Jamaica Bay Unit Ranger Guided Programs

Gateway's Jamaica Bay Unit in Brooklyn and Queens offers a number of curriculum-based on-site educational experiences for students that focus on the park's natural and historical resources. Contact the Ecology Village staff at 718-338-4306 for further information, or go to Jamaica Bay Professional Development for information about spring 2011 teacher workshops.

 

NPS Photo

Class enjoying a campfire during the Ecology Village Camping Program.

Gateway's Ecology Village Camping Program at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn offers 6th through 8th grade students the only curriculum based overnight camping experience in New York City. This inquiry based program is aligned with NYC DOE learning standards and Scope and Sequence in science. A free 30-hour teacher training course is required for participation. A camping permit fee is also required. For further information, call 718-338-4306.

 

Educator Photo

Students from PS148 in Queens taking environmental data on the beach at Breezy Point during operation Explore in 2005.

Operation Explore is a multi-agency collaboration between the National Park Service, NYC Dept. of Education, NYS Department of Parks and Historic Preservation, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection and Cornell Cooperative Extension, NYC Programs.  Begun over 30 years ago, OPEX gives 4th through sixth grade NYC public school students a unique year-long experience which includes trips to marine, forest and farm habitats that includes an overnight stay upstate. Call 718-354-4576 for further information.

 

Jamaica Bay Education Day Programs

Free educational offerings for organized youth groups at the Jamaica Bay Unit are approximately 2 hours in length; group size is limited to 35 students. A 3 hour teacher workshop is required prior to class participation. Standards-based ranger-guided or teacher-led programs are available by reservation. The following are day programs:

Habitats By Land and Sea

Students, between grades 4 and 6, work in small teams to collect and compare scientific data on environmental conditions, and make observations of plants and animals in three coastal environements at Floyd Bennett Field, Fort Tilden, and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Science concepts such as adaptation and interdependence are reflected in the program.

What's Alive at Dead Horse Bay?

During this program, students in grades 4-6 learn about the unseen properties of water. Using water quality tests to determine several parameters, such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity and salinity. Students develop a hypothesis as to whether marine life can be supported in Dead Horse Bay and then test their hypothesis by using a seine net and/or plankton net to determine life beneath the water's surface.

For the Birds

Adaptations of birds plays a large role in their behavior and natural history. Students use common household items to learn about bird beaks and how they are adapted to different food items in the wild. Kids play "Migration Headache," illustrating how even small changes in a habitat can affect chances of survival. Students complete the program with an outdoor field walk, utilizing field guides and binoculars to observe resident and migratory birds in varied habitats of the park.

Marine Invaders

Citizen scientists in grades 6 through high school sample shoreline areas around Jamaica Bay for invasive crab species. Data gets collected and is shared with park managers and scientists researching the impact of invasive species of the natural environment.