KAUKAUNA — Thousands of Kaukauna High School students have experienced the pristine waters of Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park over the years on canoe trips led by Kaukauna High School Environmental Education instructor Ron VanderVelden; an experience many have described as life-changing.
He’s now collected a series of his newspaper essays from those trips and beyond in “Searching for Up North: A Lifelong Adventure from the Northwoods to the Arctic Circle”
VanderVelden is hosting a book launch party at 1000 Islands Environmental Center on Friday, March 20 from 4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Details of the event can be found on Facebook HERE.
The book also is available at Amazon HERE.
VanderVelden’s passion for the environment and desire to have a positive impact on others and the natural world has been the driving force behind his career in the classroom and community involvement outside the classroom.
“I had the pleasure of teaching at KHS for 26 years. In those years, I often saw the sense of ‘wow’ that kids experienced. I just wanted to hopefully give that same opportunity to my readers,” VanderVelden said.
A Navy veteran, lifelong educator and devoted conservationist focusing on environmental and wildlife issues, VanderVelden has introduced thousands of people to the natural world and the need to conserve this beautiful resource we have.
In his Environmental Action classes, he led students to be activists in their own cities, spearheading many projects.
He also brought thousands of students to the pristine waters of Quetico in northwest Ontario on Voyageur canoe trips, so they could experience true natural beauty and learn more about themselves.
As VanderVelden was teaching and raising his four daughters with his wife, Mary, he also was an active member on the Outagamie County Board.
He was instrumental in the creation of the walking trail from Kaukauna to Appleton.
He brought his passion for conservation to the board and continued to advocate for the natural world through this platform.
His dedication to science education has been recognized with numerous accolades throughout the years.
As the co-founder of (TWIN) Timber Wolf Information Network, VanderVelden was able to present extensively on wolf conservation.
He’d often spend weekends putting on seminars to educate others on the value of wolves and why they shouldn’t be feared. He also was an integral part of helping to bring back the eagle population in Kaukauna.
Retiring in 2002 didn’t slow him down; it gave him more time to pursue his passions.
He started working closely with the DNR as a carnivore tracker in Northeast Wisconsin and has been an active member of the Land Trust Committee, getting thousands of acres preserved for years to come.
Paid partnership with Matt's Lawn Aerating.
