About Us

Hands On Wildlife Learning, Inc. (HOWL) is a Michigan nonprofit with one driving belief: when children spend real time in nature – tracking animals, exploring wetlands, getting their hands dirty — something transformative happens. Curiosity deepens. Wonder takes root. And kids begin to see themselves as part of the natural world, not apart from it.

HOWL was originally founded in 2003 in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, where it served elementary-age children through after-school programs, summer camps, and eventually a wildlife education program in Tanzania, East Africa. In 2026, HOWL was reestablished in Gaylord, Michigan, bringing its mission to the forests, lakes, and wetlands of the northern Lower Peninsula.

We serve youth in grades K–5 through after-school wildlife education, immersive summer camps, and community outreach programs that bring nature experiences directly to children . Every program is hands-on, child-led, and rooted in the simple idea that a child who loves the natural world will grow up to protect it.

Northern Michigan is our new home. We’re here to help kids fall in love with it.