Forest academy takes root in Dunster

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

The Dunster Schoolhouse will see its first class of students since its closure in 2010 this September.

The Rocky Mountain Forest Academy – a nonprofit society whose mission is to inspire learning by connecting with nature – is using the schoolhouse to host its forest recreation program from September 15th, 2025 to June 22nd, 2026. The Academy did not respond to The Goat’s repeated requests for comment over the course of several months. The Goat also reached out to the Dunster Fine Arts School Society for comment but did not receive a response.

The program will operate on Mondays from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and costs $40 a day, according to a post on the Academy’s Facebook page. It is open to children in kindergarten through grade seven.

According to the Facebook post, the program will draw on principles from Montessori education, a style of teaching that emphasizes self-directed learning and typically does not involve tests and grades. The program is also based on “coyote mentoring,” a teaching technique started by the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, Washington. Teachers who use the technique observe students to see what interests them, waiting for moments of curiosity they can use as a teaching moment, according to a Wilderness Awareness School web page on coyote mentoring.

The Academy’s recreation program will emphasize a connection to nature and community, says the Facebook post. Regular activities will include wandering, bird language and storytelling, along with lessons in first aid, campfire cooking and shelter building, among other skills.

The Academy may open a four-day-a-week school starting in September 2026, the post adds.As of August 22nd, 16 of the 24 available spots in the program have been filled. The deadline for registering in the program is September 5th. Parents can email [email protected] for more information.