EDUCATOR RESOURCES
The Gila Conservation Education Center is a resource center for students, teachers, community members, groups, and government agencies.
Discovery Trunk Program
Through our Discovery Trunk Program, trained volunteers and Gila National Forest Service employees will present Discovery Trunks in your classroom. Presentations last about one hour, are appropriate for elementary school classes (K-6), and meet many New Mexico State Performance Standards and Benchmarks for K-6 science, social studies and language arts. All Trunks include curriculum guides and lesson plans, making it easy for teachers to borrow Discovery Trunks for a two-week period of time that allows for in-depth, teacher-guided exploration of the topic. Our Discovery Trunk curriculum has been aligned to the education guidelines set forth by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and is intended to enrich existing classroom studies.
Through our partnership with the Gila National Forest, we are able to provide this resource to schools at no cost. We serve schools in Grant, Catron and Hidalgo Counties and presentations are typically in high demand; scheduling is on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to schedule a presentation or borrow a trunk, please fill out the Trunk Request Form (pdf) to your right.
Please return the request form to our office as soon as possible. Volunteer presenters will contact teachers directly to set the date and time of the presentation. Teachers must be present in the classroom at all times during the presentation.
Please mail, e-mail, or fax the completed form to: GCEC, 3005 E. Camino del Bosque, Silver City NM 88061, info@gcecnm.org, or fax: 575-388-8204. If you have any questions, please call our office at 575-388-8266 or 388-8265 to leave a message.
Through our Discovery Trunk Program, trained volunteers and Gila National Forest Service employees will present Discovery Trunks in your classroom. Presentations last about one hour, are appropriate for elementary school classes (K-6), and meet many New Mexico State Performance Standards and Benchmarks for K-6 science, social studies and language arts. All Trunks include curriculum guides and lesson plans, making it easy for teachers to borrow Discovery Trunks for a two-week period of time that allows for in-depth, teacher-guided exploration of the topic. Our Discovery Trunk curriculum has been aligned to the education guidelines set forth by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and is intended to enrich existing classroom studies.
Through our partnership with the Gila National Forest, we are able to provide this resource to schools at no cost. We serve schools in Grant, Catron and Hidalgo Counties and presentations are typically in high demand; scheduling is on a first come, first served basis. If you would like to schedule a presentation or borrow a trunk, please fill out the Trunk Request Form (pdf) to your right.
Please return the request form to our office as soon as possible. Volunteer presenters will contact teachers directly to set the date and time of the presentation. Teachers must be present in the classroom at all times during the presentation.
Please mail, e-mail, or fax the completed form to: GCEC, 3005 E. Camino del Bosque, Silver City NM 88061, info@gcecnm.org, or fax: 575-388-8204. If you have any questions, please call our office at 575-388-8266 or 388-8265 to leave a message.
| Animal skulls: Contrast and compare animal skulls. Explore omnivore, carnivore, and herbivore dentition and orbital placement. Great for animal classification and food web studies; includes a student worksheet. |
| Archaeology: With this popular trunk, students explore New Mexico history and pre-settlement Mimbreno culture. What happened to the Mimbreno peoples? Why? Students work in groups to answer these questions. Students reconstruct broken pottery, use natural materials to make a clay vessel, and use flash cards to explore New Mexico’s history. Excellent for 4th grade Social Studies Standards. |
| Birds: How is a bird different from a mammal or reptile? Students examine feathers, eggs, bird skulls and nests. Trunk includes activities on bird adaptation, animal classification, nest building and migration. |
| Fire Ecology: Students examine the key role fire plays in the ecology of Southwestern ecosystems, with particular emphasis on the Gila National Forest. This trunk works to dispel the myth that all fires are bad and explores the role people play on influencing fire-dependent ecosystems. |
| Fire Safety: Children learn safe fire habits, how fire burns and fire prevention. A visit from Smokey Bear is available upon request. Suitable for grades K-3. |
| Watersheds: Students learn about the water cycle, watersheds, water quality, point and non-point pollution and the impact of land use practices and personal actions on watersheds; particular focus on the Mimbres watershed, Silver City’s “Big Ditch” and the history of San Vicente Creek. Meets 5th grade Life Science Standards. |
| River Ecology: With emphasis on the Gila and Mimbres Rivers. Examine the importance of floods in the ecology of riparian (river) systems and explore important riparian ecosystem services. Includes a set of six role-playing costumes. Meets 4th and 5th grade Life Science Standards. |
| Apex Predators: With this popular trunk, students explore the important role predators play in maintaining the structure and function of ecosystems, with an emphasis on wolves. Students learn about wolf biology, behavior and ecology (food webs). |
| Solar energy: Through a partnership with the New Mexico Solar Energy Association, this presentation teaches students about the relationship between fossil fuels, plants and the sun. Students learn about active and passive solar systems and taste cookies baked in a solar oven. Sorry, this trunk cannot be checked-out. |
| Plants: Students learn the parts of a flower, the differences between flowering and non-flowering plants and the role wind, water, and animals play in plant dispersal. Numerous activities associated with this trunk, including plant presses to build a classroom herbarium. Meets many K-6 Standards/Benchmarks. |
Outdoor Education Labs
The Gila Region offers many locations ideal for outdoor education. GCEC can help facilitate organizing conservation education events at:
The Gila Region offers many locations ideal for outdoor education. GCEC can help facilitate organizing conservation education events at:
- GCEC Outdoor Field Classroom on San Vicente Creek, Silver City
- GCEC Outdoor Field Classroom at Bataan Memorial Park, Bayard
- The Nature Conservancy's Lichty Center for Ecological Research, Cliff
- Mogollon Creek Campground, Cliff
- Mimbres Cultural Heritage Site, San Lorenzo
- Silva Creek Botanical Gardens, Silver City
- Boston Hill, Silver City
- Penny Park, Silver City
- Dragonfly Petroglyph Site, Arenas Valley
- Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
- The Gila River, many locations
- Hundreds of locations throughout the Gila National Forest
Our Partners
GCEC connects individuals, schools, groups, and governments. We regularly work on education-based activities with the following organizations:
GCEC connects individuals, schools, groups, and governments. We regularly work on education-based activities with the following organizations:
- Aldo Leopold High School [ Website ]
- The Wellness Coalition [ Website ]
- The Wellness Coalition AmeriCorps [ Website ]
- Cobre Consolidated Schools [ Website ]
- Gila Conservation Coalition [ Website ]
- Gila Native Plant Society [ Website ]
- Gila Resources Information Project [ Website ]
- Gila National Forest [ Website ]
- Gila Wilderness Ranger District
- Grant County Archaeological Society
- Guadalupe Montessori School [ Website ]
- Juvenile Probation and Parole Office, Town of Silver City
- New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water Quality Bureau
- New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA) [ Website ]
- Reserve Independent Schools [ Website ]
- Rolling Stones Geology Club, Silver City [ Website ]
- Silva Creek Botanical Gardens, Silver City
- Silver City Museum [ Website ]
- Silver Consolidated Schools[ Website ]
- Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society [ Website ]
- The Nature Conservancy of New Mexico [ Website ]
- The Volunteer Center of Grant County [ Website ]
- Town of Silver City [ Website ]
- Trails and Open Space Committee, Town of Silver City
- Upper Gila Watershed Alliance [ Website ]
- Western New Mexico University[ Website ]
Trunk Request 
Trunk Request Form (PDF to Print)