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Northern Forest Institute
School Programs

K-12 Interdisciplinary Programs to Support Your Curriculum

children with notebooks near a lakeEach experience at the Newcomb Campus is unique. Broadly, the Newcomb Campus provides hands-on, standards-aligned programs for students of all ages supplementing and enriching classroom curriculum. Programs draw upon real-time ecological research occurring on property and utilize many features of the 15,000 acre Newcomb Campus. All programs are aligned with New York and Next Generation Science Standards, and range from one-hour to multi-day experiences.

Popular Programs

  • Sustainable Forestry: Students discuss the social, environmental, and economic goals of sustainable forestry, then explore and measure different forestry plots. Best suited for middle school-college students.
  • Lake Ecology: Students explore the natural and cultural history of Rich Lake by canoe while also taking a range of water quality measurements. Best suited for middle school-college students.
  • Adirondack Food Webs: Students are introduced to food webs through long-term research projects at the Newcomb Campus. Depending on the season, students engage in a salamander or winter mammal tracking study. Best suited for elementary-middle schools students.
  • Goodnow Mountain Hike: Through a 4 mile round trip hike to a restored fire tower, students are introduced to the natural and cultural history of the Adirondacks. This program is particularly flexible based on the season and the group’s preferred topic. Snowshoes are available for winter programs. Best suited for middle school-college students.
  • Adirondack Animal Adaptations: Students get acquainted with local animals through hands-on activities, then head outside in search of tracks and traces. Depending on the season, featured animals may include beavers, loons, owls, or black bear. Best suited for Pre-K-elementary students.
  • Custom Programs: Our specialty! We have the flexibility and expertise to work closely with teachers to construct custom programming that supports classroom curriculum and educational standards. One example of a custom program: a high school class spent the day mapping beaver lodges with GPS units, then learned how to display their data using GIS software. The Newcomb Campus is uniquely suited to design and provide custom programs on most Adirondack ecology topics.

Unique Program Features

Along with our popular programs, the Newcomb Campus offers many unique resources available to be incorporated into field experiences. These include:

  • Philosophy: Seminars and workshops highlight the moral, ethical, and philosophical foundations of natural resource and conversation topics, deepening students’ understanding of their work.
  • Current Ecological Research: Ecological research has been occurring on the Newcomb Campus since 1932, and programs are built upon this scientific foundation. There are many opportunities to include students in current research projects.
  • Technology: GIS and GPS use can be incorporated into many programs to support STEM curriculum
  • Adirondack Guideboats: Students can experience Rich Lake in an authentic Adirondack guideboat to gain first-hand experience with cultural history.
  • Overnight Facilities: Dorms and a dining hall provide comfortable accommodations for multi-day programs.
  • Service Learning: Engage students in an age-appropriate, outdoor work project allowing them to truly learn by doing.

Program Support

Our program fee is $100/hour for any group size, and includes all supplies and equipment. Please inquire about flexible pricing options for groups with limited budgets. In addition, we utilize the following programs and resources to support your experience:

This program reimburses NYS public schools a percentage of program fees associated with a visit to our campus. Reimbursement rates vary by district. Schools outside of Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES can cross-contract with FEH BOCES to take advantage of this program.

This grant opportunity reimburses up to $1,000 of transportation costs associated with a visit to the Newcomb Campus for any NYS public school receiving Title 1 funding.

Our friends group, the Adirondack Park Institute, is committed to “Teaching Generations to Care,” and helping students from across the state experience the Adirondacks. Through their educational mini-grants program they provide grants to defray costs of trips to the Newcomb Campus. Grants average $500, but larger amounts are considered on a case-by-case basis, especially for overnight trips. Please contact Environmental Education Coordinator

Contact for more information

Please contact us for more information on any of these funding opportunities.  We look forward to working with you!

children in the woods

Planning Your Visit

Contact us to explore program opportunities for year-round class visits, day trips, or multi-day residential experiences. Environmental Education Coordinator Erin Griffin will work with you to select and design a program meeting your educational objectives. The Newcomb Campus is committed to creating meaningful and affordable programs.

Contact Us

Questions? Contact Us.

Paul B. Hai
 pbhai@esf.edu
 518-582-4551 x104