Outreash and Field Trip Programs as the John
Inskeep Environmental Learning Center
(download this information in PDF format)

Connecting Our Classroom With Yours

The John Inskeep Environmental Learning Center, a department of Clackamas Community College, offers your students an exciting opportunity to learn about watersheds through hands-on interactive activities that are both educational and fun. The ELC offers both fieldtrip and in-school programs, any of which can be modified to match your needs. All program materials are provided and content is aligned with Oregon science standards. Discounts are offered when you select multiple programs and financial assistance is available. The ELC is your best resource for quality watershed education.

Special Offers

Discounts

Receive a 10% discount when scheduling two or more classroom programs on the same day.
Schedule “Go with the Flow,” “I Am Salmon…Salmon I Am,” and “Clean Water—Healthy Fish” and receive a 10% discount off the cost of all three.

Financial Assistance:

A limited amount of financial assistance now is available on a first come, first served basis through partnerships between the ELC and Clackamas County Water Environment Services and the South Fork Water Board. Read below to see if you qualify.

For schools in the WES service area, Clackamas County Water Environment Services will cover the cost for one of the following programs per classroom: “Clean Water—Healthy Fish,” “Go with the Flow,” and “I Am Salmon…Salmon I Am.” Schools qualifying for this special offer are: Bethlehem Christian, Bilquist, Christ the King, Clackamas, Happy Valley, Mt. Scott, Oregon Trail, River Grove, Stafford, Sunnyside, Sunrise, View Acres, and Whitcomb elementary schools.

South Fork Water Board will cover the cost of “Clean Water—Healthy Fish” for the following schools: Gaffney Lane, Holcomb, King, McLoughlin, Mt. Pleasant, and Park Place elementary schools in the Oregon City School District; Cedaroak, Sunset, and Willamette elementary schools in the West Linn School District.

The participating class must also schedule one of the following FREE programs from South Fork Water Board: “From the Source to the Tap,” “Taste-imony to Tap Water” or the “Tapwater Tour.”

Call 503-657-6958 ext. 2644 to schedule your programs today!

Fieldtrip Programs

Take a trip to the ELC and let your students explore the wonders of our ponds, creeks, and forests. Please plan to provide at least 1 chaperone for every 5 students for you ELC visit.

Clean Water—Healthy Fish: Basic Water Quality Monitoring

How do we know if a creek is “healthy” or “unhealthy” for fish living in the water? Inside the ELC education hall, students learn how to run simple water quality tests and what makes “good” water quality. Then, they head outdoors to test the quality of our creek and ponds. Students also learn about the tiny critters—from insects to worms—that live in the water.

Grades: 4-6
Program Length: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Cost: $80
Classroom Option: Unable to go on a field trip? The ELC can bring a hands-on interactive classroom version to you! (Program Length: 1 hour; Cost: $75)

Branching Out: Classifying and Identifying Trees and Shrubs

What’s the difference between a pine cone and a fir cone? In this activity, students learn how to classify and identify common trees and shrubs by looking at needles, cones, twigs, and leaves. They’ll also learn how to observe and describe plant characteristics and use a simplified key to identify common plants at the ELC.

Grades: 5-6
Program Length: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Cost: $80

On Our Site Or Yours

Now you can experience the wonder of watersheds either in your classroom or at the ELC.

New —It’s For the Birds

What makes a bird a bird and what do they need in their habitat to survive? Students will learn about the birds that can be found in their backyard, dissect owl pellets, play bird call bingo, make a pinecone bird feeder they can take home, go on a scavenger hunt, and much, much more as they explore the answers to these questions.

Grades: K-2
Program Length: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Cost: $75

New —Go With the Flow

What happens to a drop of rainwater after it hits your rooftop? Students will use a watershed model, hands-on experiments, and an exciting group game to explore how stormwater affects the health of their local watersheds.

Grades: 4-6
Program Length: 1 hour
Cost: $75

New —I Am Salmon…Salmon I Am

What separates salmon from other fish and why are they in so much trouble? Learn about their fascinating journey between stream and sea and the challenges they face along the way. Students will experience the salmon’s life cycle as they play a group survival game and attempt to sniff out their spawning grounds. This is the ultimate “school” of fish!

Grades: 4-6
Program Length: 1 hour
Cost: $75

New – Free Supplemental Teacher Resources

These additional resources are free to teachers through the ELC’s partnership with Clackamas County Water Environment Services. For more information or to reserve material, please call Water Environment Services at 503-353-4561.

What’s the Point

An interactive watershed display model (the same one used in Go with the Flow) is used to demonstrate how pollution occurs in our rivers and streams. Students learn methods to keep rivers clean. Model may be checked out for a two-week period. Instructions and discussion tips included in display unit. Recommended for Grades K-6.

A Splash of Paint: Fish Printmaking Adventure

Gyotaku (Japanese) fish painting: A printmaking activity in which students create fish prints using realistic replicas. Rubber fish, paint and instructions provided. Kit may be checked out for a two-week period.
Recommended for Grades K-3.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Tours

Water Environment Services welcomes classrooms or other groups to our wastewater treatment facilities. Learn how wastewater is cleaned and treated. Recommended for small and large groups.

Special thanks to our partners

W.E.S. logo

South Fork Water Board
Water Conservation Program
Serving Oregon City and West Linn since 1915
(503) 723-9692