Abstract: A two-phase study was conducted to assess influences on environmental sensitivity (ES) in Wisconsin high school students. Phase I employed a focus group methodology; phase II employed a paper survey. Three categories of influences emerged from phase I: environmental, role model, and personality. Other results were consistent between both study phases. The influence most frequently cited by students as most important was time spent outdoors. The second most frequently mentioned influence was male teachers. The most frequently mentioned trait of role models was that they were 'friendly/personable'. A profile of environmentally sensitive high school students was developed.