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This summer, North Arkansas College and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) teamed up to deliver an educational series of outdoor science workshops that combined environmental exploration with real-world scientific learning.
The 2025 Summer Science Workshops, held throughout May and June, brought together 25 students and six educators from across North Arkansas and Southern Missouri to study the flora and fauna of the Ozark Mountain region through immersive, hands-on experiences.
Over seven workshop days, participants engaged in 846 combined hours of fieldbased instruction and earned a total 153 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for educators. Students and teachers came from a wide range of communities—public, private, and homeschool settings—from towns such as Berryville, Harrison, Jasper, Yellville and Point Lookout, Mo.
Workshop Highlights Each workshop was carefully crafted to provide both practical skills and academic enrichment:
• Survive and Thrive taught wilderness first aid, GPS mapping and field-readiness skills essential for future field scientists.
• Rooted in Science immersed students in plant taxonomy, native species conservation and ecosystem restoration techniques used by AGFC native plant restorations.
• Stream Sleuths explored aquatic ecosystems through water chemistry, stream habitat modeling, and biological sampling, including macroinvertebrate community analysis using descriptive mathematical indices.
• Rivers and Residents introduced participants to the ecological roles of fish and crayfish in Ozark streams, including species identification and life history studies.
• Rock Solid Experience guided students through Ozark geology, karst systems, and cave ecosystems —highlighting the region’s unique subterranean biodiversity.
Instructors included faculty from North Arkansas College and biologists and education specialists from AGFC, Arkansas Geological Survey and the National Park Service, making the program a collaborative model of interagency community service.
Meaningful Impact
The workshops fostered environmental stewardship, built scientific literacy, and strengthened regional ties to natural resource conservation. Educators took home field-tested strategies to integrate conservation into their classrooms, while students left with a stronger connection to their environment — and new excitement about pursuing careers in science, ecology, and natural resource management.
“This program is a gateway to developing the next generation of conservation-minded citizens,” said Sherri Townsend, North Arkansas College faculty member and program co-lead. “The Ozarks are not just a backdrop— they’re a living laboratory!”
Looking Ahead
The program’s success highlights the need for continued and expanded investment in regional conservation education. Future workshops may focus on native species management, Ozark endemics, sustainable land use, habitat restoration, and citizen science.
With continued support, North Arkansas College and AGFC plan to scale these efforts to reach more students, cover more topics, and deepen Arkansas’s commitment to conservation education.
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