VOLUNTEER FIELD NATURALISTS

 “I learned stuff in the classroom about the food chain, but here...
you see how one organism can’t live without another organism.”

Each classroom spends one day in a local old-growth forest or shrub-steppe ecosystem, where students experience the wonder of an ecosystem that is right in their own backyard, while putting into action the scientific principles learned in the classroom.

FIELD TRIP SITES: The Dalles Mountain Ranch ~ Washington State Parks Tamanawas Falls ~ Mt. Hood National Forest Panther Creek Campground ~ Gifford Pinchot National Forest

VOLUNTEER NATURALIST RESPONSIBILITIES ~

Group Leader -- You'll meet the class as they get off the bus, and be responsible for leading a small group of students and parent chaperones to the four field stations throughout the day. Group leaders are responsible for safety out in the field and assist station leaders to keep the students engaged in learning.

Station Leader -- You'll teach a one-hour lesson to each of the four student-groups that rotate through your station throughout the day. Many alternate activities keep the students engaged and the instructors busy. You'll never get the same group twice!

General -- Our volunteer field naturalists receive on-site training, and often begin as group leaders before taking on the role of a station leader. Our field trip days usually begin between 8 and 9 AM and end between 1 and 2 PM, so it is a full-day commitment. We run the field trips on weekdays when school is in session. All volunteers are given the option to carpool to field trip locations with Institute staff from the Hood River office.

Note: All of our naturalists, both in the classroom and in the field, choose their own "steward" name to help encourage all of us to begin thinking of the relationships in our ecosystems. Start thinking about the plant, animal, or invertebrate you'll become while out in the field!