Community Naturalist Education

Audubon Rockies Award Winning Community Naturalists are responsible for working with local community groups, school systems, Audubon chapters and other organizations to coordinate and deliver the Audubon Rockies education and outreach programs at the local level.  Community Naturalists translate Audubon’s conservation message through a variety of educational programs reaching the local classrooms, family and adult audiences.  Audubon feels this community outreach is extremely valuable.  Today’s generation, raised on computers and video games, is offered few opportunities to experience or connect with the outdoors.  Studies in the past 10 years show that nature-based education enhances attention spans and creativity, develops critical thinking and decision-making skills, and improves test scores (Richard Louv, author of Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder). 

Are you looking for a fun, educational hands-on experience for your class or group ? Jacelyn and Dusty Downey can create a program just for you and your students. They work closely with your state standards so it will fall right into place with your curriculum. Below are some examples of field trips or in class presentations to kick start the process.

ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS HAVE A LOCAL, PLACED BASED APPROACH.  PROGRAMS HAVE A SAGEBRUSH/AVIAN THEME AND OR FOCUS AND ARE ALIGNED WITH STATE STANDARDS. 

* Winter Programs: Snow Science Programs, Winter Bio-Blitz, Snow Tracking, Sagebrush Food Webs, Artic Animals, Hibernation and Torpor: Winter Adaptations,

Are you ready to get started planning your Community Naturalist program? You can download and fill out the teacher's worksheet and email/snail mail it to us. You can also call/email Jacelyn or Dusty directly for more information..

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Class Presentations

A Bird's Life: Your Audubon Wyoming Community Naturalist will introduce your group to the wonderful world of birds: Topics can include: avian adaptations, cavity nesting, ornithology, Important Bird Areas of Wyoming, habitat ecology, bird identification, anatomy, competition, migration, Predator/prey relationships, Human/animal interaction & conflict, and citizen science education and research programs for youth such as Feederwatch and Bird Counts.

Amazing Adaptions: By dressing up in different costumes (we'll bring them!) and studying some skins and bones of different critters, your group will discover why animals are built a certain way, and what might happen if they weren't.

Artic Animals: Aimed at pre-school to early elementary students, this program will discuss ways that animals deal with living in cold climates.

Audubon Adventures: Developed by professional environmental educators, AUDUBON ADVENTURES is a program that presents basic, scientifically accurate facts about birds, wildlife, and their habitats. Each year a new theme is created. Ask about themes available. The program is used by classroom teachers, after-school program coordinators, special education instructors, language arts teachers, and homeschoolers. (Grades 3 to 5)

Creative Nature Writing/Journaling: Through a writing exercise, the students will gain an insight into our natural world and how inspiring it can be.

Field to Forest: An Ecosystem Exploration: This indoor or outdoor program covers pollination, hydrologic cycle, seed dispersal, herbaceous plant structure, native vs. non-native species, photosynthesis, tree structure, tree identification, competition, and habitats.

Hibernation and Torpor: Winter Adaptations: Using role playing and experiments, students will discover ways that animals adapt to cold winter environments.

Food Webs/Energy Chains: This program highlights the transfer of energy up and down the food chain by using a hands-on activity that gives the students a chance to “live the food chain”.

Life In The Trees: While looking at tree cookies and other tree related artifacts, students will begin to gain an appreciation for the world of trees and their importance to the ecosystem.

Ocean Exploration: Though Wyoming may be a long way from the ocean, it is important for students here to understand how the ocean affects their lives in so many ways. This can be a PowerPoint presentation that compares our sagebrush sea to the ocean, or it can be a hands-on look at many ocean shells and other creatures.

Owl Pellet Dissection: This hands-on dissection will give the students a chance to open up an owl pellet and discover what is inside! You never know what you may find.

Signs of Life: Tracks and Traces: How do we know if an animal has been to an area if you don’t see them? Using tracks and traces, this program will teach students about what clues animals leave that help us to identify them. *This can be a field trip option as well*

Snow Science Programs: From elementary school to high school, there are many things to learn about snow. Both indoor and outdoor experiments can be conducted.

The Water Cycle: Get up and moving for this activity! Learn the water cycle through a creative song and dance.

Field-trip Excursions

Astronomy Night Hike: By taking a hike at night, children get a perfect view of constellations, planets, and the sky as a whole, Students will get a new view of their surroundings and begin to understand the vastness of our universe. Great for organizational groups and homeschoolers but this can be adapted for an in-class power point presentation as well.

Bio-Blitz! Nature Scavenger Hunt: Lets find it! This activity lets students find out exactly how many amazing plants and animals live near your school yard

Insect Safari: Using nets, bug-viewers, and observation skills, students will search for insects to peek at, while they learn about the adaptations that they possess.

Plankton Paradise: This macro-invertebrate exploration of a local watershed gives students an up close view of what lives in streams, ponds, and lakes.

Sagebrush Steppes: By exploring our local sagebrush ecosystem, students will gain a better understanding of how unique it is to Wyoming. By talking about sagebrush’s place in our world, they will gain a unique perspective on Wyoming.

Schoolyard Ecology: A trip to the local schoolyard can yield an amazing array of plants and animals and by looking at how they live together; your students can gain an appreciation for teamwork.

Snow Tracking: Examine your schoolyard or nearby park to discover evidence of life, then create your own snow tracks using animal casts!

Survival Skills Workshop: This outdoor program includes survival priorities, working in a group, plant identification, and the concepts of condensation and transpiration in a survival context.

Winter Bio-Blitz Scavenger Hunt: Get outside to find winter life.

Winter Survival: Learn how humans can survive in the snow!

Community Programs

Bird Banding
This summer program enables volunteers to get up close and personal with Northeast Wyoming birds. A banding training class, which precedes the first banding date, provides volunteers with the skills required to set up and take down mist nets, remove birds from nets, and band, identify, sex and age birds. The banding stations provide a place for families and individuals to come learn about local birds, get outdoors, and have fun.

Bird Watching Classes
Have us help you identify the birds of your area. We can take a leisurely walk and enjoy some good old fashioned bird watching.

Small Acreage Management
This program will engage small acreage landowners in the development and implementation of wildlife management plans that address habitat issues, through education and outreach to the ranchette community groups.

Field Trip Organization
We have over ten years experience organizing outdoor adventures. No matter if it is a day trip to the Belle Fourche river, or a week long expedition to the Bighorn Mountains, let us help you get prepared.

Adult Poetry and Creative Writing Classes
Our experienced writers in residence can be your muse for a day.

It’s Just Sagebrush
Watch Steve Chingrins beautiful cinematography come to life with his new video titled “Its Just Sagebrush”. Along with comments from a community naturalist, begin to understand the life of this amazing bird.

How to build a birdhouse
We will bring materials for, and construct a demo bird house and show participants how to put it together. We discuss hole size importance, and different construction techniques to help you build the perfect house for your area. Birdhouse plans given to each participant free of charge.

Ocean VS Sagebrush Sea Exploration
Though Wyoming may be a long way from the ocean, it is important for Wyomingites to understand how the ocean affects their lives in so many ways. Our resident Marine Biologist, Jacelyn Downey, will give a PowerPoint presentation that compares our sagebrush sea to the ocean.

Signs of life, Tracks and Traces
How do we know if an animal has been to an area if you don’t see them? Using tracks and traces, this program will teach participants about what clues animals leave that help us to identify them. This includes a field trip option as well.