Prairie Waters Education and Research Center
The Mission of Prairie Waters
Prairie Waters provides environmental education, outreach and research opportunities for students, teachers, community members and professionals in North Dakota. Located just outside Valley City at the Valley City National Fish Hatchery, the dedicated researchers and educators on staff will be happy to help answer any questions you have or give you more information.
Visiting Prairie Waters
Schedule a field trip for your K-12 class, community organization or group, or simply visit us yourself! You can also request a visit from our dedicated educators to your classroom or space to learn more about water education, resources, water organisms and much more.
Summer Camps
PWERC hosts two summer camps each year – these are great opportunities for students to learn more about water ecosystems and have fun doing it!
Be sure to register early – camps fill up fast!
This camp is designed for kids entering 5th and 6th grades. Activities include:
- Wading in streams
- Find out what lives in our waters with a water hunt
- Learn about stream health and do water testing
- Other fun outdoor activities
There will be a $95.00 registration fee that includes transportation – the bus leaves VCSU at 8:00 a.m. and returns at 5:00 p.m., lunch, snacks, and a t-shirt.
This camp is designed for kids entering 7th and 8th grades. Activities include:
- Exploring fish habitats
- Canoeing the Sheyenne River
- Boat fishing
- Catching fish without fishing rods
- Other fun outdoor activities
There will be a $95.00 registration fee that includes transportation – the bus leaves VCSU at 8:00 a.m. and returns at 5:00 p.m., lunch, snacks, and a t-shirt.
Education
Prairie Waters is proud to provide fun, engaging educational opportunities for students, teachers, and community members. Outlined below are the educational goals we strive to meet and opportunities provided to student groups we host.
If there are topics not on our lists that you would like us to cover, we can design a specific program to meet your needs.
Advisory Board Members
- Mary Lee Nielson
- Amanda Oanes, West Fargo High School
- Marty Egeland, North Dakota Game and Fish
- Tyler Modlin, Fort Ransom State Park
- Danielle Dinger, NDSU Extension
- Erica Buchholz, Valley City State University
- Lane Dahl, BNI Coal
Meet our Staff
Science
- Rhoades Science Center, 104c