Tours of the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest
Staff from both the USDA-Forest Service and HBRF are pleased to offer tours to middle- and high school-aged students from May through October by appointment. Given the wide range of class levels and subjects, as well as the variety of research performed at Hubbard Brook, we find that working with teachers ahead of time is crucial towards delivering a tour which meets the teacher’s goals for the class. Common tour themes include long-term data collection, acid rain, watersheds, and ecosystem science, though we can tailor the tours to the group’s needs.
We encourage teachers to spend some time at school introducing the HBEF to students before the visit and we are happy to provide you with resources that are perfect for this purpose. We also have several follow-up experiments, data-based lessons and other activities for students to complete once back at school. We feel that time spent learning and talking about Hubbard Brook before and after a tour adds immensely to the educational value of the trip.
An average group’s visit usually includes an introductory slide show and a 1-2 hour field component, depending on the duration of the visit. Tour stops generally include atmospheric monitoring sites, 1-2 experimental watersheds (and weirs), and a visit to the archives building. If your group is able to stay for a longer amount of time, additional activities and lessons related to the tour’s focus can be done on-site.
We recommend that you contact us to plan your trip as far in advance as possible, as the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest hosts numerous events throughout the year.
Please keep the following in mind when planning your trip:
- The minimum group size is 5 and the maximum group size per Hubbard Brook staff person is 20. We try to accommodate groups larger than this when additional HB staff are available, but this is not always possible.
- In addition to HB staff, groups must be well-chaperoned.
- Students and adults must dress appropriately for walking in the woods the dayof the visit. Sturdy walking/hiking shoes are mandatory, and rain gear and warm hats are often needed. Open-toed shoes and shorts are generally not adequate.
- There are no food services available at the HBEF, but students may bring bagged lunches and snacks into the conference room. We request that trash and food are picked up the students before they depart.
- Vehicles taking students into the Experimental Forest will drive on a single lane dirt road. School buses can be accommodated but might limit destination options.
For more information or to schedule a date, please contact Jackie Wilson (jwilson@hbresearchfoundation.org).