Educators, take your students outside this fall for a fun, interactive, hands-on educational field trip in a state park. There is no cost for these educational programs, you just pay an entrance fee of $0.50 per person. Guided field trip experiences are available at: Branbury State Park in Salisbury Groton State Forest in Groton Jamaica State Park in Jamaica Little River State Park in Waterbury Mt. Ascutney State Park in Windsor Quechee State Park in Quechee Experienced Park Interpreters will design an experience to fit in your curriculum. Some available topics include: Forest Ecology Tree and Plant Identification Benthic Macroinvertebrates Ancient and recent cultural history Civilian Conservation Corps history Predator-Prey Relationships Geology   Mammals of Vermont Or request your own topic.   Please contact Rebecca Roy, Interpretive Program Manager, for more information or to book your field trip today: Rebecca.roy@vermont.gov More information i...

Families interested in exploring nature and learning basic outdoor skills are invited to participate in Becoming an Outdoor Family Weekend , June 3-5, 2011 at Stillwater State Park in north-central Vermont. The event is open to all families, but is geared to those new to camping or spending time outdoors. Families take over the state park for a weekend of camping and family fun. More than 50 different classes, will be offered throughout the weekend, all taught by outdoor professionals in a friendly, safe environment. Workshops include kayaking, outdoor cooking, fishing, mountain biking, nature photography, birding, GPS & Geocaching, hiking and more. Saturday night features a potluck supper with a traditional campfire. Campers also will have free time to enjoy all that the park, located on Groton Lake in the 28,000-acre Groton State Forest, has to offer from hiking to swimming and boating. The cost per family (up to eight people) is only $165, which covers the campsite an...