Getting Involved
Current Programs
Fin-tastic Fish
Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade
2 hrs | $200 per class/group
Meet the fish at the historic Vancouver Trout Hatchery at Columbia Springs! What do you have in common with a salmon? How does a trout survive in their underwater world? Take a hike around West Biddle Lake to see if you can find all the things that trout need in order to survive.
Check out the field guide for this program in English, or Spanish!
Stream Sleuths
3rd, 4th, and 5th grade
2 hrs | $200 per class/group
Why do salmon care about rocks and trees? In this program student scientists will construct a stream model, conduct a field survey and do water quality tests to learn what salmon need from their habitat to survive. Along the way they’ll discover some amazing things about this unique fish!
Check out the field guide for this program in English or Spanish!
Wild World of Bugs
Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade
2 hrs | $200 per class/group
What is life like for a bug? How do their unique traits help them survive? Learn how adaptations can help different bugs thrive! Investigate rotting logs in the forest and explore under rocks in our stream to examine bugs in their natural habitat!
Check out the field guide for this program in English, or Spanish!
Guided Hike
All Ages
2 hrs | $200 per class/group
Watch a kingfisher dive for its dinner. Smell the fragrant, fruity blossom of a wild rose. Explore the wetland and forest ecosystems of Columbia Springs on a guided nature hike lead by an experienced environmental educator. Content, distance, and activities vary by age group and season.
Soil Investigators
2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade
2 hrs | $200 per class/group
If you were a bug, what kind of soil would you want to live in? What kind of soil gives us a big, beautiful forest? Prepare to dig in and get your hands dirty as you take a hike through the forests of Columbia Springs on a scientific investigation to get to the root of these questions and more!
Check out the field guide for this program in English, or Spanish!
Eco-Explorers
5th grade
4 hrs | $275 per class/group
What is an ecosystem and how do humans impact its health? Explore the underwater world of macroinvertebrates, design a healthy stream, and get an up-close look at decomposition in action on this full-day excursion.
Check out the field guide for this program in English, Spanish or Russian!
Summer Science Exploration Programs
Get Fishy
Program Fee: $200
Meet the fish at the historic Vancouver Trout Hatchery at Columbia Springs! Play a fast-paced survival game, to see if you could survive as a salmon and take a hike around West Biddle Lake to learn how the forest helps trout and salmon thrive.
Bug out!
Program Fee: $200
What is life like for a bug? Investigate rotting logs in the forest and explore under rocks in our stream to examine bugs in their natural habitat!