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.
Hunter Education Classes
The Clayton County Conservation Board offers two Hunter Education Classes each year:
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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.
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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 Camp
Our River Rats Day Camps which is geared toward older youth ages 13-17 years old. We will be spending a day paddling the Turkey River from Turkey River Park in Elkader to Motor Mill Historic Site.
River Rat Camp held 9am-4pm
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July 30th, 2025- River Rats Paddle Camp
Register Online:
Summer
day camps
Nature Kid camps are for our younger nature enthusiasts. We have a variety of camps for different age ranges!
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May 3rd - Spring themed camp 3–7-year-old
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May 24th - Worms camp 3–7-year-old
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June 14th - Mossy 3–7-year-old
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June 24th - Osborne Outdoor Recreation 8–12-year-old
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July 5th - Trail Hike & Volga Beach 3-7-year-old
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July 16th - Motor Mill S.T.E.A.M. Camp 6-12-year-old
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July 23rd - Beyond Trout at Bloody Run 8-12-year-old
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July 26th - Ice Cream 3-7-year-old
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.