Education
The North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve offers a variety of educational programs for K-12 school groups, the general public, special interest groups, teachers, and coastal decision makers. Components of our education program include public and school field trips, summer camps, outreach presentations, teacher training programs, exhibits, and the production of curricular, informational and technical materials. All Reserve education, training, and outreach activities are designed to enhance public awareness of the importance of estuarine systems and provide opportunities for public education and interpretation.
The K-12 student education program provides students with hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities where the content is focused on estuarine habitats, organisms or coastal issues. Teachers can bring their classes to the Reserve for a two-hour interpretive nature hike. We also provide hands-on learning activities for school groups such as seining for fish, conducting shore profiles, or testing the water quality. The Reserve’s school field trips and field studies are primarily held at the Rachel Carson Reserve in Beaufort, N.C. A small number of educational programs are offered at the other Reserve locations.
For those schools that cannot travel, we offer a variety of classroom-based programs that are led by Reserve education staff on estuarine-related topics
We also provide K-12 teachers with estuarine-based, curricular material for both classroom and field-based activities. All Reserve K-12 programs and materials are aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and the National Science Standards. National Ocean Literacy Essential Principles are also incorporated into all programs.
2009 Summer Camp Programs
The North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve located in Beaufort is offering science summer camps for students of all ages. All classes include hands-on, field-based estuarine studies.
Junior Naturalist Program
Beginning June 17th, the Junior Naturalist Program for students in grades 4-8 will run Wednesdays through August 5th from 9 a.m. to noon. Students will conduct field investigations of estuaries. Activities include: marsh seining, water quality sampling, animal population studies, beach and marsh profiles and phytoplankton identification. The cost for all eight sessions is $100.
Adventures in the Estuary
Explore the coastal waters and ecosystems of the Rachel Carson Reserve. Two sessions of Adventures in the Estuary will be held this summer for students in grades 1-3. The first session will be June 16, 18, 23 and 25 and the second session will be August 4, 6, 11 and 13. Each session is $40 for all four classes. Classes are from 9 a.m. to noon.
Preschool Storytime & Crafts
For the youngest students, Preschool Storytime & Crafts will be held from 9 - 10 a.m. on June 15, July 13 and August 10. These sessions will include a story, estuarine critter observation and a related craft. All preschool sessions are free of charge, but registration is required. Topic will include hermit crabs, birds, and snails.
Summer Camp Registration
All summer programs will be held at the Reserve's classroom located on Pivers Island in Beaufort. For more information about these programs or to register, please contact Lori Davis at (252) 838-0883 or lori.c.davis@ncdenr.gov.