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Education

A primary objective of the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge is to provide an optimal environmental educational experience to all interested audiences. Our Environmental Education Program is free and includes staff led field trips which may last one to two hours. Tours are offered to teachers, Scout groups, classrooms from grade school to university level, and various conservation groups. Staff led field trips integrate science, local and national history, and physical education in these activities which are adaptable to students of all grade levels.

The meeting site for most environmental education activities and tours usually begin at the 1.5 mile walking trail head that is used to conduct all Refuge field trips. The walking trail passes by grassy upland areas, riparian habitat and moist soil ponds ending at an observation platform. Field trip participants learn of the strategic importance of the Refuge in the Southern San Joaquin Valley as well as the recent habitat changes native and migratory wildlife have had to grow accustomed to. To make a reservation for a staff led field trip, we ask interested parties to contact the Refuge at least two weeks in advance.

The Refuge provides wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl benefiting shorebirds and other wetland dependant species. In addition, the Refuge also provides a home for several endangered species including the Tipton kangaroo rat, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and San Joaquin kit fox.