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Fall Education Update 

Oct 10, 2025 | News

Summary

KBNERR's Education Program continues school year momentum with lots of activities in the Kachemak Bay community.

Elementary school students proudly hold up their artwork created using plants found in the peatland
McNeil 2nd graders finish their field trip to the peatlands by making art from the plants they discovered in their school’s backyard peatland. 

As the field season slows down (a little!) for the research and monitoring team, the education calendar gets filled with trips across the bay, field trips to the peatlands, and new collaborative endeavors! KBNERR educators have been to Seldovia multiple times this fall to support the school through collaborative weekly Science Friday events. In addition, the education team has been able to facilitate a school-wide peatland education program at McNeil, with field trips to the peatland for first through fifth grade. The Marine Biology class at Homer Flex High School utilized the KBNERR education team weekly this fall to teach about invertebrates, plankton, and microscopes. Our final Discovery Lab was held the last week of September with over 160 visitors stopping by to learn all about marine mammal skeletons from our Semester by the Bay interns. These education opportunities were largely supported by funding from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  Environmental Education Grant.

Students and instructor gather around to look at and discuss jellyfish
Students in Seldovia investigate benthic life and meroplankton with Conrad.
Students use microscope to observe benthic and plankton samples
Students in Seldovia look through their plankton and benthic samples back at Susan B English
Flex High School student learns how to identify Plankton using a microscope
Students at Flex High School learn how to identify plankton.
High School students are shown how to use a microscope
Conrad teaches how to use a microscope to students at Flex High School.
SBB intern talks about bones at the September Discovery Lab
Semester by the Bay intern, Chloe Atkins, teaches the community about eared seals.
Kids look at core samples from Peatlands near McNeil Canyon Elementary
McNeil third graders laugh and learn in the peatlands with KBNERR staff Spencer and SBB intern Chloe