Jorgens Park and I-S School Forest

The School Board of the School District of Iola-Scandinavia will hold a special meeting at 9 p.m. Monday, May 23, in the high school auditorium.

The purpose of the meeting is to approve a lease agreement with the Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc., to designate the Jorgens Park property as a school forest.

What does this mean? The Scandinavia Booster Club was contacted by I-S School District staff about the possibility of working together in the development of Jorgens Park and incorporating education as part of this venture. The school district is in the process of applying for Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (WEEB) school forest grant dollars to help in the development of curriculum and school forest and prairie development. This meeting is to give the district permission to partner with Scandinavia Booster Club. On March 22, information was discussed at the annual meeting of Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. relative to partnering with the school district and potentially 4-H and Scouting groups as well. All were in favor of this partnership. A proposed park plan was presented at the annual meeting with a favorable consensus for park development and grant requests.

Does the I-S School District own Jorgens Park? No. The property is owned by Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. and has not been transferred, sold or given to the school district. A formality lease agreement would allow designation of the Jorgens property as a school forest to allow students and school staff to help the Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. in developing areas of Jorgens Park including prairie areas, forest management and identifying wildlife species for educational purposes. The school district would consult with the Scandinavia Booster Club for approval prior to any development taking place.

What is Jorgens Park? The mission of Jorgens Park is to develop a living memorial honoring two of the village of Scandinavia's most beloved citizens. Carsten "Gunnysack" and Dora Jorgens, a rural Scandinavia farming couple, bequeathed their estate to four community minded organizations including Bethany Home, of Waupaca; Iola Living Assistance, of Iola; Scandinavia Lutheran Church and Scandinavia Public Library.

The real estate was acquired through a community-driven fundraising effort. Consisting of about 40 acres of rolling fields, meadows, wooded timber and wetland areas, this property encompasses the northern and eastern shores of Silver Lake. The acreage will be used to develop Jorgens Park and Gunny's Hiking Trail. These facilities will include a memorial to Carsten and Dora, picnic, hiking and fishing areas, while preserving the natural beauty and serenity of this property. Long-range planning includes connecting "Gunny's Trail" to other communities and hiking and biking trail systems.

Why does Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. own the Jorgens Property? In order to provide a fundraising avenue that would allow donors to give tax-deductible contributions, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization needed to be utilized, thus Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. was selected. The purpose of the Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. is "to engage in the promotion of public affairs and civic functions for the betterment and well-being of the village of Scandinavia and the surrounding community." Through fundraising, the property was purchased by the Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. from the four heir organizations listed previously.

To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization, meaning it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3) are commonly referred to as charitable organizations. Organizations described in section 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170.

What advantages will there be with designating Jorgens Park as a school forest? Traditionally, a school forest is public land used for environmental education and natural resource management, which is registered through the state community forest program to a local school district.

School forests have incredible educational value. They are used to meet state education standards and integrated environmental education into the curriculum, connect teachers and students to local natural resource areas, demonstrate sustainable natural resource management, and strengthen school and community relationships.

Benefits include:

? Free forest management assistance from Department of Natural Resources (DNR) county foresters.

? Free seedlings for planting from the DNR's nurseries.

? Applications for WEEB school forest grants. Only registered school forests are eligible to apply.

? Assistance from the Wisconsin School Forest Program.

How long is the lease for? The lease would be a one-year term. At any time, either partner in the school forest agreement may withdraw from the school forest registration and land-use agreement. Should the partnership prove to be successful, the lease agreement would renew for another one-year term.

The development of trails, roads, picnic areas or construction of any structures would be solely the responsibility of the Scandinavia Booster Club, Inc. Any planting of trees, shrubs or prairie project by the school district would have to meet the approval of the Booster Club.