Minnesota Valley NWR and WMD
Midwest Region

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Phone: 952-854-5900
Address:
3815 American Blvd. East
Bloomington, MN 55425

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Workshops
We encourage K-12 teachers and educators to lead your students through our easy, self-guided programs. We offer teacher workshops to provide you with the ability to design your field trip, answer questions, and present high quality hands-on experiences for your students.

To learn more about the Workshops offered at the Refuge, please contact a Park Ranger at 952-854-5900. Our hope is that a visit to Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge will prompt you and your students to reflect on your daily interaction with our environment and acquire an increased understanding of how we can all live together.


NatureWise - Forest Exploration

Workshop Series, Summer 2009
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

A FREE Workshop Series to help you explore nature in your own backyard.

Open to the general public, these are topic-related, hands-on workshops to help you better understand our natural world, in a national wildlife refuge setting.

  • Open to anyone, ages 16 or older.
  • Learn about nature and nature study in both classroom and outdoor settings.
  • TEACHERS: are also encouraged to attend. Augment your science knowledge, and learn new ways of looking at nature. CEU credits are available.
  • Learn from professionals and experts.
  • See and experience Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, and the Rapids Lake Unit.
  • Network with other like-minded participants!
  • Lunch will be provided, free of charge.

WHEN: Participants must register, and can attend any one or all of the workshops.

Schedule
Wings over the Woodlands: Saturday, June 20, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Designed for beginners or anyone interested in birding, this session will teach how to look at birds, how to identify them, and their importance and role in the forest ecosystem. Binoculars are provided, if you don't have your own.

Cryptic Crypotogams: Saturday, July 11, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Grasses and sedges are not the only mysterious and lesser known plant groups. Get an introduction to the world of mosses, ferns, lichens, and other non-flowering plants.

Forest for the Trees: Saturday, August 1, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Here is a slightly in-depth crash course on trees, shrubs, and vines of the refuge. We will take this knowledge off to the woodlands to perform macro-plot sampling.

Insect Inspiration: Saturday, Sept. 26, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The area is literally crawling with insects, spiders, and other jointed-leg critters. Learn the insect and other arthropod groups, and then go out and test your collecting skills. Learn also how to preserve, label, and store specimens.

WHERE: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center (Carver).

For More Information or To Register Contact Barry Jones at 952-361-4503 or barry_jones@fws.gov.

Last updated: August 27, 2009