Wyss Plans Draw a Crowd

A few dozen neighbors and friends stopped in the Noble Lobby last Wednesday to view twenty illustrations depicting our plans for our new Fremont County property. Twice that number of NOLS staff also participated. A representative group of committee members were on hand to explain the main details of the project and the developments currently in progress. As guests munched on snacks and looked at site plans, elevation drawings, and photos of the existing conditions on site, they consistently expressed appreciation that the parcel had found a single owner and that the land would remain intact.

A number of questions revolved around the unusual rooflines of the main classroom facility depicted here in a scale model. The design allows for rows of clerestory windows to passively bring daylight to interior areas of the building. These windows also act as exhaust ports for heat generated in warm weather. The pitches of the roof allow rain and snow catchment for reallocation to an irrigation system for outdoor practice grounds.

The steeper pitches and the long axis of the buildings are oriented to maximize insolaton on roof mounted photovoltaic panels and increase passive solar gain in colder seasons. Covered dining and training areas and sheltered spots will increase the options for staff teaching wilderness medicine, one use of the campus that is estimated to bring around 430 students and 35-40 instructors to the campus during the first year of use. The actual construction is just around the corner- we hope to follow up on the perc tests of last week with some initial grading, road cutting, and supply trenching before the first snow flies.

In the mean time, the deer, chukar, sage grouse and grass hoppers are happy to have few distractions as they chase shade and enjoy the last of the mid-summer green grass. Willow trees near the caretaker house location are thick with new growth and indicate the health of the springs feeding Madison Creek, one of the natural water courses on the property. Previous owners of this parcel have made use of this precious resource for more then 110 years, primarily for irrigating pasture and watering stock. For our needs, the spring reliability is insufficient so we will develop a well for some of our water needs.