Environmental Education

The Mills County Conservation Board offers free Environmental Education programs to the citizens of Mills County.

Outdoor Recreation

We also manage over 1,700 acres of public property for outdoor recreation and education so we can help with your next field trip. We have fishing poles, canoes, and GPS units that are available for hands-on learning.

Programs

For the programs we offer, we are willing to customize programs to fit any age and environmental topic. Programs are:

  • Animal Adaptations (All Ages): Learn the components of habitat, identify Iowa habitats, define adaptations, and discover how adaptations allow animals to live in their particular habitat.
  • Animal Tracks - (Kindergarten through 6th Grade):  Learn how to identify tracks and make a plaster cast for each student to take home.
  • Awesome Amphibians - (All Ages): Learn the life cycle and natural history of amphibians.
  • Batty for Bats - (Upper elementary and above): Learn the truth about bats and look into the lives of this fascinating creature.
  • Birds of a Feather - (All Ages): Compare features of different birds to see how they survive and their place in the food chain.
  • Creatures of the Night - (All Ages): Find out the special adaptations nocturnal animals have.
  • Critterology - (Kindergarten through 4th Grade): You can choose one of the live education animals to learn about and observe.
  • Iowa's Natural Resources - (All Ages): Learn about some of the great features and resources of Iowa. Why should we work to conserve our state?
  • Owls - (All Ages): Can an owl turn its head in a complete circle? Find out in this fun program. Students will see some owl mounts and learn their calls.
  • Precious Prairie - (All Ages): Learn about this great ecosystem that is vanishing right before our eyes.
  • Radical Reptiles - (All Ages): Learn to appreciate the services these amazing critters provide and some natural history.
  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - (All Ages): Where does trash go? Learn how to help the environment and look at some products of recycling.
  • Seeds and Sprouts - (Kindergarten through 4th Grade): Why are seeds important? Why do we need plants? Learn how seeds grow and move. Option to plant seeds is available.
  • Skullology - (Middle School and Up): Students learn to identify critters by their skull and determine if it was an omnivore, herbivore, or carnivore.
  • Super Senses: Explore the 5 senses in relation to nature with fun activities.
  • "Who Polluted the Missouri" - (4th Grade through 6th Grade): Hands-on activity where students learn the effect we all have on our watershed.
  • Winter Wildlife - (All Ages): How do insects and wildlife survive the cold Iowa winters?