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Discover the Flyway
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DTF Teacher Workshop
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Marsh Madness
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Nature Bowl
The Yolo Basin Foundation understands that teachers bear, in large part, the responsibility of building the foundation that our children will need to become well rounded, original thinkers who can make a difference in the world they live in. Therefore our environmental education programs have been geared with the ease of the teacher in mind.
The program goals are:
- Awareness: to help people acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the natural environment and the interactions which occur in the Wildlife Area.
- Knowledge: to provide a variety of experiences in and acquire a basic understanding of the environment in the Wildlife Area, including how it works, how it is managed, and what plants and animals live there.
- Attitude: to help students understand the value of the natural environment and to motivate them to actively participate in environmental improvement and protection; to see positive examples of how wildlife habitat can coexist with agriculture and surrounding urban area.
- Skills: to help acquire the tools for identifying, understanding, and solving environmental problems.
- Participation: to provide an opportunity to be involved with Wildlife Area restoration activities, and with the resolution of environmental problems in the community.
- Impact: to provide a format for the public to enjoy the Wildlife Area with minimal impact on its wildlife residents.
The Discover the Flyway school program is an education outreach program
which includes teacher workshops, classroom field trips and
volunteer training sessions. The program focuses on hands-on,
interactive learning experiences for K-12 students that create
a connection 
between ecological processes and the Yolo Wildlife Area. Yolo
Basin Foundation trains hundreds of teachers and hosts over
4,000 students and parents annually, predominantly from Sacramento,
Yolo and Solano counties.
Discover the Flyway school
programs are designed with the busy teacher schedule in mind.
All program activities correlate to the California State standards
for science enabling teachers to incorporate a field trip
to the Yolo Wildlife Area into their daily curriculum. Before
bringing students on a Discover the Flyway field
trip, teachers attend a one time only Discover the Flyway
Teacher Workshop, where they are given the materials needed
for a successful and education packed field trip experience.
All field trips are facilitated and directed by highly trained
Yolo Basin staff, interns and volunteers leaving teachers
free to experience the field trip with their students.
A $5.00 per student
donation to assist with program expenses is requested for
field trips. In order to accommodate Title I schools
Yolo Basin Foundation also offers a bus fund to schools that
can not raise funds for transportation. For further information
please contact the Program Coordinator at (530) 758-1018 or
e-mail at flyway@yolobasin.org.
Any K-12 educator interested in learning to teach students about wetlands and wildlife in the Central Valley should sign up for this workshop. The workshop will familiarize teachers with wetland habitats in the context of the Yolo Wildlife Area and provide suggestions and lessons for hands-on learning activities. Activities focus on the Yolo Wildlife Area and Demonstration Wetlands as an outdoor classroom and are tied to state teaching standards for science. Teachers are then encouraged to bring their students to the Wildlife Area for field trips supported by YBF staff.
The Yolo Wildlife Area, located in the Yolo Bypass adjacent to Interstate 80, is an exciting teaching resource. Completion of the workshop offers teachers staff support and use of field equipment for classroom field trips. This program is a great way to interest students and help them appreciate and understand the natural world. The program will focus on a thematic approach to integrating reading and writing with wildlife, science, and natural resources conservation.
The Yolo Basin Foundation and the California Waterfowl Association (CWA) co-host Marsh Madness Youth Days for under-served elementary schools with limited resources in both metropolitan and rural areas. Each Marsh Madness Day brings 60 students to a public area near their community to spend the day learning about wetlands, wildlife, and conservation.
The students receive small group instruction and hands-on experience identifying birds, searching for signs of animal life, examining pond water, studying wetland plants, and much more. Their day includes discussions about conservation, hunting, and other outdoor issues. Following a lunch that features samples of wetland foods, the students play a Marsh Makers activity that ties together the lessons of the morning. During the activity, students role play as special interest groups and learn the challenges of creating a wetland. The activity emphasizes partnerships, finances, the food web, consumptive use, and other issues that promote critical thinking and decision-making skills. Buses and a barbecue lunch are provided by CWA. Ten to 12 volunteer naturalists are on hand to assist throughout the event. Other partners with CWA also include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Sacramento Zoo.
If you are interested in volunteering to help with
a Marsh Madness Youth Day, or know a school that should be
considered for this program in the greater Sacramento area,
please feel free to contact the education
department at CWA.
Check the CREEC
website for more information about Marsh Madness.
Nature Bowl is a cooperative team competition for all 3rd through 6th grade students sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Game, California Waterfowl Association, California State University Sacramento SCATS, American River Natural History Association, American River Nature Center, Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Placer Nature Center, Sacramento Zoo, and the Yolo Basin Foundation. This engaging event introduces students to environmental issues, reinforces key concepts, increases critical thinking skills, and encourages student involvement in community conservation efforts. The competitive aspect of the event is de-emphasized so all students feel comfortable, achieve success in learning, and enjoy the activities.
Each school that participates can have teams of three to seven students in two divisions: 3rd through 4th and 5th through 6th grades. Each half-day session stresses teamwork, creativity and critical thinking. Students take part in activities such as Nature Investigations, Nature Relay, Team Problems, Bell-Ringers, Enviro-mercials and Nature Games.
Coaches can be parents or teachers
and orientation sessions are generally scheduled in December
and January of each year. Semi-finals events are conducted
in the Spring with the final competition being held at California
State University Sacramento in the late Spring. For additional
information and registration materials please contact Sarah Johnstone,
Education Coordinator for the California Waterfowl Association, at 916-648-1406.
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