Wildlife Outreach Program
Looking for birds at the Great Swamp Management Area.
A school group takes a closer look at wildlife habitat
Public discussion on wildife in urban areas at RISD.
A scouting group explores the outdoors!
The Division of Fish and Wildlife began our Wildlife Outreach Program in 2017. We serve students, families, hunters, and the public through a variety of unique, enjoyable programs. These programs provide participants with information about Rhode Island’s wildlife species and the work being done by our dedicated staff to protect, restore, and manage our state’s precious wildlife resources.
Jump to topics:
Classroom Programs School Field Trips Community Group Programs Public Outreach Volunteer Videos Educational Rhody Critter Kits
Classroom Programs:
The Wildlife Outreach Program provides outreach to schools through the Rhody Critter Kits Program. These FREE wildlife curriculum kits are available for K-8 educators to borrow for their classrooms; they include lesson plans, activities, videos, hands-on learning materials, and other resources curated by our Wildlife Outreach staff, with special emphasis on Rhode Island’s wildlife species, conservation work, and management practices. Learn more and/or reserve a kit.
Wildlife Outreach staff offer FREE training workshops for educators. These workshops are intended to support educators by providing in-depth background information, hands-on learning experiences, the opportunity to ask questions, and to build community. If you would like to schedule a training opportunity for your school, please contact the Wildlife Outreach Coordinator at mary.gannon@dem.ri.gov.
Not a classroom teacher? Rhody Critter Kits are great for homeschool co-ops, librarians, informal educators, Scout troops, or any group that works with youth!
School Field Trips:
We are currently restructuring our field trip program to better serve Rhode Island’s students. Stay tuned for updates for the 2022-2023 school year!
Community Group Programs:
Our Wildlife Outreach staff are available to facilitate interactive programs for libraries, Scouts, and community groups on a variety of topics. These programs can be hosted in-person at your facility or hosted virtually. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our outreach staff shifted gears and began offering all our programs virtually. Although we are now able to gather in person again, we received feedback from our participants asking to continue virtual programming as well.
Please contact the Wildlife Outreach Coordinator at mary.gannon@dem.ri.gov for more information on how to schedule a program. Please note, availability is limited and is on a first come, first serve basis. In order to equitably provide opportunities to as many groups as possible, we ask that individual groups only schedule one program a year through the Wildlife Outreach Program.
If your organization would like to host a virtual program, please contact the Wildlife Outreach Coordinator at mary.gannon@dem.ri.gov.
Public Outreach:
Our staff also organize both in person and virtual, seasonal, family-friendly field programs for the public, which are posted on our website and social media channels. Popular programs include Come Birding With Me, Summer Bat Night, and Sky Dance Night. We are always adding new public programs; keep an eye on our online calendar for fun upcoming events around the state!
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