November 4, 2021

Buckbee, Callahan Visit Pratt Nature Center

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New Milford – State Representatives Billy Buckbee (R-New Milford) and Pat Callahan (R-New Fairfield) were invited to visit the Pratt Nature Center. Established in 1967, Pratt is home to a 205-acre wildlife preserve, providing children and students the space needed to learn about the outdoors first-hand. The site is also home to the state’s one of a kind outdoor classroom and offers various educational programs, from summer camps to year-round activities, to those throughout Litchfield County.

“Rep. Callahan and I were extremely impressed with Pratt Nature Center and what it offers to the area’s young people. There aren’t many places that you can access the amount of natural resources that are on Pratt’s property. It was refreshing to walk the grounds to see students learning with their hands and feet. Confining lesson plans to a traditional classroom is simply not as enriching as those who are working in the field,” said Rep. Buckbee.

According to information provided by Pratt Nature Center, it is incredibly important for students to take a hands-on approach to their academic endeavors. The center’s educational programming and grounds make it possible for area students to augment their traditional academic curriculum by spending time in the woods. These experiences inherently strengthen one’s connection to the natural world.

“If the goal is to develop our children into more caring and understanding people, then Pratt is doing an incredible job so far. The kids and staff we interacted with all had the common goal of learning what nature has to provide for us, and how that stewardship translates into positively working with one another,” said Rep. Callahan.

The legislative session will convene in February. Before it begins, Reps. Buckbee and Callahan have already begun to communicate the importance of institutions like Pratt Nature Center to the legislative committee on Education. The lawmakers will advocate to remove any barriers that are preventing such learning centers from collaborating with traditional schools, so that Connecticut students are afforded all opportunities to bring out their best skill levels and talents.

To learn more about the Pratt Nature Center, you can visit their website at PrattCenter.org.

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