Education and Training Programs at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve promote conservation and research on this unique wetland habitat.

The Reserve’s Teacher Training Program is designed to help teachers become proficient environmental educators so they may lead successful field trips on the Reserve. Because the teacher is responsible for the group's educational experience, he or she must complete a one and a half day workshop at the reserve to prepare for the trip.

The Reserve offers a variety of habitats for classes to explore, including salt marsh, mudflats, woodlands, and grasslands. Exhibits in the Reserve's Visitor Center feature unique views of the more difficult to see and often rather peculiar creatures of the Slough.

The reserve offers basic workshops to provide educators with the tools needed to lead an informative and enjoyable field trip for students. Through these workshops, the teacher becomes the naturalist tour guide and has access to teaching kits, field equipment, the Elkhorn Slough Curriculum Manual, background material on the Visitor Center exhibits and a variety of useful posters, handouts, and a certificate of completion.

The Reserve also offers advanced workshops in which teachers learn to use the microscopes and digital video scopes to explore both aquatic plankton and terrestrial plants.

The Reserve also belongs to a growing network of environmental education programs in the Monterey Bay Area that seek to support teachers in their efforts to give students the experiences and knowledge they need to become environmentally responsible citizens in our watersheds.