National
Bison Range Field Trip Tips for Teachers
The National Bison Range is happy to have you and your students visit us and we
thank you for scheduling in advance so that we may better serve you and so other
groups will not interfere with your activities. The Bison Range offers teacher workshops and a lending
library of lesson plans ideas to help you plan your outdoor learning activities.
We suggest that a few safety tips be considered:
Bison are dangerous. When watching them,
do so from a distance or from the safety of your bus. Bison are always unpredictable but cows with calves are
especially dangerous during spring months and bulls are most aggressive during
the breeding season in July and August. Bison
in the display pens by the houses are relatively accustomed to people but if
they show any aggression move away for the fence. To avoid disturbing them, do not allow the children to throw things into
the pen, do not attempt to feed them and keep shouting and scuffling to a
minimum.
If doing
activities in the nature trail area along streams and ponds, caution children on
safety near water. The stream is
especially swift and has deep holes and they could very easily be swept off
their feet and into deep water. Do
not allow them to scuffle and play near the water's edge.
When traveling the Bison Range roads, you may get out of the bus but stay near the
bus and on the road. This is mostly
for the preservation of grasslands and wildlife but there also could be
rattlesnakes in the dryer areas. You
need not be fearful. Snakes are not
aggressive and only react in self defense. But please be cautious about surprising them. Snakes, other than garter snakes, do not usually frequent the
picnic and nature trail areas but it is wise to be alert in very dry seasons.
Caution children to be careful when walking on, or across, refuge roads. Please walk along the side of the roadways and look both ways before
crossing them. This is especially
important in high traffic areas between the visitor center and the nature trails
and in the picnic area where children are apt to run across without looking.
Students should bring hearty lunches and plenty to drink. There is an excellent picnic area with safe water taps. Caution them to bring lunch items that will not spoil if it is hot. Also, during cold or rainy weather, extra fuel from snacks will help keep
them warm.
A box of
trash bags and scissors to cut arm holes will make good emergency raincoats and
also serve as litter containers. Please
pick up and pack out you litter.
BISON RANGE STAFF HAS FIRST AID TRAINING AND SUPPLIES. CONTACT THEM IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY.
