School of Environmental Education

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SEE

Green River Preserve’s School of Environmental Education (SEE), offers 3 to 5-day residential outdoor education programs for both public and private schools. Our curriculum is designed for rising 5th grade through middle school and is easily adaptable for older students. Participants spend their days exploring the preserve’s waterfalls, caves, and mountain overlooks in small field groups of 10-12 students. SEE programs are available in the fall and spring. We can serve up to 120 participants each week.

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Covid Precautions and Specifics

Please visit our Summer Saftey page for our specific plan and guidelines for all program.

Days & Rates

Length	Students	Adults
3 day program	$250	$125
4 day program	$300	$155
5 day program	$350	$175

2022 Fall Dates

Dates Available	School Served
September 6 - September 9	Open
September 12 - September 16	Ashley Hall, space for 1 school
September 19 - September 23	St. Pius X, space for 1 school
September 26 - September 30	Hickory Day School, Spartanburg Day School, space for 1 school
October 3 - October 7	East Cooper Montessori Charter School

2023 Spring Dates

Dates Available	School Served
April 24 - April 28	Our Lady of Grace, space for 2 schools
May 2 - May 5	Open
May 8 - May 12	Holy Name of Jesus, Space for 1 school
May 16 - May 19	The Cooper School, The Lexington School

Feel free to inquire about specific date possibilities or dates later in October. Please call for more information. 828.698.8828

Enivornmental Education Curriculum

SEE focuses on three basic themes: cultural heritage, ecological respect, and stewardship. We explore these themes through an inquiry-based learning approach. We believe understanding the interconnectedness between humans and nature among these themes brings respect and knowledge for one’s self, each other, and all living things.

During the visit, students and teachers are exposed to a multitude of Southern Blue Ridge Mountains aspects while hiking the preserve with our naturalists in the morning and afternoon. Topics may include but are not limited to the diverse Appalachian ecosystem, primitive arts and crafts, and mountain culture. The integration of the interdisciplinary unit with GRP’s hands-on field trip experience gives students a profound understanding of the three basic themes: cultural heritage, ecological respect, and stewardship.

Activities might include:

Hiking throughout the 3,400-acre private wildlife preserve
Hands-on experiences in field ecology
Animal tracking
Wildlife observation
Field journaling and sketching
Practicing Leave-No-Trace guidelines
Medicinal and edible plants
Stream ecology
Appalachian geology, including cave dwellings

The Classroom

Green River Preserve’s 3,400 acres offers the perfect learning, exploration environment for all ages. Rich in ecological and cultural history, the stories from this land will bond you to a larger community of learners, those from centuries past. Participants may spend the day climbing to one of our waterfalls, spelunking in an old Cave, discovering rare pitcher plants in a bog, or looking out over the green river valley at one of our bald outlooks.