School’s Out. Summer Learning is In.

Summer has a way of teaching lessons that can't be found in a classroom.

It's the season when a child catches their first frog, learns to identify a bird by its song, discovers that a forest is full of stories, or realizes they are capable of paddling a canoe farther than they ever imagined. Those moments of discovery don't just happen by chance. They happen because someone creates the opportunity.

That's what we are doing together.

For our youngest learners, Trails & Tales combines two wonderful things: reading and the outdoors. In partnership with the local libraries in Sandpoint and Thompson Falls, families gather each week to enjoy a story before heading out on a short nature adventure together. It's a simple idea that helps children build a love of reading while discovering that the natural world is full of stories waiting to be explored.

Trails & Tales also creates another kind of learning. The program is planned and led each summer by KLT's Conservation, Connection, & Community Interns in partnership with East Bonner CountyLibrary District staff and their interns. It gives these college students the opportunity to grow as leaders while learning how to build community partnerships, create meaningful outdoor experiences, and inspire the next generation.

As children get older, Camp Kaniksu invites them to dig even deeper into the natural world. From curious elementary-aged campers to adventurous teens, each camp is designed for where young people are in their journey. Campers spend their days exploring forests and waterways, building confidence outdoors, making friends, and discovering that nature isn't just somewhere to visit. It's somewhere they belong.

For our interns, summer becomes an education of its own. Working alongside experienced KLT staff, they learn about land conservation, stewardship, education, volunteer coordination, community partnerships, and event planning. They leave with practical skills, professional experience, and a deeper understanding of what it means to care for both land and people. Many of our former interns have gone on to careers in conservation, bringing that passion back to communities across our region.

Kaniksu Folk School was created for adults who want to reconnect with nature, local heritage, and one another through hands-on experiences. Whether learning traditional crafts, outdoor skills, music, or practices rooted in self-sufficiency, participants discover that some of the most meaningful lessons come from working with their hands alongside others and taught by skilled artisan instructors.

From toddlers listening to stories beneath the trees, to children spending a week at camp, to college students discovering their calling, to adults learning traditional skills, every summer program shares the same purpose.

They're helping people build a lifelong relationship with this place. When people feel connected to the land, they're more likely to care for it.

And when they learn together, they build something even bigger—a community of people who care for the land and one another.