On this field trip, attendees will visit diverse habitats in the Poudre Learning Center. After a delicious morning tea overlooking the Arafura. Travel between sites will be provided by bus, however participants will be required to walk to sites, sometimes on gravel paths, cleared walking trails and over sand. The weather is expected to be warm and humid, so covered footwear, broad-brimmed hats and clothing which provides sun protection is recommended.
The Poudre Learning Center is a Greeley-Evans District 6 facility that immerses students in our learning standards while enhancing their understanding of Science, History, Economics, Stewardship and Aesthetics of our Northern Colorado environment.
Our facility is located at 8313 West F Street in Greeley, Colorado. The 65 Acre site has indoor and outdoor classrooms, a sensory garden, working ponds, and borders the Cache la Poudre River.
Recommended for trip: Lunch, snacks, long-pants, long-sleeved shirts, sturdy closed-toed shoes, broad-brimmed hat, sunscreen, drinking water, camera and binocs-bird/wildlife watching.
Our History
A trip up the valley from Greeley reveals numerous channels incised by the Poudre River into the surrounding high plains topography. For many years the Poudre meandered back and forth across this nearly flat prairie. But settlers of the Union Colony would soon change that. The farmers from the east realized they could increase farmable acres if they could just straighten the river.
One such channelized section was the Poudre Learning Center site west of 83rd Avenue. According to area farmers, teams of horses and plows trenched this area. This operation led to many years of successful farming at the site. In 1986, Hall-Irwin Corporation purchased the site of the Poudre Learning Center. Gravel mining operations began the same year. Gravel was extracted for roadways, concrete foundations, trails and roadbeds in the region. The resulting gravel pit is used as a water storage reservoir by Central Colorado Water Conservancy District.
Hall-Irwin Corporation has demonstrated a workable approach for private industry and landowners to help the educational community. They understand the important role that real, discovery experiences play in a student’s understanding of ecological resources. With this proven commitment to education, Hall-Irwin Corporation decided to move to the next level by donating 65 acres of this prime Poudre River riparian land to the local community for environmental education.
Plans for the Future
In December of 2017, Betty and George Hall gifted 133 acres of ground to the Poudre Learning Center to continue the environmental education program that was begun with the Hall Family first donation of land when the Poudre Learning Center was begun in 2005. With the addition of the new land which is presently in a restoration state, the Poudre Learning Center has plans to add an observatory and observation tower, experimental grazing/prairie fields, restoration farm kit, a Retreat Center/Event space, more trails and view areas, along with many other ideas and dreams.