Environmental Institute Expeditions
The Environmental Institute
The Environmental Institute was created in 2019 with the purpose of bringing students outside to engage with nature through hands-on field science experiences. Combining field investigations and adventure education, Environmental Institute programs take students behind the scenes to connect with real-world scientific studies in a cooperative learning environment. We believe in a future where all members of our community have the skills, knowledge, and passions to engage with environmental science topics in a positive way.
Whether you join us for a day trek, hybrid camp, or field expedition, EI programs give participants the chance to take an active role in scientific study, applying the same science and engineering practices students work on in the classroom to projects out in the real world.
The landscape is a laboratory, there are countless phenomena to discover. Join us for one of our programs and get ready to explore!
EUREKA! will be requiring immunization records for all student campers. If the school your student attends is within Colorado, you will not need to upload these records, as we have access to them through a database.
If your student does not attend school yet, or is homeschooled, you must upload immunization records to the account. Registration will not process without uploaded records to each student's account. Please follow these steps to upload the documents.
- Log into Dashboard
- Click FAMILY & FRIENDS on the left
- Click EDIT on the student's account
- On the right, you'll see a button +ADD DOCUMENT
For immunization exemptions, please submit this form.
Additional forms are required for all students participating in overnight programming.
Each student needs to fill, sign, and submit:
If your student carries epinephrine for anaphylaxis or is asthmatic, we will need copies of the following forms filled out and signed:
Forms must be filled and submitted at least 14 days prior to the first day of an overnight camp. Forms can be emailed to camps@eurekasciencemuseum.org or dropped in person at the museum. Please be thorough in filling out your student's medical information. In order to be successful, our students need to be well-rested, well-fed and have everything they need to feel healthy in the field. Please help us to set your student up for success.
Prior to each camp, we have included a document with a general packing list and basic course policies. Everything on the packing list is required. We have gear to loan, but the sooner we know a student’s needs, the better. If you have any questions about the paperwork process, gear, or course policies, please reach out to us at info@eurekasciencemuseum.org. We are looking forward to getting your student out into the world for a science expedition!
Thank you to our title sponsor, Alpine Bank. Their generous support makes these programs possible.
2021-2022 Environmental Institute Programs
The Science of Ice
February 21, 2022
3rd - 5th Grade
Cost: $45 members / $55 non-members
We’ll spend this no-school day getting up close and personal with the Ice Caves in Rifle Mountain Park! Each year in mid-winter the limestone walls around Rifle take on magnificent columns, walls, and spires of Ice. We’ll take a day trip up to explore the Ice Palace and learn about freeze-thaw cycles while performing some icey experiments! Bring along a headlamp or flashlight because we'll make time for some limestone cave exploration!
Pick up and drop off will take place at the EUREKA! Students will be transported by bus each day to our ski area.
Please send your campers each day with a backpack, warm boots, clothes to keep them warm and dry in the snow, 2 L of water, a lunch, snacks, and sunscreen.
Gear Up! Bikeology & STEAM
March 21st - 22nd 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
$100 members / $130 non-members
Get outside and mountain biking on some local trails this week for our Bikeology & STEAM camp! Each day will be spent learning and honing our mountain biking skills, as we incorporate a different topic of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.
Please send your camper with their mountain bike, a helmet, a backpack, comfortable shoes to walk and ride, 2 L of water, a lunch, snacks, and sunscreen.
If you do not have a bike and would like to use a EUREKA! mountain bike instead, please contact us at info@eurekasciencemuseum.org. Limited bikes are available.
Science, Snowshoeing, and Sledding, Oh My!
March 23 - March 25, 2022
3rd - 5th Grade
Cost: $120 members / $150 non-members
During the Spring we find ourselves warming up, why does the Grand Mesa stay so cold? During this adventure camp, we'll spend 3 spring break days learning about snow science. Why is weather different at higher elevations? What sort of animals spend the winter here? How do the trees and plants survive. We'll strike out each day (on snowshoes) to answer these questions and more about our spring Grand Mesa landscape.
Pick up and drop off will take place each day at the EUREKA! All campers will need to come to camp with a packed lunch, two portable snacks, a large water bottle, and appropriate clothing for hiking including layers and heavy boots.
Students will travel by bus to the Grand Mesa and spend the day on the trail.
Winter clothing (winter jacket, water-resistant shoes, such as hiking boots, scarves, gloves, and hats) is required. Snowshoes will be provided.
Here is a sneak peak of previous adventure camps!
Summer 2022
Wild Adventures is a traveling day program, where students explore field science in the outdoors. Students are transported aboard EUREKA! vehicles to nearby trails and parks.
Drop Off is at 8AM and pick up is from 12:30-1PM at EUREKA! Be sure to send your student with 2 snacks, a lunch, a water bottle, and a mask, all labeled with their name. Students should wear clothes and shoes for the outdoors, in addition to a hat and sun screen.
Incoming 1-3rd Graders:
- June 20-24: Water Exploration
- July 11-15: Amazing Animals
- July 18-22: Dinosaurs
Incoming 3-5th Graders:
- May 31-June 3: Geology Rock Hounds
- June 6-10: Ecosystems
- June 27-July 1: Dinosaurs
Gear Up! is our mountain biking program, which focuses on skill building, while also learning and exploring the science of the environments we recreate within.
Each program may have different start and end times, in addition to drop off/pick up locations. Please reference the details in the Dashboard Event.
Students should come with their mountain bike, a helmet, a daypack, comfortable shoes, 2L water, lunch, 2 snacks, and sunscreen. If you do not have a bike and would like to use a EUREKA! mountain bike instead, please contact us at info@eurekasciencemuseum.org. Limited bikes are available.
Incoming K-2nd:
- June 13-16: Desert Ecosystems
- July 25-28: Desert Ecosystems
Incoming 3-5th Graders:
- May 31-June 3: Desert Flows and Videography
- June 27-30: Sub-Alpine Trails
- July 12-15: Desert Flows and Videography
Incoming 6-10th Graders:
- June 7-10: Desert Flows and Videography
- June 20-23: Sub-Alpine Trails
- June 19-21: Sub-Alpine Biking and Camping (Overnight)
Join us for an up close experience of studying our local geology. Our climbing programs cater to students of all abilities, and focuses on the science of rock as students learn to safely climb outdoors.
Incoming 3-5th Graders:
- June 21-23: Rock Climbing in Unaweep (Overnight)
Incoming 6-10th Graders:
- May 31-June 22: Rock Climbing in Unaweep (Overnight)
- August 1-4: Rock Climbing in Lime Creek (Overnight)
Our overnight programs provide the opportunity for students to enjoy the outdoors and explore science in the field, while also gaining wilderness and leadership skills.
Some overnight programs are hybrids, meaning some parts of the camp are day programs and other are overnights. Please reference the details in the Dashboard Event.
Incoming 3-5th Graders:
- June 7-9: Camp Out at Fort Umcomphgre
- June 21-23: Rock Climbing in Unaweep
- July 19-22: Exploring Hydrology on the River
Incoming 6-10th Graders:
- May 31-June 2: Rock Climbing in Unaweep
- June 14-17: Exploring Hydrology on the River
- June 27-30: Elevated Learning with Peaks and Pika at 10,000 Feet
- July 13-15: Alpine Ecology at Shrine Hut Walters
- July 19-21: Sub-Alpine Biking and Camping
- July 25-28: Backpacking in the San Juans
- August 1-4: Rock Climbing in Lime Creek
Our Girls Inspire camps were created to promote and increase the participation of females in the STEAM fields, and educate participants of scientific and medical career pathways. These 4 day camps focus on wilderness medicine, and get participates out in the field. Students will be transported on EUREKA! vehicles.
Incoming 3-5th Graders:
- May 23-26: Wilderness Medicine
Incoming 6-10th Graders:
- June 13-16: Wilderness Medicine