School in the Forest Goals  Since its inception, the Black Rock Forest Consortium has offered unparalleled educational opportunities to local public school students and independent school students from New York City. The School in the Forest project was created in 2003 to offer these same opportunities to students from public schools in New York City. Many of the approximately 1 million students in the New York City public school system, although living just 50 miles south of Black Rock Forest, have never experienced the silence and solitude of a forest, its unique sounds, or the native plants, animals, and ecosystems so vital to natural cycles and human health and well-being. Through the School in the Forest, they have opportunities to spend time in the Forest, examine field research studies, collect and manipulate scientific data, and develop an appreciation for the environment. Such experiences in natural settings provide students with the personal knowledge of the fragility of these environments, the care it takes to preserve and protect our planet, and the excitement and usefulness of scientific exploration – tools that will help them make informed decisions in the future. In 2006, thanks to a grant from the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the program was expanded to include visits to the Kowawese Unique Area, a park on the banks of the Hudson River in New Windsor, NY. This enables the students to study the river environment and to make connections between the River and the streams in the Forest that feed it. The School in the Forest works with public schools in upper Manhattan and the Bronx (since proximity to the Forest is important so that travel time can be minimized) that are eager to participate in the program. Currently, the program is designed for third through eighth graders.
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