Great Peninsula Conservancy’s Land Labs program is spreading its wings! This school year, we’re excited to launch Osprey Club (OC), an afterschool program that fosters long-term relationships with the outdoors. In partnership with Mountain View Middle School (MV) and Catalyst Public School and hosted at MV, this program engages students in unique field trips and outdoor learning opportunities such as native plant cultivation, birding, tree identification, and nature art.
Since 2020, Land Labs has introduced thousands of Bremerton middle-schoolers to the wonders of the natural world through annual field trips to GPC preserves. OC takes this foundational environmental education one step further with weekly outdoor experiences that deepen their connection to nature. Every Tuesday, students step outside to expand upon their Land Labs knowledge through hands-on activities and field trips.
The wonderful thing about OC is that it is partially student-led. GPC staff and AmeriCorps VISTA work with students to incorporate their interests and passions into the learning experience while following a curriculum designed to empower, inspire, and engage the next generation of diverse environmental decision-makers. So far, participants have enjoyed field trips to GPC’s Grovers Creek Preserve and nearby Illahee State Park, which is a 5-minute drive from Mountain View Middle School, while learning all about climate-resilient forests and shorelines. They have taken part in the removal of invasive species and the construction of habitat piles and have received in-depth lessons on topics like fungus, birding, and habitat interconnectivity.
The program’s impact is evident in the enthusiasm of the first cohort. Rallying around a shared passion for birds, students have even designed a club T-shirt and are proud to show it off. They have also “adopted” two natural areas near their school and regularly host work parties to remove invasives, plant native plants, and care for their private preserves. We’re excited to see where this passion takes them and look forward to many more weeks of Osprey Club.
