2 minute read
Featured Location | NOLS Wyss Wilderness
By Ben Lester NOLS Wilderness Medicine Business Operations Manager
As NOLS Wilderness Medicine celebrates its 30th anniversary, NOLS is also recognizing another big milestone: the ongoing expansion of NOLS’ Wyss Wilderness Medicine Campus.
Ever since its founding in Pitkin, Colorado in 1990, what was then WMI always operated out of buildings built by others, retrofitting them as much as possible to the needs of the school. Almost a decade after WMI’s sale to NOLS and move to Lander, the dream to design their own facility became a reality. NOLS supporters Charles and Mary Ann McMahon agreed to sell a beautiful 243-acre property in Red Canyon to NOLS for the campus, and Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss philanthropist with interests in land conservation, medicine, and education, provided $3 million of the $6 million total cost.
The main educational facility and original cabins received LEED Platinum certification when they opened—the highest sustainability rating possible. “The project embodies all these things that are really important to NOLS,” says Gates Richards, who oversees the campus and the EMT program. Not only is this facility optimized for teaching wilderness medicine, the building itself provides education for NOLS students on environmental sustainability and conservation.
“We couldn’t have undertaken this expansion without ongoing support from our amazing donors,” says Melissa Gray, director of NOLS Wilderness Medicine. “It’s inspiring to see our community express the value they continue to see in the education they’ve received at NOLS.”
Ben Lester was the editor of A Worthy Expedition: The History of NOLS. As NOLS Wilderness Medicine’s business operations manager, he balances office time with teaching field courses.
WILDERNESS MEDICINE QUIZ
QUESTION | Which of the following is a treatment principle for a tooth knocked out of your mouth in the wilderness? a) gently irrigate the tooth b) abandon all hope of restoring the tooth c) preserve the tooth in a salt solution d) preserve the tooth in a sugar solution
Andy Burdin
42° N, 108° W
Location
Located about 12 miles south of Lander, the Wyss Campus was specifically designed for the purpose of teaching wilderness medicine. The campus offers cutting-edge, environmentally friendly design from solar power and composting toilets to geothermal heating and cooling, against sweeping views of the stunning red rock formations of Lander’s Red Canyon.
Courses Offered
Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT), Wilderness First Responder (WFR), Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness Medicine Instructor Training Courses (ITC).
Fun Fact
The physical buildings cover only a small portion the 243-acre campus. NOLS’ decision to leave most of the property undeveloped assists in the conservation of valuable wildlife habitat within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
