Eccles Wildlife Education Center school field trips

Learn how to visit with your class

Thank you for your interest in bringing your school group to visit the Eccles Wildlife Education Center. We are a fairly new conservation education facility, so our field trip offerings may grow seasonally. To accommodate our user groups, reservations are required for all field trip types.

Our standard field trip program, Student Naturalists, is appropriate for elementary or middle school groups that range in size from of 15–60 students. These field trips are approximately three hours long and may be reserved on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the spring and fall. See the Student Naturalists (guided field trips) section below for more information and to reserve a date.

Want to teach your own lessons on site? See the Flyways (self-guided field trips) section below.

Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

Student Naturalists (guided field trips)

Field trip length: Three hours for the option that includes lunch (approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or two-and-a-half hours for the option that does not include lunch (approximately 9:30 a.m. to noon). Start and end times are negotiable.

Reservation slots available: Tuesday through Friday in the spring and fall, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Group size requirements: 15–60 students per reservation slot. Sorry, our facility cannot take groups that are larger or smaller than this range.

Field trip description: Becoming a naturalist — a person who studies the natural world around them — is a great way for anyone, including your students, to become involved in science. This hands-on field trip turns a vital habitat for wildlife into a living laboratory for your students, a place where they can explore and study the lives of their animal neighbors. Students will rotate between three activities led by trained volunteer naturalists. who These naturalists will help them get started, using real-life methods for observing wildlife around them, many of which they can use long after the field trip is over. The majority of activities are outside.

How to reserve a slot: Please fill out the reservation form. Our field trip coordinator will respond to your request by email within five business days.

Flyways (self-guided field trips)

Field trip length: Any

Reservation slots available: Any day of the week or time of day. Any season. Keep in mind that the education center only has bathrooms and water available during its open hours.

Group size requirements: None

Field trip description: If you want more flexible scheduling, have your own lessons to teach, or your group is not eligible for a Student Naturalists field trip (due to grade level or group size), a self-guided field trip — which we call Flyways — may be a good fit for you. All self-guided field trips are by reservation only, so we can make sure your visit does not conflict with other uses of our small facility.

How to reserve a slot: Please fill out the reservation form. Our field trip coordinator will respond to your request by email within five business days.

Field trip FAQ

Q: Do I need a reservation for self-guided field trips?

A: Yes. Because of the multiple uses of our facility and the surrounding areas, reservations are required to provide all visitors with a quality experience.

Q: Will staff or volunteer naturalists visit my school?

A: Sorry, we cannot visit schools for activities or presentations.

Q: Are the field trips all outside?

A: Yes. Indoor facilities are available to guided field trips in case of dangerous weather. We'll still do activities outside in mild inclement weather such as rain. In dangerous weather, we'll conduct alternative activities indoors. We will never cancel a field trip on our end due to inclement weather; whether or not to cancel a field trip is entirely your call.

Making sure your students and chaperones are prepared for the weather is vital to keep everyone safe and comfortable. When you make a reservation, your field trip packet will contain a list of recommended items to bring.

Q: Can you customize a Student Naturalists field trip for us?

A: We can make adjustments to the start and end times of the field trip. We can also remove the lunch period, reducing the total field trip time to two-and-a-half hours. Please let us know if your group has special needs, and we will do our best to accommodate them.

However, we cannot make exceptions to our policies related to group size and available field trip dates. If you have a very large group — for example, four classes totaling 120 students — we recommend you reserve two field trip days. The education center is used for other purposes besides field trips, so we need to share the space with everyone.