IMG_9524_5_6-sliderField Trip Programs
The best resource to help plan a group trip to West Lake Park and the Anne Kolb Nature Center- STEAM-Environmental Education Programs. *Programs marked with asterisks meet specific curriculum objectives for the grades indicated.

*Mangrove Masterpiece (Kindergarten-Fifth Grade)
The plants and animals of the mangrove estuary will be explored in this three-part program. Students will board a U.S. Coast Guard-inspected, 14-passenger covered boat for a narrated tour of the tidal creeks and open waters of West Lake. (This is a Broward County School Board-approved water-related field trip). A guided tour of the nature center’s exhibit hall uses video, interactive and static displays, aquariums, and hands-on demonstrations to introduce students to the mangrove’s ecosystem. Grade-specific concepts and objectives will be highlighted during your choice of three naturalist-led trail tours. BOAT TOUR TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

Masterful Mangroves (Kindergarten-Third Grade)

  • Focuses on the importance of mangrove trees to wildlife and people.
  • Three hours.
  • 10-65 students.
  • Maximum 75 total participants, students, and chaperones.

Shells and Claws (Kindergarten-Third Grade)

  • Investigates the many mollusks and crustaceans thriving in mangrove habitats.
  • Three hours.
  • 10-65 students.
  • Maximum 75 total participants, students, and chaperones.

Mangrove Cafe (Fourth-Fifth Grades)

  • Explores species diversity, energy flow, and the connectedness among living things observed in the mangrove ecosystem.
  • Three hours.
  • 10-65 students.
  • Maximum 75 total participants, students, and chaperones.

Mangrove Masterpiece (Sixth-12th Grades)
West Lake Park preserves a 1,500+ acre coastal mangrove estuary. This field trip provides your students with an opportunity to experience the physical conditions and biological resources of this ecosystem. Shifting tides and fluctuating salinities create a variable environment. Nutrient-rich water and protection from wave action and predators, however, create a haven for wildlife. A narrated boat tour, a guided exhibit hall tour, and a naturalist-led trail tour are components of this program. Salinity will be measured, turbidity gauged, and crab pots and minnow traps surveyed.
• Three hours.
• 10-90 students.
• Maximum 100 total participants, students, and chaperones.

Seek the Unique
*Plankton-a-Plenty (Kindergarten-12th Grade)
Discover some of West Lake’s smallest flora and fauna: marine plankton, microscopic organisms crucial to the estuary and ocean’s food chain. Collect plankton on a trail hike, learn about planktivores (plankton eaters), and marvel at strange creatures under the microscope. Includes a guided exhibit hall tour.
BOAT TOUR TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

• Three hours.
• 10-65 students.
• Maximum 75 total participants, students, and chaperones.

Tidal Field Study (Fourth-12th Grades)
Tides are the rhythm of life in a mangrove estuary. This program includes a narrated boat tour and a guided exhibit hall tour, as well as a participatory field study. Students will be involved in seining, collecting plankton, and sampling sediments. Come prepared for an exciting outdoor experience and wet, muddy conditions. Note: Tide-dependent scheduling limits available dates. BOAT TOUR TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE
• Four hours.
• 10-35 students.

Activities

Friends of the Anne Kolb Nature Center (volunteer group) meets every first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. (No meetings in July and August.)