Educators and School Administrators — IOOBY (In Our Own Backyard) is for you!

This District educational program is a fun way for students of all ages to learn about our natural resources by actively participating in land management and conservation on properties that have been protected by the District. Local schools join the program for three years. During that time, our partner, LandPaths, works with the same teachers each year to create educational and engaging lessons for the classroom and on the land. Individual classes adopt sites and visit them four times during the year, taking part in various activities— sometimes they pull out invasive plants, sometimes they adopt trees (measure them, name them, revisit, watch how they grow) and sometimes they build and install bird boxes. Students learn to "foxwalk" (quietly) and listen with "deer ears." Back in the classroom, students complete projects that reinforce the lessons they’ve learned outdoors. Member schools include elementary, middle and high school classes.

For more information about this District program, e-mail our partner, LandPaths: Outings@landpaths.org