Field Trips

Reservations for the 2023-2024 school year are now open.

The program

Field Trips to the Wilkerson Center for Colorado River Education provide elementary-school students with information to inspire them to be future River Stewards. This is a unique, immersive, and memorable experience emphasizes the importance of protecting the Texas’s economic and environmental lifeblood—the Texas Colorado River.

Launched in 2009 in collaboration with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), the program takes place at LCRA’s Wilkerson Center for Colorado River Education, a five-acre, riverside, outdoor exhibit space that focuses on the history and importance of the Colorado River.

The program utilizes materials in both English and Spanish to support bilingual students and meets TEKS requirements* for 3rd-5th grades in Science and Social Studies.

You can make a difference

Colorado River Alliance’s Redbud Center field trip is a unique and highly educational, TEKS-aligned experience provided free of charge for Title I schools. We also offer a limited number of bus scholarships up to $250 per Title I school to assist with transportation costs.

For non-Title I schools, there is a fee of $6 per student. Up to five adult chaperones per visit are allowed free of charge, including teachers. Invoices are sent directly to the school after completion of the field trip(s) and are due within 30 days of receipt.

For additional questions about field trips, information about small-group visits (25 students or less), guided tours, after-school, or summer programs, please email programs@coloradoriver.org.

Your students will learn about

Geology & Geography of Texas

Drinking Water Sources

Healthy Watershed Attributes

Pollution and the Water Cycle

Physical Properties of Water

Water Conservation Methods

* And make these TEKS connections

3rd Grade

Science 1B, 2A, 2F, 3C, 5B, 6A, 6C, 7B, 7C, 7D, 8B, 9A, 9C

Social Studies 1A, 2B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 5A, 11A, 11C, 12B, 12C

4th Grade

Science 1B, 2D, 3C, 3D, 5A, 5B, 7B, 7C, 8B, 9B

Social Studies 2E, 5A, 6A, 8C, 7A, 7B, 7C, 9A, 9B, 9C, 20B, 20C

5th Grade

Science 1B, 3A, 3D, 5A, 5D, 7B, 7C, 8B, 9A, 9C

Social Studies 6A, 7B, 8B, 9A, 9C

Emily Rafferty of Colorado River Alliance speaks to students on field trip

”It was one of the best field trips I have ever taken a group of students on in my 15 years of teaching. Not only were the docents knowledgeable about the content, but they also worked well with diverse groups of children.
4th grade teacherCowan Elementary