Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge & Wetland Management District
Midwest Region

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Contact Us

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

Education Page Header

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 Visitor Services Specialist at either the Bloomington Visitor Center, 952-854-5900 or the Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center, 952-361-4500. 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.

Responsible Environmental Behavior:
A forum on how to reduce visitor impacts
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
9:00 am – 11:30 pm
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Bloomington, Minnesota
For Outdoor Educators

Leave No Trace is not just for camping!

Join outdoor educators in learning how to apply LNT curriculum in your programs to transform visitor behaviors, reduce impacts and protect natural spaces.

Costs: FREE. Sponsored by Refuge Friends, Inc. and the LNT Center for Outdoor Ethics.

Copies of Activities, LNT Hang tags and the LNT Lakes Region Ethics Booklet provided.

To Register go to: www.surveymonkey.com/s/LNT2012.

View the flyer for more information.


Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program Workshop
Non-formal & formal educators welcomed!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Bloomington, Minnesota

Want hands-on, interactive activities focused on wetlands and waterfowl that can be incorporated into your classroom teaching? Use the outdoors to teach your students art, reading, science, and other subjects. Learn how to use field equipment, improve your identification skills, and discover the WOW facts that will impress your students. Free CD of curriculum guides, art supplies, and resource materials for your classroom are all included.

Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program Workshop

COST: FREE

Federal Junior Duck Stamp Program
Created two decades ago as an innovative way to teach children about wetlands and waterfowl, the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program has updated its hallmark arts and science curriculum to make it fresh, modern and even more relevant and engaging for today’s teachers and students. The new Junior Duck Stamp Program Educators Guide and Youth Guide provide 10 lesson plans, with exercises and activities focusing on conservation science, our changing natural world, and fun. The Program gives students the opportunity to learn scientific principles, connect with their natural world, and artistically express their knowledge of the beauty, diversity and interdependence of wildlife.

To Register Visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/juniorduckworkshop
Questions? Contact Mara Koenig @ 952-858-0710, mara_koenig@fws.gov.

View the flyer for more information.


In A Nutshell 2012
FREE Field Biology
Especially For Elementary Educators

3 CEU Credits available

Teacher's WorkshopGather practical tips and first-hand experience to incorporate into your classroom teaching. Use field equipment, improve your identification skills, and discover the WOW facts that will impress your students. Free lesson ideas, worksheets, and resource materials for your classroom are all included.

The Wonder of Wetlands
Tuesday, June 19, 9:00 – noon
Bass Ponds Trail Head, Bloomington
How is a wetland like a sponge, a coffee filter, and a box of cereal? Spend a morning with nets, magnifiers, binoculars, and traps to discover the answer and become familiar with the plants and animals that make up this fascinating habitat. You'll leave with a new understanding of the value of wetlands and activities to use with your students.

Woodland Discoveries
Wednesday, July 25, 9:00 – noon
Bloomington Visitor Center
Bark beetles, oak galls, squirrel nets and sow bugs... yes the forest is MORE than just trees. Join us for a morning of exploration as we discover life cycles, decomposition, competition and growth all happening in our Minnesota forests.

Prairie Places
Thursday, August 9, 9:00 – noon
Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center
Beautiful bloomers, jumpy buzzers, leafy invaders, sticky hitchhikers, and furry diggers fight to survive what can often be a harsh environment. Uncover the struggles that are part of the beautiful Minnesota prairie. Then share your discoveries with your students.

Winter Science
Saturday, December 15, 9:00 – noon
Rapids Lake Education and Visitor Center, Carver
Are the Minnesota winters too cold to explore outside with your students? We don't think so! Join us to discover quick and easy activities that allow you to incorporate the outdoors into your winter curriculum despite the temperatures.

To Register Visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/87LXZ38
Questions? Contact Suzanne Trapp @ 952-361-4502, Suzanne_Trapp@fws.gov

Bloomington Visitor Center
3815 American Blvd. East
Bloomington, MN 55425

Rapids Lake Education & Visitor Center
15865 Carver Highlands Drive
Carver, MN 55315



Last updated: May 14, 2012