Education

A Walk on the Wild Side field trips to Cascades Raptor Center for your group or class
Bring the Wild Alive! to your classroom or camp or event
Reading with Raptors for pre-school or kindergarten aged, at CRC or in your classroom
A 'Bird-Day' Party a birthday celebration for children or adults at CRC
Recommended Adult Child ratios for CRC on-site events



Come Take A Walk on the Wild Side!
Bring your class or group for a woodland adventure, visiting 60 birds of prey! Field trips to Cascades Raptor Center include:

- a group presentation tied to your curriculum area: raptors, owls, predators and their prey, life cycles, birds, form and function, or an introduction to raptor rehabilitation

- touchable artifacts to demonstrate how sharp a talon is, how feathered an owl's foot can be, how light a hollow bird bone can be, different wing shapes and more!

- birds brought out on the glove by volunteers for an up-close experience with different types of birds of prey;

- skulls, nests, eggs, feathers, and feet in the visitor center display cases;

- a guided tour of all the birds on-site, with the tour leader highlighting specific aspects of their natural history, habitats, population issues.

Costs are $3.50 per group participant (e.g., student, scout, or club member), with no charge for accompanying adults up to a recommended adult/child ratio (see below); adults over that number $3.50 each. There is a minimum fee of $90.

Maximum group size is 50. Weather can be an issue, as all the birds are in large outside cages along a wooded trail.


Bring the Wild Alive!
Invite the birds to you! Classroom, Outdoor School, or Summer Camp visits include up to 5 live birds of a variety of species, depending on the curriculum topic being presented. Topics may be raptors, owls, predators and their prey, life cycles, birds, form and function, or an introduction to raptor rehabilitation.

Classroom visits are limited to Fall and Winter terms, as our birds get very busy in the spring! Summer camps or other events during mosquito season must be inside to protect our birds from West Nile Virus.

Costs are $150 for a visit, up to 60 students maximum, in a classroom or library where the acoustics are good (to keep the stress level of the birds down); up to two more programs at $25 each for the same visit, in the same classroom or space, for up to 60 students each. A mileage charge is added for programs outside the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area.

Be creative! A visit from these birds can be a perfect complement to a reading class (lots of books on owls, falcons, hawks!), a science class, an art class, or more!


Reading with Raptors - A Raptor Experience for the youngest raptor fans...
Watch your students be ENRAPTURED as a story book comes to life with a special "Guest Star" Raptor! A Reading with Raptors program involves a story read outloud by one of our volunteers, while the 'star' of the story sits nearby. Let your class experience Owl Moon or The Lorax with CRC's great horned owl Lorax! Or one of many other stories that involve raptors. Reading with Raptors can be in your classroom or at Cascades Raptor Center - where your Raptor Experience includes a self-guided tour to visit our 60 resident birds.

In your classroom: $75, plus mileage reimbursement if you are outside the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area.

At CRC: Costs are $2.50 per group participant (e.g., student, scout, or club member), with no charge for accompanying adults up to a recommended adult/child ratio of 1:4; adults over that number $2.50 each. There is a minimum fee of $50.


Have a 'Bird-day' Party!
Invite your friends for a very special birthday party with over 50 birds of prey...

Birthday parties are best scheduled in late spring, summer, and early fall - as weather can be an issue. You provide refreshments, decorations (if desired), and prizes; we provide

- a short program on birds of prey,
- up-close looks at birds out on the glove,
- a guided tour of all the birds,
- a party favor for each child, and
- one nature-related activity.

To reserve the center for two hours, costs are $50 plus $3.50 per child, with a minimum fee of $75. No charge for accompanying adults up to a recommended adult/child ratio (see below); adults over that number are $3.50 each.

Recommended adult-to-child ratio:

Click here for articles on wildife rehabilitation and other topics.