About Field Trips
The Estuary Partnership leads school field trips for grade 2-12 students in the lower Columbia region of Oregon and Washington. Our goal is to increase knowledge and appreciation for the Columbia River Estuary and local natural areas. Field trip activities depend on grade level, field trip location, and teacher goals. We provide preparatory classroom lessons to students before field trips. In some cases, we offer stand-alone field trips to schools where teachers are providing instruction relevant to field trip activities.
How to Choose a Field Trip
Teachers should review the classroom lessons associated with each type of field trip and select the grade appropriate theme from the choices below. From there, we work with teachers to narrow down a field trip location and specific activities. Examples of activities are listed below each type of field trip. Examples of field trip sites are on this map.
Current FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
Complete the PROGRAM REQUEST form if you would like to request a field program.
Stream Exploration (grade 2 and higher): Students survey wildlife and the physical environment and ask scientific questions about local streams and rivers.
- Paddle 34-foot canoes
- Test water quality
- Identify local birds
- Collect aquatic macroinvertebrates
Service Project (grade 4 and higher): Students complete a project to improve wildlife habitat and discover how organisms interact with the physical environment.
- Remove invasive weeds
- Plant trees and shrubs
- Test water quality
Nature Exploration (grades 2-4): Students learn to make scientific observations and discover how organisms depend on each other.
- Sensory hike
- Collect aquatic macroinvertebrates
- Discover animal signs
- Create scientific drawings