On the ground junior

Cultivating young stewards through hands-on habitat improvement projects 

On the Ground Junior (OTG Jr.) is a fully funded field trip program that gives grade school students hands-on experiences with wildlife habitat conservation. Through activities like planting native species, building brush piles, and participating in river clean-ups, students connect with nature and learn the importance of protecting our natural resources. This program fosters environmental stewardship, empowering the next generation to become passionate leaders in conservation. It’s not just a field trip—it’s an investment in the future of our planet. 

Habitat Work 

All our OTG Jr. events highlight a specific habitat improvement project while educating students on the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems. These projects may include planting native seedlings, removing invasive species, building brush piles, and more. 

Technical Skills 

We offer a variety of opportunities for students to refine their outdoor technical skills or try something entirely new through various rotating stations. These introductory stations have included land navigational skills, archery, species identification., and more. We ensure that each station is tailored to the students based on grade level and relevance to the project site/target species. 

Education 

For our younger students, we offer fun and educational games for them to engage with others while learning deeper environmental concepts. One game the kids often enjoy is playing the roles of predator and prey in the ecosystem, demonstrating predator-prey population dynamics and the fluctuations of resources in the wild while playing a game of tag. 

Please contact MUCC Habitat Program and Partnerships Coordinator, Olivia Triltsch at otriltsch@mucc.org for more details.