"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire."
- W B Yeats
Whether you are visiting Quivira National Wildlife Refuge on a field trip or tramping around a field near your school, this page can provide you with many ideas to make environmental education fun as well as educational. Environmental education is more than a science tool. We can show you how to use fun activities to make math, social studies and even language arts more fun. We have many different educational activities for your use when you visit Quivira NWR and are always happy to assist you in the planning of a field trip and will do everything possible to insure that your visit to Quivira NWR is a successful and educational one. Our field trip guide is now available to educators right here. All equipment for these activities is on hand at the Refuge to be checked out should you wish to conduct one of the many suggested activities in this guide. Additionally, we would be happy to schedule a workshop for 10 or more educators interested in learning more about environmental education. This workshop is an informative, one day seminar, designed so that you may experience some of the fun as well as learn new and creative ways to relate environmental education to science, mathematics, economics, social studies, and more! Interested individuals should contact Refuge personnel at 620-486-2393 or email us at Quivira@Fws.Gov (Please include a subject line). Guided tours and planned activities are available for schools and other groups by appointment only so call early to schedule yours.
Stafford Elementary School students enjoyed bird watching on the
Birdhouse Boulevard and studying nature
on the Migrants Mile hiking trail. If you would like to schedule a trip for your
students please call or email us!
Staff Photos
Some Basic Ecological Concepts:
Everything has a home.
During your field trip, you will be walking in, around, and through many animals' homes. We call these homes habitats. Everything that affects a living orgamism is its environment. Ecology is the study of the inter-relationships between organisms and their environment.
Everything is becoming something else.
All living things must undergo changes to adapt to changing conditions. When things die, they are broken down, decomposed, recycled and used by other living things.
Every living thing eats and is eaten by something else.
Three categories of life forms are in the basic food cycle of life: producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Everything depends on something else.
Interaction and interdependence occur among living things and their environment. A change in one silk strand affects the entire web; nothing exists in isolation.
There are four basic necessities for life: food, water, shelter, and space in a suitable arrangement.
These necessities are found in the atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere (water), and the earth's crust (soil). The biosphere is the thin layer of the planet where these zones collectively support life on earth.
Diversity is essential for life.
Diversity is essential for maintaining a healthy community. Variation ensures some plants and animals will survive and reproduce in spite of change. Variation is found in the diversity of behavior, habitats, and physical and genetic differences seen all around us.
Humans can change the balance of nature.
Humans alter the earth in many ways. As such, we have a responsibility to all living things.
Thank you for considering Quivira National Wildlife Refuge for your group’s field trip experience. We are delighted that you are taking the opportunity to use the Refuge’s resources to enhance your classroom learning experience. This Field Trip Guide facilitates the process of discovery and learning. It includes information about the Refuge’s history, habitats and wildlife; field trip planning and preparation; and classroom and on-site activities for grades K-12. The guide also contains suggestions for off-site activities, post-trip evaluations and additional resources. If this guide fulfills its purpose, your outdoor experience will result in smiling faces, dirty hands, happy memories and a new and better understanding of the Refuge habitats and its inhabitants. The activities presented in this Field Trip Guide are designed to give you a few ideas on ways to explore general environmental concepts in fun and interactive ways. We highly encourage you to gather all the knowledge you need to conduct a fun and educational field trip by following the tips in this guide! Call the Refuge to make reservations for your field trip now.
Quivira NWR now has a limited number of binoculars that school groups may check out for use during your next field trip! Ask for details!
What are the Refuge's Goals for Environmental Education?
1. To foster a clear awaremess of, and positive attitude towards the ecological, economic, social and political interdpendencies of our environment.
2. To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment, and skill needed to understand and protect our environment.
3. To give a sense of responsibility to individuals, groups, and society as a whole for saving our environment, conservation, and the use of our natural resources.
4. To learn to appreciate and experience the joy and wonder of the natural world.
The difference between making your field trip just a day out of the classroom or an exciting educational experience depends on you, the educator. How well you and your students are prepared will determine what is experienced on your field trip. The blending of outdoor and classroom learning activities is the essence of outdoor education. Visiting Quivira NWR provides an excellent opportunity to apply classroom learning to real life situations.
1. Be familiar with the site! It is very important for you to visit the Refuge and explore it yourself if possible before sharing it with your students. The seasons change, so please plan your pre-trip visit during the same season as your field trip.
2. Divide your class into as small of groups as possible before you arrive. Let the groups know who they are. Color-coded name tags or name tags cut in the shape of different animals are two methods which can be used. Groups of 25 or less are helpful if rotating between different stations to maximize student exposure to the message at each station and facilitate a more one-on-one learning experience.
3. Plan the trip ahead of time. Know what concepts you want to get across and select or design activities to teach those ideas. Then perform the pre-trip activities for your choices. The emphasis of the field trip activities should be on the quality of the experience, not the number of facts and scientific names you can remember.
4. Call Refuge staff to reserve space. Many schools take advantage of the opportunity to visit Quivira NWR so it is a good idea to schedule your trip as far in advance as possible. Contact Refuge staff at 620-486-2393 at least 2 weeks in advance to make sure there are no scheduling conflicts.
5. Ask for suggestions from your students. What do they expect to see and do? If they can help design it, and have an investment in it, their visit to the Refuge will be more memorable. Follow up on any sparks of interest you noticed during pre-trip activities or as you explained the upcoming trip. Ask your students to answer the following questions in writing and then use their responses in your planning:
a) What do you expect to see at the Wildlife Refuge?
b) What do you expect to do at the Wildlife Refuge?
c) What would you like to study at the Wildlife Refuge?
WE HOPE THAT WITH PROPER PREPARATION AND PLANNING YOU'LL ENJOY A
GREAT FIELD TRIP!!
WHAT
DO I NEED TO BRING?
Students should bring a
sack lunch that does not require refrigeration, and their bags should be marked
with their names. Pack lunches by group for ease in distribution. Also try several
boxes instead of one to store the lunches (would you want your PB&J at the
bottom of 100 lunches?).
Students (and chaperons) must wear shoes and
socks, no open-toe shoes. This is a WILDlife Refuge and the plants and habitat
are just as wild as the animals. Nothing ruins a good time like sand burrs in-between
your toes!
If the weather is cool, students should have a jacket, sweater,
or rain gear if needed.
Kansas is noted for its wind, and Quivira Refuge is no
exception.
Insect repellant is helpful. Stick or cream is recommended
as spray may get in the eyes.
Teachers and students- Bring a camera!
Everyone needs to bring a change of shoes and perhaps even a change of clothes if you have activities
planned in the marsh.
Marsh muck doesn't appeal to the average senses on a long
bus ride home.
Binoculars and field guides for identification of wildlife
and plants will be helpful.
Quivira NWR does have a limited number of binoculars available for checkout.
Drinking water is available in the Environmental
Education Classroom however, if you plan on being
out on the Refuge for any length
of time it is recommended you and your students bring your own drinking water.
Note: Activity equipment is supplied by the Refuge. Please make arrangements with
Refuge
Staff at least one week prior to your visit for specific activities in
order to have equipment available upon your arrival.
WHAT
ARE THE RULES OF THE ROAD?
Please set the ground
rules with your group before the field trip. Have your students describe what
behavior they think will be appropriate and fill in points they miss. By helping
to coming up with the rules they will be more likely to follow them. Help them
to understand this is a protected area and a special place for plants and animals;
it is different from a park or playground. Emphasize that they are visitors and
should behave as they do in someone else’s home. Be sure to include these
rules:
ONLY
TAKE AWAY MEMORIES
All plants, animals and artifacts are protected.
Students can only take drawings,
pictures, rubbings and memories with them
from the Refuge.
REPLACE WHAT YOU PICK UP
Avoid stepping on or excessively disturbing plants and animals. If you move
any rocks,
sticks or logs, please put them back as you found them. Otherwise,
you could be
re-arranging the "furniture" of many animals’
and plants’ homes.
WALK AND TALK QUIETLY
This increases your chances to observe the wildlife.
STAY
WITH YOUR GROUP
Each group must be accompanied by an adult at
all times.
BE AWARE OF YOUR TRASH
Do not litter the trails. Pick up any litter you see
and dispose of it in a trash can. Thanks!
TASTE AND TOUCH ONLY IF GIVEN
PERMISSION
Do not touch any plants or animals unless you are asked
to do so. Do not taste
any plants unless you are instructed to do so. Some
animals and plants could be harmful.
CLEAN ANY EQUIPMENT
YOU HAVE BORROWED
Materials and equipment must be cleaned before
they are returned to Refuge
Headquarters. Count the materials to be certain
everything that was checked
out is returned. Broken or lost items must be
replaced. By taking care
of our equipment, we can be sure that the next group
that wishes to
check it out will be just as happy with it as you were.
WHAT IS THE REFUGE?
Located in Reno, Rice, and Stafford counties in south-central Kansas, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1955 to provide wintering habitat and a migration stop for migratory birds moving up and down the Central Flyway. In 1999, Quivira NWR reached its present size of 22,135 acres. Quivira NWR is one of over 500 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. This system, encompassing over 92 million acres, is a network of lands and waters managed specifically for wildlife. The System is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. In addition to the Refuge System, the Service is responsible for the endangered species program, certain marine mammals, and migratory birds, among other wildlife programs. There are currently four national wildlife refuges in Kansas, each unique in its wildlife and management. The name "Quivira" comes from a Native American tribe living in the area when the explorer, Coronado, visited in 1541. It is believed to mean "raccoon eyes" in reference to tattoos around their eyes which resembled a raccoon’s mask. In quest of gold, treasures and the fabled "Seven Cities of Cibola", Coronado instead found fertile grasslands, abundant wildlife, and small agricultural villages. For years the marshes of Quivira NWR have attracted thousands of migrating waterfowl. These marshes and a wide diversity of other habitats provide food, cover and protection for wildlife. Wetlands, large and small, are present throughout the Refuge comprise approximately 7,000 surface acres of water, slightly to moderately saline. Fall flights of thousands of Canada geese, ducks and other migratory birds such as sandhill cranes and shorebirds, use these areas as they pass through the Refuge on their annual migrations.
The largest habitat type at Quivira NWR is the Grassland. The Refuge contains over 13,000 acres of short, medium and tall grass prairies representative of those found throughout the Great Plains. These large spans of prairie land consist of grass species such as big and little bluestem, switchgrass, Indiangrass, eastern gamagrass, sandlove grass and sand reedgrass. These areas provide excellent cover, nesting and feeding habitat for ground nesting bird species such as quail and meadowlarks, as well as hunting grounds for coyotes and numerous species of raptors such as red-tailed, Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks. Prairie dog colonies are also found in grassland habitat. Over 1,300 acres on the Refuge are used for Farmland. These acres are planted in winter wheat, milo, or are left fallow. This acreage provides an excellent food source for geese, song birds and ground nesting birds such as pheasant and quail.
The Salt Flats are very important to several endangered species that use Quivira NWR. The endangered interior least tern, a small fish eating bird, uses high spots on this un-vegetated habitat for nesting. As the wind blows, the shallow water on these flats moves around on the ground surface, exposing new feeding areas to the shorebirds. Many shorebirds depend on these traditional feeding areas for refueling and nesting during their spring and fall migration.
Numerous Shelter Belts, or tree strips planted to block weather elements, and old farmstead sites provide woodland habitat. Cottonwoods and red cedar comprise the majority of these areas which provide cover for numerous species including songbirds, turkeys, white-tailed deer and raccoons. Over 250 species of birds have been recorded on the Refuge. Eighteen species of ducks and four species of geese can be seen in abundance during the spring and fall migrations. Protected birds such as the threatened southern bald eagle and the endangered peregrine falcon feed and find sanctuary in the Refuge. Other protected birds, such as the endangered whooping crane and piping plover visit the Refuge in small groups during their annual migrations. Whooping cranes can be seen in April and October; piping plovers, in May and September. Other protected plant and fish species located on the Refuge also benefit from the Refuge habitat programs.
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge balances the management of habitat for wildlife and public use.
The Refuge staff performs various management techniques such as controlled burning, grazing
and cooperative farming. These serve to enhance habitat for wildlife, while the public use facilities
provide wildlife-oriented recreation opportunities for the visiting public. Public use opportunities
i ncluding outdoor classrooms, hiking, biking, bird/wildlife watching, photography, and fishing are
available to visitors year-round throughout the Refuge.
Click here for a few fun activities!
Privacy, Disclaimer, Copyright
Contact Us:
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
1434 NE 80th Street
Stafford, Kansas 67578
620-486-2393
Quivira@fws.gov
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to afford persons with disabilities full accessibility or reasonable accommodation. Contact Refuge staff for information or to address accessibility needs. For the hearing impaired, use your State Relay System for the Deaf.
Last updated:
August 25, 2008