"Welcome back to the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center! We are going to be learning a lot more natural science today, which will make us what kind of scientists?" Pinetree Paul asked the 4th grade students of Destin Elementary School enthusiastically. "Naturalists!" they all yelled in unison.
On May 5, all seven of the 4th grade classes from Destin Elementary School took the third of four total trips they will take this year to the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center at Nokuse Plantation located in Freeport.
This is one of the 4th grade class’s favorite field trips of the school year. It's an opportunity to learn about nature and conservation in a very hands on environment.
The students play recycling sorting games, hold snakes, turtles and tortoises indigenous to our region, take a nature hike, dip nets in the pond for tadpoles, fish and anything else they can catch all the while learning about the environment and its inhabitants in a way that's fun and adventurous.
All of their wildlife experts and guides have fun nicknames the kids remember easily like: "Turtle Bob," "Diamondback Dalton," and "Treefrog Tess." In between activities the students and teachers can picnic lunch on some hills overlooking a bald eagle habitat. One of their favorite things to do is add their lunch leftovers to "Miss Piggy Winkles" bin.
The E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center is a 53,000 acre private nature preserve focused on conservation, preservation, bio-diversity and education. The center is located in what is called the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem and is considered one of the most bio-diverse areas in the continental U.S.
The facility is closed to the public on weekdays as they are serving students, teachers and professional audiences. A state of the art theater, classrooms, dioramas and a large number of local wildlife are just some of the fun and exciting things they offer to help students learn about our native environment. They open the first the Saturday of every month to the public except for the month of July and hold many festivals throughout the year.
To learn more about the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center please visit www.eowilsoncenter.org.