• Wilderness education programs teach outdoor survival skills and conservation.Canadian Wilderness image by Sebastian from Fotolia.com
  
  If you've ever had a desire to get out into the wild or simply want to learn more about enjoying the environment, then you might want to consider going to a wilderness education school. These schools have programs for people of all ages and teach survival skills, conservation and leadership. Some schools offer advanced courses in climbing, tracking, wilderness first aid and rescue. Rather than a traditional classroom setting, wildness education programs take place outdoors throughout the world.
  
  

National Outdoor Leadership School

• The National Outdoor Leadership School offers courses for people ages 14 and up ranging from a long weekend to a full college semester, for which many schools award college credit. Adult courses include kayaking, mountaineering, extreme skiing, backpacking and horse-packing. NOLS also offers courses in becoming an instructor in wilderness education. The courses are offered in North and South America, Australia, Europe and Asia.
  
  National Outdoor Leadership School
  284 Lincoln St.
  Lander, WY 82520
  800-710-6657
  nols.edu
  
  

Wilderness Awareness School

• Most of the Wilderness Awareness School's courses for adults and kids are based in Washington State. Kids' courses include a preschool program that accepts children two days a week. In addition to weekend, one-week and year-long programs on-site, the school has a home study option for adults and courses for home-schooled children. The Anake Outdoor School is a nine-month course for college students, who can earn up to 18 credits through a local college and sometimes their own school. Class offerings include wolf tracking expeditions, wildlife monitoring retreats and wild edibles classes, in addition to wilderness survival.
  
  Wilderness Awareness School
  P.O. Box 219
  Duvall, WA 98019
  425-788-1301
  wildernessawareness.org
  
  

International Wilderness Leadership School

• The International Wilderness Leadership School offers a wide range of courses, from mountaineering and ice climbing to rafting, canoeing and kayaking, all over the world including Antarctica. In addition to the experiential programs, the school provides training in remote-area rescues and avalanche preparedness to governmental employees, emergency personnel and wilderness instructors. IWLS runs programs for adults, college-age students and teenagers including Boy and Girl Scout troops and private schools. According to the website, all IWLS programs can be counted toward college credit.
  
  International Wilderness Leadership School
  P.O. Box 1081
  Haines, AK 99827
  800-985-4957
  iwls.com