Plant Invaders Field Trip Schedule

Flexibility for weather conditions, bus problems, etc...is essential to having an enjoyable visit to the park. No two school programs are exactly alike, but the following schedule represents a typical trip.

8:30a.m.-9:30a.m Travel to the park.
Teachers can be making sure students all have nametags and know their group assignments. Each student should also know what their expertise within their group will be for the day: field guide expert, GPS expert, trail map expert, data recorder expert, photographer (optional)

9:30-9:45 Meet park rangers at the Apgar Transit Center.
After a brief welcome by the park rangers to Glacier National Park, the ranger(s) will talk with the chaperones and teacher(s) about the schedule for the day, students will take a bathroom break.

9:45-10:15 Students should be in groups of 3. There will be stations set up and 3-4 student groups will be at each station. Students will review information about non-native, invasive plants and their identification.

10:15-12:15p.m. Station groups will hike with their assigned rangers/volunteers to their monitoring site and collect data on percent cover of non-native, invasive plants.

12:15-12:45 Lunch and clean-up (lunch spot to be decided by ranger and teacher depending on which trail the students hike on).

12:45-1:30 Students pull weeds (mechanical treatment) if possible. Students must be signed up as volunteers in advance and have gloves. Ranger(s) review the educational objectives for the day.

1:30-1:45 Both classes meet back at the Apgar Transit Center (if others went on a different trail) and compare results. Final bathroom breaks and load up buses.

2:00 Bus leaves the park.