Field Trip

child with binoculars

Description: Field trips, like membership programs, benefit from the ideas of as many Chapter members as possible. Ideas for trips are usually generated by the membership, but sometimes they need to be solicited. In some Chapters, the Board plans the annual schedule of field trips and monthly programs. In other Chapters, the field trip chair establishes a committee of people who are willing to lead trips.

Duties

  • Maintain a file of trips taken in recent years with notations of successes and failures.
  • Maintain a file of ideas for possible trips that include names of leaders, contact people, and other relevant information.
  • Evaluate priority conservation and education projects to see if they lend themselves to field trips. Consider scheduling an outing to monitor birds at an IBA or as part of a habitat restoration work day.
  • Research other potential sources of ideas for interesting field trips. Check out other Chapter newsletters. Ask for ideas from your state office, other Chapters in your state or region, university outing clubs, outdoor stores, and national, state and county park officials. You may also want to review newsletters of other related organizations, such as garden clubs, etc.
  • Lead your Board in a discussion of field trip ideas and coordinate field trips with other planned activities.
  • Work closely with the newsletter editor to be sure all field trip logistics are publicized well in advance.
  • Announce upcoming field trips at all membership and Board meetings.
  • Coordinate publicity for field trips in the community and in the press.
  • Handle the logistical arrangements for each trip with the help of the Field Trip Committee
  • Ask field trip leaders to take a head count of participants for inclusion in the end-of-year Chapter Annual Report tallies, and to circulate a sign up list to be shared with the Membership Chair.
  • Procure membership forms and other general Audubon and Chapter information for leaders to distribute to new participants.
  • Encourage field trip leaders to greet and welcome all participants, and to be familiar with and encourage all participants to follow Birding Etiquette.
  • Be sure to thank all field trip leaders. Consider recognizing one field trip leader at each annual banquet.

Resources

Downloadable Resources