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Discover the Flyway

Vernal Pool-based Field Trips

Free Vernal Pool-based Field Trip for K-12 Students

Yolo Basin Foundation is excited to partner with Yolo County to offer this free program supported by a California State Parks grant. These field trips showcase a rare type of wetlands, vernal pools, at Grasslands Regional Park which is located just south of Davis.

All available field trip dates are currently reserved. More dates will be added. Please check back later this summer.

All dates currently booked.

Logistics

This free Discover the Flyway Vernal Pool-based field trip starts at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Headquarters. Students participate in a vernal pool specific activity, as well as two or three additional wetland themed science activities (see options below). All activities are hands-on, interactive, and inquiry based.

The morning activities are followed by a 20 – 30 minute break for lunch (not provided) at the Demonstration Area. After lunch, the students load up in their bus or chaperoned cars and caravan to the nearby vernal pools of Grasslands Regional Park for a time of discovery before returning to school.

  • When: Vernal Pool-based Field Trips are offered on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday throughout the month of April.
  • Chaperones: minimum of one adult chaperone for each activity selected.
  • Cost: Free! Supported through a partnership with Yolo County and funded by a California State Parks grant.
  • Number of students: Three activity field trip: minimum 15; maximum 30. Four activity field trip: minimum 15; maximum 40.

Field Trip Options

15 to 30 students

In addition to a vernal pool-based activity, Critter Caper (1st – 3rd) or Pollution Solutions (4th – 12th), select 2 or 3 more activities:

  • Time required for 3 activities: 4.5 hours
  • Time required for 4 activities: 5 hours

30 to 40 students

In addition to a vernal pool-based activity, Critter Caper (1st – 3rd) or Pollution Solutions (4th – 12th),  select 3 more activities:

  • Time required for 4 activities: 5 hours

Activity Options and Suggested Grade Levels

Critter Caper (1st – 3rd) or Pollution Solutions (4th - 12th). All vernal pool field trips will include one of these activities.
Fantastic Flying Mammals (3rd – 12th)
Salmon Senses (2nd – 6th)
Tracks, Scat and Signs (1st – 12th)
Feathered Friends (K– 2nd)
How do I Compare to an egret? (K– 1st)
Migration Madness (3rd – 6th)
Owl Pellets (4th – 12th)
What Can I eat with this beak? (3rd – 6th)
Leaf I.d. (K – 2nd)
Wetland Plant i.d. (3rd – 12th)
Sinking into soil (K – 1st)
The great percolation race (2nd – 12th)
Water Quality testing (5th – 12th)
Wetland pond study (k – 12th)
critter caper (1st – 3rd)
Pollution Solutions (4th – 12th)
un-nature trail (k – 2nd)
Perch protectors (3rd – 12th)

Read before registering

Before making a reservation request for a Discover the Flyway school program, please read the Discover the Flyway Program Terms and Conditions.

Reservations are available online only. First come, first served.

Teachers are required to attend a one-time Teacher Workshop before bringing students to a Discover the Flyway Field Trip. If you have never attended a Teacher Workshop and would like to bring your class on a field trip, please register now.

Click here to learn more and to register for a Teacher Workshop. 

Discover the Flyway Common Core Reading List

Progressions within NGSS

NGSS Discover the Flyway Activity Correlation

Volunteer

If you have a passion for conservation, an enthusiasm for sharing this with kindergarten through 12th grade students, and a desire to learn more about local wetlands, then become a docent with Discover the Flyway!

Learn More

Introduce your students to the wonders of local wetlands.

Sign up for a Discover the Flyway Vernal Pool-based Field Trips today!

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Fantastic Flying Mammals

From flight and echolocation to feeding and habitat use, bats have remarkable adaptations that help them thrive. Through hands-on investigation, students explore the diversity of local bat species, learn how bats contribute to healthy ecosystems, and gain a better understanding of these often misunderstood animals.

Salmon Senses

Salmon undertake one of nature’s most remarkable migrations, traveling from freshwater streams to the ocean and back again. In this activity, students explore the salmon life cycle and discover how adaptations such as a highly developed sense of smell help salmon find their way home to spawn. Along the way, they learn about the importance of wetlands and rivers, the challenges salmon face during migration, and how people can help protect these important fish.

Animal Tracks, Scat and Signs

Students become wildlife detectives as they search for tracks, scat, and other signs of wildlife. By identifying animal clues and discussing where they are found, students learn how habitat, diet, and physical adaptations help animals survive in their environment. This activity emphasizes observation and discovery while helping students better understand local wildlife.

Feathered Friends

Students explore the diversity of local birds and the adaptations that help them survive in wetland habitats. By comparing beaks, feet, wings, calls, and nesting strategies, students identify differences between bird groups such as waterfowl, shorebirds, song birds, and birds of prey. This activity emphasizes how physical and behavioral adaptations can help birds find food, move through their environment, and thrive in different parts of the wetlands. 

How Do I Compare To An Egret?

Students compare their own height and wingspan to two common wetland birds, the Snowy Egret and the Great Egret. Through various hands-on activities they discover how these wading birds hunt, move, and survive in shallow wetland habitats. The lesson emphasized key differences between the two birds while helping students visualize how humans compare in scale to large wetland species. By the end, students gain a stronger understanding of bird adaptations, wetland food webs, and the importance of observing wildlife in their natural environment.

Migration Madness

Students explore the challenges and importance of bird migration along the Pacific Flyway. Through a movement-based simulation, they experience how wetland habitats serve as a critical stopover, breeding, and wintering sites for migratory birds. The activity highlights how changes in habitat availability can affect survival, emphasizing the role of wetlands in supporting migration and the impact of human land use and environmental change on wildlife populations.

Owl Pellets

Students investigate the diet and hunting adaptations of owls by examining and dissecting owl pellets and identifying the remains of prey animals. This activity highlights how owls function as predators within food webs, and how physical adaptations such as silent flight, sharp talons, and specialized hearing support successful hunting. Students use evidence from bones, fur, and other materials to learn about predator-prey relationships, habitat use, and ecosystem health.

What Can I Eat With This Beak?

Students explore how different bird species are adapted to feed on specific types of food found in wetland ecosystems. By comparing beak shapes and feeding strategies, students discover how birds use adaptations such as filtering, probing, spearing, and tearing to access different food sources. The activity highlights how these differences allow many bird species to coexist in the same habitat by reducing competition and using different ecological niches.

Leaf I.D.

Students explore the diversity of wetland plants by examining and comparing leaves of different shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. Through observation and hands-on activities, students learn about leaf functions and discover how leaf characteristics can help identify different plant species. This activity highlights the importance of plants in wetland ecosystems and emphasizes how plant adaptations help species survive in different environmental conditions.

Wetland Plant I.D.

In this activity, students investigate the diversity of native wetland plants by exploring different habitat types and using field guides to identify species found throughout the wetlands. As they compare plant characteristics and discover where different species grow, students learn how plant adaptations help them survive in conditions ranging from permanently flooded wetlands to dry grasslands. The activity highlights the important role native plants play in providing food and shelter for wildlife, supporting healthy ecosystems, and sustaining the interconnected web of life within wetland habitats.

Sinking Into Soil

Students investigate the properties of different soil types by observing, comparing, and handling samples of sand, potting soil, and clay. As they explore the differences in texture, composition, and water-holding capacity, students learn how soil influences plant growth, water movement, and habitat formation. This activity highlights the important role of clay soils in creating and sustaining wetland ecosystems, helping students understand how the physical characteristics of soil shape the landscape and support life.

The Great Percolation Race

In this activity, students become soil scientists, investigating how water moves through different types of soil. Through observation, hypothesis formulation, and experimentation, students compare the infiltration and percolation rates of different soils. As they explore how particle size and pore space affect water movement, students discover why clay-rich soils are essential for creating and sustaining wetland habitats. This activity highlights the important role soil plays in shaping ecosystems, supporting plant growth, and influencing the movement and storage of water.

Water Quality Testing

Students work through a variety of water quality tests as they investigate the health of a wetland pond. By measuring factors such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and dissolved solids, students learn how physical and chemical conditions influence the organisms that live in aquatic ecosystems. This activity emphasizes scientific observation, data collection, and critical thinking while helping students understand the importance of clean and healthy water.

Wetland Pond Study

Students explore the hidden world of wetland ponds by collecting and observing aquatic organisms. Through close investigation, they discover the diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrates and other pond life, while learning about the adaptations that help these organisms survive in this habitat. This activity highlights the interconnected nature of wetland food webs and demonstrates how the abundance and diversity of pond organisms can serve as indicators of ecosystem health.

Critter Caper

Students discover the unique world of California’s vernal pools and the specialized plants and animals that depend on these seasonal wetlands. Through hands-on activities and guided investigation, students learn how vernal pools form, explore the remarkable adaptations that allow species to survive changing conditions, and examine the connections between habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. This activity highlights the ecological importance of vernal pools, the challenges they face from habitat loss, and the role people can play in protecting these rare and valuable ecosystems.

Un-Nature Trail

Students explore how human-made litter affects ecosystems in this hands-on scavenger hunt activity. They search for hidden objects that do not belong in a natural wetland environment, distinguishing between natural and unnatural materials while learning how wildlife can be impacted by pollution. The activity reinforces the idea that ecosystems are interconnected and that even small pieces of waste can accumulate and cause long-term harm. Through observation and discussion, they build awareness of human impact, habitat health, and personal responsibility in protecting natural spaces.

Perch Protectors

Students investigate the conservation challenges facing the native California fish species Sacramento Perch, a California Species of Special Concern that has been extirpated from its historic Central Valley range. Through a hands-on fish monitoring activity, students learn how habitat loss, introduced species, drought, and climate change have contributed to population declines. The lesson highlights the importance of biodiversity, species adaptations, and long-term monitoring while demonstrating how conservation efforts can help protect vulnerable species.