COVID-19
Health and Safety Practices for Students, Staff, and Visitors
This information is current as of May 12, 2022. As the response to COVID-19 evolves, this page offers a summary of how we are adapting our programs and campus.
Vaccination & Testing
Wolf Ridge Staff
In an effort to protect the staff and participants and avoid the risk of our staff becoming the source of a COVID-19 exposure, Wolf Ridge requires vaccination of all Wolf Ridge staff members. If a Wolf Ridge staff member cannot show proof of vaccination they will take a weekly COVID-19 test and provide evidence of the result to the Administration. Weekly on-site COVID-19 tests are available to all staff members.
Wolf Ridge Program Participants
There is no vaccination or testing requirement for participants and guests at this time.
Registered & Drop-In Visitors
Wolf Ridge is open to those who have registered for one of our day use or overnight programs, including visiting school groups. If you are not part of a registered group, you are still welcome to use any of our trails, but please remain outdoors and practice social distancing after signing in at our main office (masking is required).
Mask Use
Effective March 28, 2022, masking is optional on the Wolf Ridge campus for program participants, guests, and staff, regardless of vaccination status. Everyone is supported in their choice to wear a mask, indoors or outdoors.
Youth Summer Camp
We cannot predict the COVID conditions in society so far in advance but we are planning that our risk management would not require anything stricter than our Summer 2022 protocols: campers needed to arrive with either proof of vaccination OR a negative test result. As summer nears, Wolf Ridge will consult with camp industry leaders as well as county and state health officials to make decisions regarding management of COVID and associated behavioral expectations of our campers.
Visiting Schools
Managing COVID-19 Cases & Symptoms
Wolf Ridge encourages visiting groups to use the MN Dept. of Health’s COVID-19 guides for schools, child care, and youth programming for guidance on what to do if a participant develops COVID symptoms* while on campus, or has had close contact.
Wolf Ridge asks that visiting groups take the following steps for symptomatic participants:
- If a participant is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms* while at Wolf Ridge, COVID-19 testing is strongly recommended and the symptomatic participant should be isolated and sent home as soon as possible.
- If a participant tests positive for COVID while on campus please notify a Wolf Ridge staff member immediately. The participant should be isolated and sent home as soon as possible.
- Please notify Wolf Ridge staff. We will provide an isolation room.
- If a participant tests positive for COVID after returning home from a Wolf Ridge trip, please notify a Wolf Ridge staff member as soon as possible.
Wolf Ridge asks that visiting groups take the following steps for participants who had close contact with a person with COVID-19:
- If vaccinated for COVID-19: Wear a tight-fitting mask around others while at Wolf Ridge until it has been 10 days after their last exposure.
- If not vaccinated for COVID-19: stay home for 5 days after last exposure.
List of COVID-19 symptoms from the CDC:
- Fever or chills
- cough
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- fatigue
- muscle or body aches
- headache
- new loss of taste or smell
- sore throat, congestion, or runny nose
- nausea or vomiting
- diarrhea.
Thank you for helping us keep participants and staff safe by following these protocols!
Additional COVID-19-related programming changes for safer engagement with our education participants:
- Priority to outdoor programming: In order to reduce potential transmission, classes and activities have been modified to be outdoors nearly all the time. Gathering will occur indoors but times will be limited. Weather will play a factor in the amount of indoor time.
- Large group evening programs: Evening programs will be presented to only one school at a time when possible to reduce extended contact between different schools.
- Canceled classes: Until further notice classes with extended periods of indoor time will not be conducted. These include Energy in the Home, Seeds of Change, Renewable Energy, and StarLab Planetarium.
- Indoor demonstrations: Demonstrations have all been adapted to be outdoors when possible
Other Areas:
- Plexi-glass Shields: Have been installed where closer face/face interactions may predictably occur: Both Dining Hall serving lines, Office reception desk, and the retail store check-out station. In all those places masks are still required indoors.
- Upgraded Ventilation Systems: In the residence lodges the filtration systems have been upgraded to the MERV-13 level as recommended by our Epidemiologist. The ventilation systems have been upgraded to either longer run times or with automatic ventilation speed adjustments as per occupancy.
- Sanitizing Stations: Freestanding stations have been installed at the entrance to the Dining Hall serving lines, and the main entrances to all buildings. In smaller outpost buildings tabletop pumps have been provided.
- Touch-less soap/towel dispensers: Our entire facility has been moved to touch-less dispensers.
- Lodge spaces and visiting groups: Wolf Ridge staff will not enter the lodge spaces of the visiting groups except in cases of emergency or unforeseen needs for the building. Groups will be assigned to specific rooms and gathering areas and are instructed to not enter the other group’s areas. Entryways are shared areas and will not be used as gathering spaces.
- Staff Housing: In our Lakeview Staff Loge the community of staff conducts a weekly random sample of a resident who is tested for COVID-19. Results are provided to the administration.
- Campus Visitors: General public visitors are required to sign in at the front desk and are not allowed in any other building without prior approval.
Contact Us
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions. Our contact form is the easiest way for us to route your question to the correct person. You can also call 218-353-7414. Please leave a message if we are not available. We will return your call.