Nature became home.

At the end of the school year, Zara wrote an essay reflecting on her experience. Reading her words reminded me that the greatest measure of education isn’t a test score, it’s whether a child falls in love with learning.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading her reflections exactly as she wrote them.

My Dream of Nature

by Zara Hahn

I have lots of feelings about my year at the Prairie. I feel free at the Prairie. I feel like I can do more things and nature. I love every single thing about the prairie. I have learned more about being in nature. I love the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center and learning at the Prairie Wetlands is like a dream for me. I feel more me and nature. I feel like I’m learning more at the Prairie Wetland Center than any other years. I have had a really fun year at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center.

All of the seasons at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center change every year. In the fall at the Prairie Wetland Center, leaves come down from the trees and make beautiful colors. Most birds migrate to different places at the PWLC. At the PWLC, in winter when it’s really cold, we get sun, dogs and sun. Dogs are like magical things. A sun dog is a rainbow that reflects on the sun. At spring most migratory birds come back to the PWC and make noises outside like they’re talking. I feel really glad that they are back and more noise is here than it being quiet. I think all of the seasons have a little bit of magic.

There were many activities that I really loved in the fall. In September, we studied Bottle Gentian. Bottle Gentian Is a type of flower that you can find at the Prairie. It has such a beautiful color of purple. I loved the Tintah Hill expedition. It is a hill that we sat on and wrote about and sketched the plant that I liked. In November, wetland watching at the prairie pothole was so fun to do. It was so peaceful and I really loved to drawing it. I also really loved “What can I find at the Prairie Pothole?” I really loved doing it and it was my favorite when I heard the birds chirp like they were saying, “hello”. In the fall, we got to watch two people do duck banning and duck banning is where they put a metal ring of different sizes and bandit to the duck, and it has a number that you can look up because you can see its birthday and if it is a juvenile or adult. I had an amazing time in the fall because not all kids get to see all of this fun. The things in winter we’re really fun to do for activities. Some dogs are a type of rainbow, when ice crystals shine on the sun and it makes the sun dog on a really cold day. I loved learning about snow shoes. There was Bear Paw, Ojibwa, Yukon, my favorite is Ojibwa. Snow shoes are a type of shoe that is easy to walk on snow. In December, we did a lichen study. Lichen It’s like a combination of fungus and algae it can grow on mostly trees and it is a lime yellow. I had a fun time doing subnivean zone. It is a place below the snow where animals can travel, but in the subnivean zone it’s warmer than above the snow. In February, I loved ice drilling. Ice drilling is like ice fishing because you drill a hole in the ice. I really enjoyed doing ice drilling on the wetlands at the PWLC. I love the muskrat steady. Because it was fun to see how many muskrat huts there were and I saw 37 muskrat huts. I think winter can make amazing science.

I really love the activities we did in spring. And March, I loved doing the Swan platform. A Swan platform is a nest for swans to rest or lay eggs, trumpet or swans are my most favorite bird. In March, I also enjoyed spring observation. A spring observation is when we walk around we see signs of spring. I loved rocks rock. Because I learned the 10 rules about when you find a rock that it is yours. In April, we learned about prescribed fire. A prescribed fire is how you make a fire that helps wetlands or a prairie grow better. They also use a marsh Master to mash cattails and the Prairie plants. When spring comes back all the magic comes back too.

I have changed as a naturalist this year. All year I have felt so proud of myself because of becoming a naturalist. I am really good at “full of wonder”. Because I always want to know about anything. One thing I need to work on is Patience. Because sometimes I want to see something right away and I need to work on being observant because sometimes I can get distracted.

I’m just mostly full of wonder, and I have had a wonderful year at the PWLC.

When I look at the photographs of Zara throughout this year, I don’t simply see a student. I see a child who belongs.

I see concentration as she sketches wildflowers.

I see joy as she explores the prairie trails.

I see confidence growing alongside the native grasses.

I see wonder reflected in her eyes as she discovers something new.

Most importantly, I see a child developing a lifelong relationship with the natural world.

That is the true gift of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center.

It teaches children that they are not separate from nature, but they are part of it.

As our communities look toward the future, places like the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center become increasingly important. They cultivate environmental stewardship, scientific curiosity, creativity, empathy, and a sense of responsibility for the land and water that sustain us. They remind us that conservation begins with connection and that children who learn to love the prairie today will become the people who nature it tomorrow.

To every educator, naturalist, volunteer, staff member, supporter, and Friend of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, thank you!

Thank you for believing that children deserve to learn with muddy boots, open eyes, and curious hearts.

Thank you for creating a place where science and creativity grow side by side.

Thank you for nurturing not only the prairie but also the next generation of its stewards.

Your work matters more than words can express.

From one grateful mother, thank you for helping my daughter discover not only the wonders of the prairie, but also the wonder within herself. 

Naomi Ramona Schliesman