Our Facilities
Maxwelton Outdoor Classroom
In 1991 teachers at South Whidbey Elementary School along with community volunteers were raising salmon in the school. They envisioned having a place to release the salmon fry into Maxwelton Creek, and through a lot of hard work, they secured funding from the Conservation Futures Fund to purchase 6 acres along Maxwelton Creek. With help from South Whidbey Rotary and many helping hands, the classroom was built. The facility is part of the South Whidbey School District, and is operated by the Whidbey Watershed Stewards.
Educational programs take place at the classroom in conjunction with the Whidbey Watershed Stewards. We operate our main programs in fall and spring, and host adult education programs, teacher in-service opportunities, and community-based events. If you have an event or class you’d like to host at the Outdoor Classroom, get in touch with us and let’s see what we can do together!
We are grateful to all those that have contributed to making the classroom a part of our community. On our walls are hand painted salmon tiles from many donors and contributors, come find your tile or take a look at the impressive array of families.
Click here to go to the self guided tour page of the Outdoor Classroom trails, which includes an educational self-guided tour.
Directions to the Maxwelton Outdoor Classroom:
Langley Environmental Learning Center
In the spring of 2020, Whidbey Watershed Stewards expanded its environmental educational footprint, opening an Environmental Learning Center (ELC) in Langley at the South Whidbey Community Center. This space allows us to expand our programming and better serve the community through new possibilities for public programs, lectures, events, exhibits, as well as, collaborations with other organizations. Ultimately, and most importantly, what we plan to create is a safe learning space for all ages, where they can participate in exploring the natural environment with a spotlight on the general health and environmental issues of the Salish Sea.
As of January, 2022 programming at the ELC has come to a pause due to a flooding event. We hope to reopen this space after reconstruction is finished in the summer of this year. Stay tuned for future programs at the ELC!
Directions to the Environmental Learning Center:
South Whidbey Community Center, Room 109