Friends of Saguaro stepped up with a grant to cover the transportation costs to get local school children into Saguaro National Park where rangers introduced them to the park and some of its natural resources / Friends of Saguaro

To help Saguaro National Park fulfill its mission as an educator, the park and Friends of Saguaro have developed environmental education programs that help students understand the natural and cultural heritage of the Sonoran Desert.

Park rangers, Next Generation rangers, and volunteers deliver the interactive, hands-on programs. They take place at the park, in the classroom, and at local community centers. The programs also focus on extending environmental education to underserved youth, which helps the park build a stronger relationship with underrepresented community members.

* Field Trips

Nearly 12,000 students from 80 schools participated in field trips to the park. The trips engage students in place-based, enjoyable hands-on activities that allow them to explore and discover the significance of the park’s resources, and introduce them to the National Park System and National Park Service mission.

* Teacher Rangers

Seven Teacher Rangers connected 358 children with the outdoors through active education and recreation.

* Hiking Clubs

The clubs took 360 students on 23 hikes during the school year. Students learned about the importance of fitness and explored the trails at the park.

* Junior Ranger/Cactus Ranger

Sixty students participated in eight programs that focused on habitat and resource protection projects.

* Wilderness Camps

Sixty-one students participated in three weekend camps. They learned about camping, hiking, and the enjoyment of spending time outdoors.

*  Travel Trunk

During the academic year, five “Travel Trunk” programs took place for 230 students. This opportunity allows rangers to bring the park to the classroom with programs that enhance in-class teaching.

* Community Outreach

Nearly 2,500 students participated in 34 community outreach programs at community centers throughout southern Arizona.

* Transportation

Friends of Saguaro provided transportation grants to all local schools that requested them so students could participate in field trips to Saguaro during the last academic year. With this program the friends group reimburses the school district for the cost of a bus and driver for a field trip, and the cost of a van for a hiking club with a Teacher Ranger.

* Next Generation Rangers and Volunteers

Five Next Generation Rangers and 65 volunteers were vital to the park’s delivery of environmental education programs in 2017.

With the support from donors in 2017, Saguaro National Park’s environmental education programs were able to engage with more than 15,000 youth in southern Arizona, the highest annual total to date!

Please consider making a donation to support the ongoing Environmental Education programs Friends of Saguaro is overseeing at Saguaro National Park.