Field Science & Leadership

7TH - 12TH GRADE

Students gain firsthand experience with scientific equipment and field study techniques while learning how National Park Service researchers design field research projects and make land management decisions in our national parks. Working in small field groups, students complete a field investigation about the forested or aquatic communities surrounding the Learning Center.  The final day of the program includes a symposium-style discussion where each group presents their findings.

CARNIVORE CURRICULUM

On the first day of this program, students gain an overview of North Cascades ecosystems and engage in hands-on lessons about field inquiry, plant identification, and forest carnivores.  On the second day, students will investigate the habitat potential of the forest community surrounding the Learning Center for threatened and endangered forest carnivores by examining tree diversity and canopy cover, coarse woody debris, and ground cover in forest transects. Working in small groups, students will gather data at their field study site and then compile and analyze their data back in the classroom. On the final day of the program students present their findings and make conclusions about their research in a symposium-style discussion with their peers, teachers, and national park representatives.

AQUATIC INVESTIGATIONS CURRICULUM

This is an inquiry based program designed to draw out the student’s interests and curiosities to form research questions. The students will go through the scientific method by designing their own field study investigation based on their observations.  They will study the aquatic interactions between the physical, chemical, and biological components of the watershed.  On the first day, students will gain an overview of North Cascades ecosystems and will learn parameters that researchers use to study water quality and aquatic ecosystems.  Through site observations, students will develop a scientific question which they will answer using a suite of data collection methods including water chemistry testing, benthic macroinvertibrate sampling, and examination of physical stream characteristics. Working in small groups, students will gather data at their field study site and then compile and analyze their data back in the classroom. On the final day of the program students present their findings and make conclusions about their research in a symposium-style discussion with their peers, teachers, and national park representatives.

Program pricing and how to schedule