Field Trip to the Confluence, Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area Friday, March 22 Project Read and Reach

What will we be doing on our field trip? See the Columbia Bottoms Visitor Center Talk with a Naturalist about Missouri wildlife Take a short nature hike See the Confluence of the two rivers

What is the Confluence? The Confluence is the point where the Missouri River meets and flows into the Mississippi River.

What will we see? We will see some examples of Missouri wildlife. We will see where the two rivers meet. This is called the Confluence.

What will we study? We will learn about the different ecosystems of Missouri that support wildlife. We will learn about what responsible citizens of Missouri need to do to protect our wildlife. Do you know which Missouri ecosystem is in this picture?

Who will we meet? We will meet a wildlife expert Naturalist Nicki Wheaton who works for the Missouri Department of Conservation. She will help us learn about ideas concerning Missouri endangered species and ecosystems.

Bathroom Breaks: We will take a bathroom break when we arrive at the Visitor’s Center. There are no modern bathrooms out by the Confluence and on our nature walk, just “out houses” that look like this:

What do we need to do to be ready? Bring your camera if you want! Wear tennis shoes – no sandals – we might get a little mud on us too! Dress for the weather – if it’s raining bring a jacket. It might be a good idea to wear pants as we will be walking out in nature near pools of water.

What will be expected of PRR Kids? On the bus: Sit on bottoms Face the front of the bus Quiet voices Show Big 3 Respect to Nicki, our Wildlife expert when she is talking to our group. Stay on the hiking paths to be Big 3 Safe. Stay with your PRR leader and group you are assigned to. Follow PRR leader directions first time asked!

What is expected of PRR Kids? Be a Big Three Learner! Respect the animals we might see on our trip. Try and earn a compliment from our speaker! Learn as much as possible about why some animals are endangered in Missouri and what you can do to help this wildlife!

Have a good trip!