Call of the wild: students get authentic outdoor learning experiences at these American colleges and universities.(FUTURE SHOCK)

LAST SUMMER, MY (SAMELS') daughter Gabrielle chided me for coming up empty-handed after a morning of fishing on Lake Cochituate near our home in Natick, Mass. "Skunked again, Dad?"

I grumbled and blamed the "Eurasian Milfoil," an invasive foreign vegetation, which destroys lakes by strangling the natural balance of aquatic life.

This exchange got me to thinking. Sure enough, the lake seems to get warmer each year, which is why our cold-water habitat is now at risk (read as, trout displaced by sharp-tooth predators like pike and musky).

While the…