More than a thousand K-12 students visit the Clifton Institute on field trips each year. Our goal is to get students outside, engaging with plants and animals, and learning that anyone can participate in research–including kids! On these trips, students help collect data for one of our on-going research projects. They spend anywhere between 2 and 5 hours exploring Clifton’s 900 acres, learning to identify local species, practicing field techniques, analyzing data, and discussing their results.

For some students, this is their first experience in a semi-wild space. Having enthusiastic, engaged adults at their side makes a huge difference in the quality of their trip. Clifton’s education team is very small and we need help to give these students the best experience possible! This training will focus on our spring Vernal Pool and BudOut Phenology field trips. If you are returning from the fall, this training will get you up to speed on data collection techniques and background on these two new subjects. For those who are new, you can check out our Field Trips page to learn a bit more about our trips!

By attending the training, you are not automatically beholden to volunteer. This is simply a way for you to learn more about what the field trips look like, what a volunteer’s role would be, and hone your own identification and field work skills. At the end of the training, there will be further instructions for how to sign up to volunteer.

Availability Requirements: Volunteers must be able to volunteer on Thursdays or Fridays, as those are our big field trip days. Typically the trips go from around 9AM – 1:30PM (but vary by trip). Our busiest months are March – May.

We ask that volunteers help with a minimum of 3 trips per season.

We appreciate your interest in helping us get Fauquier County kids outside and engaged with science! If you have questions about this training or our education programs, email Bridget Bradshaw (bbradshaw@cliftoninstitute.org).