Field School at Prince William Forest ParkSeptember has arrived. It’s the time of year when ma

Field School at Prince William Forest Park

September has arrived. It’s the time of year when many people return to classrooms and get ready for the school year ahead. It’s also a great time to reflect on ongoing educational partnerships and the year-round learning that takes place out of the classroom.

Beginning in summer of 2018, students from the University of Mary Washington participated in a field school to document two cultural landscapes at Prince William Forest Park, Cabin Camp 2 and Cabin Camp 4. The Cabin Camps at Prince William Forest Park were developed in the 1930s as part of the Recreation Demonstration Area program.

The typical four-person sleeping cabin in Cabin Camp 2 at Prince William Forest Park (NPS).

Over several weeks, the students documented existing conditions of landscape features. In addition to the hands-on experience, their documentation will be used to complete Cultural Landscape Inventory (CLI) reports, which are an important tool for the continued management of park cultural landscapes.

The outcomes and lessons learned by the National Park Service, UMW faculty, and students helped shape the 2019 field season and will serve as a model for future iterations of the field school.