High School Field Work and Ecosystem Studies (Multiple Options)

Description

Geared toward high school level Regents and AP classes, this program aims to expose students to the concepts and methods of field analysis used by biologists and research ecologists. Labs include an in-class section that should be completed prior to your trip and the field study section in Van Cortlandt Park.

Once booked, VCPA staff will contact you to select the option below that best fits your class:

Freshwater Ecology: Includes water quality measurement, benthic macroinvertebrate identification, and pond health assessment. (Students do not enter the water.) Approx. 90 minutes.

Invasive Species Project: Includes causes and effects of invasive plants as well as how ecosystems respond, using a real site in the park as a field study. Features videos for in-school lab time and field work in Van Cortlandt Park. Approx. 120 minutes.

Geology of Van Cortlandt Park: While hiking through the glacier created hills of Van Cortlandt Park students observe how natural processes such as weathering and erosion shape the land. After the hike students do a deep dive into soil composition. (Approx. 120- 150 minutes)

Pollution in our Waterways: Includes the concepts of point and nonpoint source pollution and microplastics. Students use real data on trash they find in VCP to determine the prevalence and effects of different types of pollution on the wetlands of the park. (Seasonally available) Approx. 120 minutes