EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Environmental Education Opportunities For Students

FIELD TRIPS:
The Osborne Center offers a wide variety of programs to students from preschool to high school. All programs offered to students who live within Clayton County are free of charge; out-of-county students will be charged $2 per student. On-site field trips to the Osborne Center are offered throughout the year. Any school district interested in a field trip is encouraged to call and ask for more information.

Some of the programs offered at the Osborne Center include archery, native wildlife exhibit tours, canoeing, nature walks, scavenger hunts, and track detectives. For a more detailed list of programs offered, please call the Nature Center and ask for Kenny or Abbey 563-245-1516.

CLASSROOM PROGRAMS:
Our naturalists also visit school classrooms within the county. These free programs allow teachers to provide supplemental learning opportunities to their students. Clayton County Conservation’s naturalists lead these programs to provide an opportunity to delve deeper into local ecology and science, and to enhance what is being learned in the classroom.

Classroom Naturalist Programs are very popular with all county schools, so it's important to schedule early, before our calendar is filled. Classroom Naturalist Programs are scheduled from November through March, but if a teacher needs a special program in October or April, let us know and exceptions can be made for seasonal programs by request.

Program List

Request Form

Hunter Education Classes

The Clayton County Conservation Board offers two Hunter Education Classes each year:

An Internet Field Day Course will be held TBD. To attend internet field day, students must complete the online course work. Once you've completed the online portion, print off the field day voucher and bring it with you to class.
A Full Classroom Course is held on TBD. Students are required to attend all class sessions. A group of dedicated volunteer Hunter Education Instructors teach students about a wide range of hunting related topics. On Saturday, the class is held on the outdoor range where students are able to participate in hands-on activities. This includes live fire of a .22, 20 gauge, black powder and archery. Instruction is also given on casing and uncasing a firearm, map reading, zones of fire, fence crossing and shoot and don’t shoot situations.

To register for hunter education classes go to the IOWA DNR and search for the Clayton County Conservation location.

Summer
River Rat
Day Camps

New this year are our River Rats Day Camps which are geared towards older youth ages 10-15 years old. Each camp will focus on a different theme for a full day of outdoor exploration and environmental awareness. Activities will include hiking, beginner paddling, games and more.

River Rat Camps held 9am-4pm

June 21, 2024 - River Rats Rivers and Ponds Camp, 10-15 year old
July 19, 2024 - River Rats NE IA Hidden Treasurers, 10-15 year old
July 26, 2024 - S.T.E.A.M. Paddle the Turkey, 10-15 year old

River Rat Registrations

Summer
Nature Kids
day camps

Nature Kid camps are for our younger nature enthusiasts. These camps will each have a different theme for a day of fun exploring our parks.

Nature Kid Camps held 9am-3pm

June 14, 2024 - Art Osborne Camp, 6-10 year old
July 12, 2024 - S.T.E.A.M. Motor Mill Camp, 6-12* year old
July 17, 2024 - Osborne Outdoor Games Camp, 6-10 year old
July 24, 2024 - Woodland Osborne Camp, 6-10 year old
Aug 7, 2024 - What's in the Water Osborne Camp, 6-10 year old

Nature Kids Registrations

Family Camping Fun 101

Have you always wanted to try camping with your family? Well here's your chance to test it out. Bring your family out to Osborne Park and learn all the steps to tent camping. We will supply everything you need and instruct you on how to set up your camp site, start a fire, cook over the fire, etc.

June 28-29, 2024 - Family Camping 101 - All ages

Family Camping 101 Registration

Monthly Public Programs

The Clayton County Conservation Board offers monthly public programs throughout the year. These programs are usually free of charge unless listed otherwise. See the Upcoming Events page for more information.