Outdoor Environmental Education for Students in Centre County and beyond

at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center

Since 1997, ClearWater Conservancy has been providing students in schools throughout Centre County with the opportunity for hands-on learning through outdoor watershed education. Each year, between 1,000 and 1,500 students have visited places like Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, Bald Eagle State Park, and Fisherman’s Paradise for a day packed with information and fun.

This program grew out of the Spring Creek Watershed Community’s goal of increasing public awareness of watershed issues through education and communication. By reaching out to the younger generation, we hope to instill a conservation ethic and inspire children to share what they learn with parents and friends. Please encourage them to share their newfound knowledge!

Program Highlights

• Connections field trips were made possible in 2006 and 2007 by the ClearWater Conservancy through grants from the Centre County Community Foundation, the Bellefonte Elks, State of the Art, the State College Rotary Club, and the Dominion Educational Partnership..
• Because of its high-quality environmental education programs, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center was chosen by ClearWater Conservancy for the location of Connections student field trips.
• Current Millbrook Marsh programs for Kindergarten, Primary (grades 1 and 2), and Intermediate (grades 3 and 4) meet applicable PA Academic Standards for Environment and Ecology.
• Funding applications will be evaluated by Jennifer Shuey, ClearWater Conservancy Executive Director and Molly Hetrick, Millbrook Marsh Nature Center Recreation Supervisor.
• Eligible expenses include Millbrook Marsh Nature Center program fees, transportation costs, and environmental education materials.

Connections Overview Brochure

Application Guidelines

Stories of Land, Water, & People:  Elementary Exploration:  Discovering the Wonders of Millbrook Marsh

Thank you to the donors who made the Connections program possible in 2006-2007:  the Dominion Educational Partnership, State of the Art, and the State College Kiwanis.

"…The program funding has been instrumental in providing this outdoor experience for the State College Area School District elementary children. We have worked with Molly Hetrick, the program coordinator at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, to structure a program to address the PA Academic standards for Environment and Ecology.

My goal is to have Kindergarten children visit Millbrook every year in conjunction with their study of plants in the spring, primary children (grades 1 and 2) visit in the spring with their study of plants and animals and intermediate children (grades 3 and 4) visit in the fall to explore Integrated Pest Management in a marsh environment. With current budget constraints, we will have to rely heavily on money obtained from outside sources to meet this goal."

     ~ Susan Younkin, Coordinator, Elementary Mathematics and Science, State College Area School District

"Learning in an outdoor environment is great, and the students engaged with the teachers enthusiastically. The nature walk through the marsh was filled with interesting facts, and the students especially enjoyed examining the living things that came from the stream."

     ~ Anne Houck, Teacher, Mountaintop Elementary School, Snow Shoe