Fall registration is now open for Nature Awaits, an education initiative that allows fourth grade classrooms to visit a state park on a free field trip.

Educators can choose from 30 state parks throughout Michigan, with transportation costs for public schools reimbursed up to $1,000. Trained DNR educators lead participants through 90 minutes of student-centered activities – aligned with state curriculum standards and spanning a variety of subjects such as science, language arts, social studies and physical education – during an interactive hike.

“Nature Awaits really exemplifies the main goals of the DNR,” said DNR education services manager Kevin Frailey. “It reaches students with factual science, promotes the understanding that Michigan’s natural resources belong to them, and actually gets them outside and experiencing nature in a fulfilling way.”

Almost 8,000 students participated in the program in spring 2024, with the most popular locations being Waterloo State Recreation Area in Jackson and Washtenaw counties, Belle Isle Park in Wayne County and Sleepy Hollow State Park in Clinton County. Fall trips will begin in September and run through November.

To learn more about the program and to register, visit Michigan.gov/NatureAwaits.