Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge provides educators a fantastic opportunity to bring their students out to experience wildlife and ecosystems that they have studied in their classrooms. We offer a variety of learning opportunities for most grades. All programs are free of cost. Read below to find out how our two different on-site opportunities work.
Field Trips to Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge
Program Overview
Self-Guided Field Trips: educators have access to detailed lesson plans, which includes step-by-step instructions, supplemental materials (if applicable), a detailed site map, and a welcome video.
Discovery Days: On select "Discovery Days", volunteers and staff are available to supplement your visit (see further information below).
Target Grades
Most lessons are targeted for 3rd-5th grade; however, most lessons are designed so that educators can adapt or scale to additional grades. Classes are welcome to modify the lesson to meet their needs.
Lesson Plan Details (Science Standards, Duration, Etc)
All lesson plans include science standards (NGSS) that are applicable to the lesson, key terms, detailed site map, supplies such as worksheets, pencils, guide books, and other applicable gear such as binoculars, if needed for the lesson. Lesson length (estimation), as well as background information are also included in each lesson. Please review all of the lessons to determine the best fit.
Lesson Plans
Animal Tracks (Animals of the Refuge) Students learn about wildlife that live on the refuge through creating their own tracks, inspecting track imprints and finding real ones on the trail. Focus on how wildlife is adapted to life on the refuge. | Habitats of the Refuge Students will learn about the four main components of habitats (space, water, shelter, and food) and utilize oak and river habitat to describe real-life examples. | ABC's of Birds (Birds of the Refuge) This lesson aims to make the process of bird watching and bird identification more accessible by breaking down the important components, synthesized into the "ABC's of Birds." Students will learn about bird species by practicing these observational prompts and using binoculars to observe birds on the trail. |
Pelts and Skulls (Animals of the Refuge) Students will learn about wildlife that live on the refuge by inspecting animals’ pelts and skulls in this hands-on lesson. This lesson will also build an understanding of why certain animals live in specific habitats, as well as investigate the differences between carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. | ||
Evidence of Wildlife (Animals of the Refuge) Students will learn about wildlife that live on the refuge by searching for signs of wildlife on the trail. Focus on how wildlife is adapted to each environment and use exploration time to find evidence of wildlife. |
Field Trip - Self-Guided
Educators will be provided a lesson plan (which includes step-by-step instructions), and all of the necessary supplies, depending on the lesson. Each lesson is designed to be utilized by an educator or any group leader, regardless of experience level or familiarity with the refuge. Groups are limited to a maximum of 15 per group; if your class size is more than 15 people, you can break the group into several smaller groups and stagger. Groups are limited to 60 people per day (a total of 4 smaller groups of 15 people). All field trips need to be scheduled ahead of time.
Self-Guided Field Trips are available every Friday, March - May. Please contact the refuge for information on how to take advantage of this opportunity at tualatinriver@fws.gov.
Field Trip - Discovery Days
In addition to the self-guided field trip days, we offer limited Discovery Days, where volunteers are available to supplement field trips. Groups are limited to a maximum of 15 per group; if your class size is more than 15 people, you can break the group into several smaller groups and stagger. Groups are limited to 60 people per day (a total of 4 smaller groups of 15 people). All Discovery Day field trips need to be scheduled ahead of time.
How it works: volunteers will be stationed at the study sites, available to support your visit. These volunteers are not there to lead or supervise groups, rather they are there to engage students in deeper inquiry at each of the study sites, to talk about points of interest relevant to the lessons, and answer questions. Teachers and/or group leaders will guide their students through the lesson as written, then at each of the study sites, volunteers will be there to help provide a more contextual experience to provide their knowledge and expertise and help guide inquiry. For these Discovery Days, the Pelts and Skulls lesson will be utilized (falls under Animals of the Refuge lesson plan). With volunteer assistance, classes and groups can experience a slightly expanded version of this lesson, through the investigation of additional pelts and skulls.
Spring 2024 Discovery Days are fully booked for the season.
Fall 2024 Discovery Days will be offered on the following dates:
September 17, 24
October 15, 29
Scheduling is open during these dates:
- Fall 2024 Field Trips (September-October) - Scheduling open August 1 - August 31, 2024
How to Sign Up for a Fieldtrip
Due to high demand of our free field trip visits and limited space, all teachers and group leaders are required to schedule their group's trip in advance with refuge staff. Even if you are visiting with a group on your own (and don't require the use of our lessons or supplies), please inform our staff. We have daily group maximums in place to prevent disturbance to wildlife.
Email tualatinriver@fws.gov or call (503)625-5944 to schedule a field trip; please include fieldtrip date(s) preferences (see list of open dates above), and group size.
After scheduling and booking a fieldtrip - tips for a successful visit to Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge:
- Fully review the lesson selected and encourage other teachers, chaperones, or group leaders to review the lesson prior to arrival, (particularly the background and summary section at the beginning of the lesson).
- Plan to stagger groups - groups larger than 15 will need to break up into smaller groups and stagger on the trail. While waiting, groups are more than welcome to convene at the covered picnic table area.
- Groups are more than welcome to utilize the covered picnic area - no reservation necessary