Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center

Name

Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center

Legal name

Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center

Website

https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Environmental Education

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA), Environmental Interpretation & Ranger-Led Education Programs (Visitor Education) (THAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Outdoor education programs
• Environmental STEM learning
• Youth summer camps
• EDNA citizen science
• Neurodiverse learner support

Headquarters

HQ city

Wisconsin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public University Funding: As a program of UW-Madison Division of Extension, Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center is funded through public university resources, state funding, and grant programs including Wisconsin Idea Collaboration Grants.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center is a public outdoor learning facility operated by UW-Madison Division of Extension that delivers hands-on environmental and STEM educational programs to Wisconsin youth. Its core offerings include the Nature's Navigators summer camp for neurodiverse middle and high school students (built on NASA GLOBE curriculum) and the eDNA @ Upham Woods environmental monitoring project in which youth collect and analyze water samples from the Wisconsin River to track invasive carp populations.

Product overview

Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center is a program of UW-Madison Division of Extension that provides youth-focused educational programming. The center operates two main programs: Nature's Navigators Camp, which provides STEM education for neurodiverse middle and high school students using NASA GLOBE curriculum, and eDNA monitoring projects where youth participate in environmental DNA collection from the Wisconsin River to track invasive species. The center's offerings are educational programs focused on hands-on science learning and career readiness for Wisconsin youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nature's Navigators Camp: A summer camp program at Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center designed to support neurodiverse learners in STEM education using NASA GLOBE program components.
• eDNA @ Upham Woods

Products and services

• Nature's Navigators Camp

Quantifiable outcome

• Development of science literacy and career readiness skills for neurodiverse youth

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2023Collaboration with Michael Notaro and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies to develop the Nature's Navigators Camp program for neurodiverse learners, utilizing NASA-sponsored GLOBE education program components.
• NASA GLOBE ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2023Camp activities utilize components of the NASA-sponsored Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment education program for environmental monitoring and STEM education.
• School of Medicine and Public Health, UW-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2023Joint development of programming for neurodiverse learners in STEM education, part of the Wisconsin Idea Collaboration Grant initiative.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Earthwatch Institute: International nonprofit that engages citizen scientists—including youth—in field-based environmental data collection and STEM learning experiences. Comparable through the lens of the eDNA @ Upham Woods citizen-science component, though Earthwatch is a broader, donor-funded model rather than a single-site facility.

Broad incumbents

• Wisconsin 4-H Youth Development: UW-Madison Extension's statewide 4-H youth development program, which Upham Woods sits under as a sibling program. 4-H operates outdoor and STEM programming at much greater scale across Wisconsin, making it the most relevant sibling comparator for delivery infrastructure and youth audience reach.

Regional players

• Aldo Leopold Foundation: Baraboo, Wisconsin-based organization dedicated to Aldo Leopold's land ethic, operating the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center and Shack and offering environmental education programs. Comparable in Wisconsin-based environmental education programming though with a stronger conservation-ethics and adult-leader focus.

Direct peers

• Urban Ecology Center: Milwaukee-based nonprofit operating urban nature centers that deliver hands-on environmental and STEM education to youth and families in Wisconsin. Most directly comparable to Upham Woods in mission, geography, and program structure (field-based nature learning for school-age participants).
• Schlitz Audubon Nature Center: Wisconsin-based nature center offering outdoor environmental education, school programs, summer camps, and citizen science opportunities. Operates as a comparable model of a regional nature-education nonprofit combining youth programming with environmental stewardship.
• Riveredge Nature Center: Saukville, Wisconsin nature center providing school and youth environmental education programs including field investigations, summer camps, and watershed-focused citizen science. Closely comparable peer given shared Wisconsin geography and overlap in environmental science education for K-12 audiences.
• Nature's Classroom Institute: Multi-state operator of outdoor school residential field-trip programs delivering hands-on science and environmental education to school groups. Highly comparable business model: outdoor-immersion STEM education delivered to school-age cohorts at dedicated nature facilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uwmadisonext
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLNtxoX1cwQruNoOoDVCc1w
• Facebookfacebook.com/uwmadisonextension
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upham-woods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center