“The best thing about nature is that it is unscripted. You never know what you are going to experience during a habitat tour. I have an idea of what I want to teach about, but I am always excited about witnessing something I wasn’t planning for. That means that Habitat Tours are a forever repeatable experience!”

“River Cruises are my favorite experience. As a fisherman, I already spend a lot of time on the water. The cruises are great because you always know you’ll get to see something fun, but you never know exactly what it will be. Each cruise is a unique experience and that makes each one memorable. Our guests are always excited, engaged, ask great questions, and love to have fun!”

“I love the river cruises we offer at the National Eagle Center! It’s amazing to be able to travel aboard a beautiful river boat on the main Mississippi River channel and witness things you could never see from the roadways. We see so much more than just Bald Eagles, too! We’ve observed massive groups of pelicans, gulls, and cormorants gather during migration season! Cruises are a great way to experience the beauty of the natural landscape around us and learn more about the river ecosystem, eagles, and countless other animals. Guests always have big grins on their faces.”

“Outreach events are my favorite because, while the educational content is often the same, no two audiences are, and that keeps things fresh and fun. Each group has different questions and things they want to focus on. One day we might present to schoolkids and the next it may be at a festival or a group of senior citizens. But they all have share one thing in common – they’re excited to learn, and they’re always blown away and in awe when we introduce the Eagle Ambassador!”

“My favorite experience is our Behind the Scenes experience, of course! Watching people make new connections with our Ambassadors and walk away with a whole new understanding and respect for them and all they do is incredibly rewarding! It is also so fun to let our guests go ‘behind the curtain’ to see what goes into caring for the Ambassadors on a daily basis. Seeing that firsthand is so important, and guests gain a better appreciation for what their memberships and donations support.”

“There is no better classroom than to be out in nature itself. Being able to show an audience in real-time the concepts and behaviors you would normally talk about in the classroom setting on a field trip… there is no substitute for that! Standing in the heart of eagle territory is the ultimate for a naturalist educator, and even after over 16 years of doing it, I can tell you that it never gets old.

The Golden Eagle Survey is an especially wonderful experience because it takes people beyond passive classroom learning and actively engages our volunteers in conducting real-world science – citizen science! Their work is adding to our understanding of Golden Eagles and their habitat, but it is also providing a nature experience that instills a deeper understanding and appreciation, and that is invaluable. It gets to the heart of our mission.”