Field Trips

Take part in our River Pathways field trips and show your students that what they have been learning about is not only real, but is in their own backyard! Students participating in these trips will get the chance to explore native desert riparian habitat, view native wildlife, practice techniques used by biologists in the field, and help collect data that will be used by the Bureau of Land Management to protect our public lands. These field trips are free and transportation is provided. Please contact Steven Prager via email with any questions or to schedule your trip.

Pre-Trip:
The first River Pathways trip is to the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center, which provides a gateway into the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area, a 600-acre stretch of riparian habitat along the Salt River. This trip will strengthen your students understanding of the threats faced by Arizona’s riparian habitats and introduce skills needed to be professional land and resource managers. Although it is not mandatory for your students to complete the River Pathways Curriculum prior to this field trip, it is highly recommended.

Click here (297 kb, pdf) for information on how to prepare for your first River Pathways trip.

Post-Trip:
We hope you enjoyed your visit to the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center! Click here for information regarding future opportunities with Audubon Arizona and a short post-trip handout(245 kb, PDF).

Also, check out this short activity to show your students how the data collected through habitat monitoring is used to make real-world management decisions!

• Data Example - Good Site (2.25 MB, PDF)
• Data Example - Bad Site (2.25 MB, PDF)
• Data Analysis Worksheet (107 kb, PDF)

Agua Fria Trip:
After completing the River Pathways curriculum and your first field trip, some students may be interested in further exploration of the field of conservation biology and land management. These students are perfect candidates for our second field trip and internship opportunities! Click here (416 kb, PDF) for information about this final field trip and the opportunities it can create for your students!

Also, feel free to explore some of the materials your students will be using in the field!

• Rationale for measurements taken during MIM monitoring (142 kb, PDF)
• MIM Field Guide (2.36 MB, PDF)
• MIM Plants Card (2.95 MB, PDF)