Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro Field Trips
Parks and Natural Areas – Free!
George Washington/Jefferson National Forest: So close and so wonderful! Contacts for specific sites below. Interpretation may be organized in advance.Toilets at each site. The only fees for education are at Sherando Lake.
North River Ranger District: Elwood Burge, District Ranger 540-432-0187, Christian Canary, recreation director.Elkhorn Lake, Staunton Dam, Todd Lake,
Hone Quarry,North River Campground and trails, beautiful hike through North River gorge. Braley Pond, Augusta Springs Wetlands,(2nd, 3rd grade field trip website =
Pedlar Ranger District: Tina Southall or Kathy Hall 540-291-2188,
SherandoLake ($1 per person) (gate phone 540-942-5965)
Humpback Rocks, Pioneer Farm(free, visitors center)
You’re right on the Appalachian Trail at Humpback Rocks, so look into some hikes and routes to suggest to your students and their families at:
Grand Caverns– 249-5729 No fee to enter park, use shelters, restrooms. For caverns tours, call for exact amounts, schedules. Elementary $6 each to tour the cave. Middle/high $6.50. One adult free with every 10 students. Other adults $9.50 each. ($8 for watershed field trip). South River is stocked with fish, but only eat the trout. Call the VA Dept of Game and Inland Fisheries for fishing and license regulations.(Website: grandcaverns.com, 6th grade Field Trip website =
Staunton – Gypsy Hill Park, Montgomery Hall Park, Betsy Bell hike Chris Tuttle 332-3945 Call before bringing buses, no fees except to rent buildings at Gypsy Hill or Montgomery Hall ($35).
Waynesboro – Ridgeview, North and ConstitutionParks, CoynerSpringsPark – David Van Covern 942-6735
Augusta County Parks – Ron Sites 245-5727 tural Chimneys (call Andy Wells for free student access 350-2510), access to river, restrooms. Crimora Park, restrooms, trail, access to river, Berry Farm, (new) 25 acre Augusta Springs Park, restrooms under construction summer 2010.
McCormick Farm and Marl Creek Trail – David Fiske 540-377-2255
Located in Steeles Tavern, on the border between Augusta and Rockbridge County. Learning station tubs available to teachers, especially for 4th grade, in a storage facility on site. Trail is 2/3 mile, interprets streamside land use changes since the time of Cyrus McCormick and wildlife ecology. Museum, mill open daily. Forage and Forestry Demonstration sites. Restrooms, no fee. Website has interpretive signs, activity directions:
Shenandoah National Park– Education Program Coordinator 540-999-3500 ext 3488. Teacher Education programs usually required before field trips, often at Big Meadows. Rt 33 Entrance station 298-9625. Buses get fee waiver onto Blue Ridge Parkway.
Montebello Fish Cultural Station , near Crabtree Falls 540-377-2418, all ages, call to make arrangements Free. (4 picnic tables, restrooms, you can feed the fish.)(A good loop would be Humpback rocks, Crabtree Falls, and the Fish Hatchery in one day. Geology, Watershed beginnings, Fish Biology) 8-3:30 call.
School Campuses- Many schools in the area have trails, outdoor classrooms, streams or gardens. (And maybe some delighted peer interpreters). How about an exchange? Blue Ridge Community College’s arboretum has more native tree species than the state arboretum, and a brochure.
Springdale Water Gardens offers field trips – Keith Folsom – 337-0725
Other Neat Places – Fee!
Wildlife Center of Virginia540-942-9453, Gretchen Achenbach, education director. Bear Oak grade level field trips with non-releaseable wildlife in National Forest adjacent. Also, regular Hospital and Habitat Tours. Speakers available, call for fees.
Brethren Woods Camp(Keezletown) has fee-based school programs, ropes courses – Linetta Ballew 540-269-2741
Museum of American Frontier Culture – Fee-based field trips.
Water and Waste Management Facilities – Free (and Important!)
Augusta County Landfill – Jerry Martin 337-2857 Great field trip with water quality overtones, recycling, salvaging. One busload at a time. Arrange in advance.
Augusta County - Augusta County Service Authority – Jean Andrews 245-5677
Drinking Water tours can be arranged at Coles Run, Berry Farm spring. Wastewater Treatment Facilities – Stuarts Draft, Verona both have good wastewater tours Need several days notice. 20 students at a time (2 groups of 10 for 1 hour tour). The Service Authority now uses alternative energy sources at several facilities.
Staunton Drinking Water Treatment plants (on 250 West) 332-3961
Needs 1 month notice. 9-1 is best. 45 minute tour
Waynesboro – Call 942-6627 Lesa Osteen to plan a tour of, brand new wastewater and water treatment facilities.
Natural Resources Agency Field Guide
Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District – Sandy Greene, . 540-234-9336 (home phone). Field trips, Envirothon. Activity kits, equipment and models to loan. All free. For assistance with Conservation Best Management Practices, call the District office at 540-248-6218(ext 3), at the Augusta County Government Center, Verona. http// State website has good education, Envirothon, conservation camp resources:
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS)Bobby Whitescarver () is the Supervisory District Conservationist. In the same office with Headwaters Conservation District, USDA Building, Augusta County Government Center, Verona. 540-248-6218(ext 3). Also in this building: USDA Farm Service Agency, Shenandoah Resource Conservation and Development Council.
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries(DGIF) – , Fisheries Biologist, is the contact for water quality, fish issues. He works closely with Trout in the Classroom. is a good contact for the wildlife biologists. 540-248-9360
Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) – Patti Nylander, Augusta County Forester 540-363-7002 They are housed at the DOF Tree Nursery in Crimora, which also offers field trips. 540-363-7000. Project Learning Tree, statewide annual conservation camp for teens.
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Regional Office in Harrisonburg 540-574-7800.Water and air quality. Extensive Data on website. includes link to the VA Naturally website, with lots of resources, grant opportunities.
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). Regional Office in Staunton 332-9991 Erosion and Sediment control, Nutrient management, watershed issues. Statewide: state parks, natural heritage,
Virginia Cooperative Extension(Extension)–Jennifer Mercer is the 4-H Coordinator 245-5750.
Some Local Citizen Organizations related to Natural Resources:
Friends of the Shenandoah River clickable watershed maps, data
Riverfest River Spirit of Waynesboro, Flyfishing Festival – Urbie Nash 943-4202 riverfestwaynesboro.orgSouth River Science Team – contact Paul Bugas 248-9371
Trout Unlimited -
National Wild Turkey Federation – Rick and Linda Layser 886-1761
Izaak Walton League – (Save our Streams macroinvertebrate monitoring)
Friends of Middle River – David Fuller 248-5692
Lewis Creek Advisory Committee –www. lewiscreekwatershed.org,
Shenandoah Valley Environmental Education Network – Tamra Willis or Betty Gatewood at Mary Baldwin College 887-7135.