Turtle Cove is pleased to offer exciting and educational field experiences for 3rd – 12th grade students, university classes, and other community groups interested in wetland and aquatic sciences, as well as the environmental history and issues related to coastal wetland loss in Louisiana.
Fall and Spring semesters: 2 – 3 days per week (Monday – Friday) from 9/9:30 am – 12/12:30 pm
Summer semesters: 2 – 3 days per week (Monday – Thursday) from 9/9:30 am – 12/12:30 pm
Field trip dates change each semester based on our graduate assistants’ class schedules. Please check the homepage of the website or contact Ariel Ebanks ([email protected]) for the current dates.
Various aspects of wetland ecology and environmental science are discussed during field trips, including wetlands ecology, bald cypress and marsh restoration, plant and animal adaptations to the wetland environment, and the many environmental problems (and their solutions) of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.
Students may expect to see a variety of wildlife, including alligators, birds, nutria, snakes, and fish as well as the various wetland plants that support these animals. Tour leaders are very accommodating and willing to tailor each field trip to meet any particular thematic units or learning objectives teachers may be covering in class.
View our boardwalk stations below for more information on the flora and fauna you can expect to see during your visit.
Please review our Tour Information Guide and submit the registration form on page 5 to Ariel Ebanks ([email protected]) to arrange a date for your group. All forms required for field trips can be found here.
Our boardwalk stations are provided for educators to aid in the planning and developing of activities prior to a scheduled field trip (scavenger hunts, species identification exercises, etc.). You are also invited to sponsor one of our boardwalk signs. If you would like to sponsor a sign, find out which signs are available, and what language you would like to place on the sponsorship plate, contact Turtle Cove Manager Dr. Robert Moreau via email ([email protected]), office phone (985-549-5008) or cell phone (504-231-1067).
We periodically offer single-day workshops (when grant funding allows) for K-12 teachers and other community educators. These workshops have focused on a combination of field collection and identification techniques (water quality/dipnetting/vegetation identification) and classroom lectures, which provide an introduction to the natural and socio-economic systems that make up the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.
If you are interested in getting on the list for future workshop notification, contact Dr. Robert Moreau ([email protected]).
Our Turtle Cove teacher workshops are aligned with the National Science Education Standards for course content and professional development for K-12 teachers. Our workshops have long been associated with the Pontchartrain Conservancy, and we maintain close relationships with several other environmental education organizations.
