Jackson County Conservation

Jackson County Conservation has an excellent Environmental Education Department with dedicated staff that are here to assist you and your students, group, business or organization in learning more about Iowa's natural resources. 

Whether it be a program about a specific topic or a trip to a park, we are here to help you experience the outdoors and learn more about our natural world!

Contact us to schedule a program

Who We Are

Jackson County Conservation's Environmental Education staff consist of two full-time educators and usually 1-2 seasonal/part-time interns. 

Ann Burns is our Environmental Education Coordinator.  She has been working for JCCB for 25+ years!  Email Ann

Jessica Wagner is our Naturalist.  She has been with JCCB for 4 years!  Email Jess

Jennifer Meyer is currently our part-time Intern Naturalist.  She has been with us since May!
Email Jen

Ann, Jess and Jen are dedicated to educating the public about Iowa's awesome natural resources.  We are available to answer your conservation and nature related questions.  Let us know how we can assist you!  Our offices are located at the Hurstville Interpretive Center.

Public Programs

Our environmental education staff conduct programs and special events for the public throughout the year at various locations in the county. 

Our public programs offer residents and visitors of all ages the opportunity to learn new outdoor skills, marvel at and gain a better understanding of the natural world and hear speakers with special knowledge in their field. 

Many programs are at no cost for participants while other programs may have a program fee.

Check out our Calendar of Events page to see our latest schedule!

Organized Groups

Our education staff are available to do a program or tour with organized groups, such as civic organizations, youth groups, homeschool students, nursing homes, care facilities, businesses and families (7+ people).  Your group can come to the Hurstville Interpretive Center or we can travel to another location in Jackson County.  Contact us to see how we can assit your group in learning more about Iowa's natural resources.

Park Packs

Looking for nature-related activities for your family, youth group, students or kids?  We have put together 5 separate nature themed backpacks filled with field guides, games, activities, equipment and fun facts to assist in the discovery of each topic. 

Park Packs can be checked out for FREE for two weeks and are available year round for anyone to use.  Teachers - an entire unit in a bag!

Pack themes include:

• Treerific Trees
• Wetland Wonders
• Animals of Iowa
• For the Birds
• Insect Safari

Optional ways to use Park Packs:

• Use with a youth group
• Take on a day trip, vacation or camping
• Use in your backyard or local park
• Use with home schooled or daycare children
• Use with your students for a unit or lesson plan

To check a pack out, come to the Hurstville Interpretive Center to fill out a form and pick up.

"In the end, we conserve only what we love.  We will love only what we understand.  We will understand only what we are taught."

-Baba Dioum



For Teachers

Current Teacher Newsletter: Winter 2011-12

We put out a quarterly newsletter for Teachers with up to date information about programs, field trips, trainings, grants and more.  Email us to sign up to receive our teacher newsletter. 

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has educational grants available for schools and classrooms to fund equipment for outdoor related units and lesson plans.  Click here to go to their website.

Field Trips

Our environmental education staff can provide your students or group with a field trip that will allow them to explore woodlands, prairies, wetlands, the history of our uses of natural
resources and our place in the natural world today.  We have many activity options and can work with you to get the most out of the field trip.

The most popular field trip destination for us is the Hurstville Interpretive Center.  We also welcome field trips at Maquoketa Caves State Park, Eden Valley Refuge, Green Island Wildlife Area, Bellevue State Park, Millrock School and any other park in the county. 

We encourage groups to reduce garbage by packing waste-free lunches.  We hold a contest in the spring and fall to see which group has the least amount of trash during their visit.

Field Trip & Smart Lunch Reminders Form (pdf)

Bussing scholarships available to schools within Jackson County for nature related field trips.  Funds are provided by Friends of Jackson County Conservation.  Go to the Friends of JCC page to learn more.

School Programs

Our EE staff are available to visit your classroom during the school year for educational hands-on programs.  Our in-school programs bring the opportunity to investigate our relationship to the natural world without the hassle of scheduling a bus.  We have programs about owls, bats, endangered species, groundwater and much more.  In-school programs are provided for the following school districts: Maquoketa, Andrew, Bellevue, Marquette, East Central, Preston, Sacred Heart and Delwood. 

Click here to view our Environmental Education Guide for K-12

Click here to view our Environmental Education Guide for Preschool

Click the links below to learn how our programs match the Iowa Common Core.
K-2 programs with Common Core
3-5 programs with Common Core
6-8 programs with Common Core

We are happy to create and customize a program to best fit your curriculum.  Contact us to talk with a education staff member for more information.

How useful was our Environmental Education Guide?  Please fill out our EE Guide Survey

Program Survey

After we have worked with your group, please tell us: How did we do?