Construction crews were put to work in 1964 removing the remnants of those older buildings and clearing the site to build most of the present physical facilities which were designed to serve as a Job Corps Center. The building program was completed in 1966 and Job Corps went to work in cooperation with the Forest Service. Unfortunately, Job Corps funding was severely reduced in 1969. The use of the center changed to a new focus of providing environmental education.

In 1981, the administration of the Cispus Center was transferred to the Association of Washington School Principles. The Association operates as a location for schools and organizations to hold  conferences, retreats, and workshops. Approximately 19,000 people visit the Center annually. The Cispus Center is currently thriving under competent leadership and staff committed to providing helpful and courteous service to the many who come, not only from the Pacific Northwest, but from all over the world to visit this beautiful and special place.

About the Workshop

Earth Day, 1970 was a national environmental awakening. Two visionary Forest Service employees, Ernie McDonald and Anne Heisler, identified a critical need for practical, understandable resource information to be used in a variety of educational processes. They created the Cispus Workshop to provide a mechanism for resource professionals to work with teachers and other environmental educators. The first workshop was held in 1971. The major emphasis was field studies in soil, water, wildlife, and forest science. Many sessions were held outside and focused on helping teachers develop hands-on lesson plans they could take back to their schools.

The workshop shifted focus in the 1980s as the need for public input in resource decisions grew out of NEPA and other requirements. Resource people were also finding themselves spending an increasing amount of time in unproductive meetings rather than in the field. Collaborative Public Involvement and Meetings Management became the primary sessions. Learning Styles, Effective Briefings, Visuals, and Facilitation Skills were also offered to provide a broader learning experience. Teams have become an important trend for nearly all agencies and organizations in the 1990s. The workshop expanded to accommodate the need for training on teams and added the popular Successful Teams track.

The Cispus Workshop began in the early 1970's with a commitment to provide active training that allows people to be in charge of their own learning. The workshop also was an interagency effort from the beginning with both participants and staff coming from a wide variety of backgrounds. While the type of sessions and information covered has changed over the years in response to participants changing needs, these two concepts have remained central to the workshop.