One of the primary objectives of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is to provide high-quality environmental education to an interested audience.
Teachers, outdoor education leaders, adult leaders, and students are actively involved in exploring the diverse habitats of the Refuge. Students can participate in a variety of hands-on activities that are designed to teach ecological concepts that focus on the Refuge’s resource management issues such as habitat preservation, endangered species, and migratory birds. Integrating science, art, history, math, language arts, and physical education, the activities are adaptable to students of all grade levels.
Our dynamic Environmental Education program offers free half-day educator-led field trips. Environmental education is usually conducted at the Refuge Headquarters. There is a one-mile trail that weaves through desert upland vegetation, freshwater ponds, and agricultural fields, ending 150 feet above the surface of the Salton Sea. During field trips, students learn why the Salton Sea is important to the surrounding ecosystems and to the millions of migratory birds that travel through the area each year. Over 400 species of birds have been reported at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, including a variety of waterfowl and shorebirds.