Shorebird Park Nature Center Programs

The Shorebird Park Nature Center offers science and nature field trips for kindergarten - 8th grade classes.

The Berkeley Marina has offered innovative hands-on programs for class field-trips since 1979. The unique locations of rocky shore, docks, pier, and the open Bay found at the Marina are used to provide Marine Environmental Education to school children and classes from all over the Bay Area. Each program instills a conservation message empowering the students to help the environment. 

Classes are taught by experienced naturalists and docent volunteers. We base our programs in the Shorebird Nature Center, which has a microscope lab and two 200-gallon aquariums.

register your class for a Naturalist Program

Register your class for an exciting, hands-on field trip offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Choose from a variety of topics to complement your curriculum. Field trips fees are $100 per hour. Select from a 1-hour, 2-hour or 3-hour naturalist program. Programs can be combined with a group visit to Adventure Playground. 

Please fill out an application for availability and registration details for the 2026-2027 school year. Email naturecenter@berkeleyca.gov for more information or questions. 

Fish Program

• Grade level: 1st - 8th
• Duration: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Students will discover the essential elements of fish, rays and sharks. Hands-on experiences include: Gyotaku (fish printing), Northern Anchovy dissection, aquarium observations and viewing scales and gills under a microscope.

Birds Program

• Grade level: K - 8th
• Duration: 1-, 2-, or 3-hour programs available

Students will gain a greater understanding of local birds and their anatomy. This program offers multimedia presentations and hands-on activity stations: feathers, conservation, sounds, eggs and nests. We'll take an engaging bird walk with high-quality binoculars to identify local marine and land birds.

Marine Mammals Program

• Grade level: K - 8th
• Duration: 1- or 2- hour programs available

Students will learn about local marine mammals (seals/sea lions, whales, dolphins, porpoises and otters) and the physical features which help them survive. Hands-on stations include: sounds, feeding, conservation and insulation.

Low-Tide Discovery Program

• Grade level: K-8th
• Duration: 1-, 2-, or 3-hour programs available

Students receive an estuary education while visiting the rocky shore of the marina. Students will encounter bay organisms through hands-on discovery and learn about their unique adaptations.

Dock Life Program

• Grade level: K-8th
• Duration: 1-, 2-, or 3-hour programs available

Students receive an estuary education while visiting the docks of the Berkeley Marina. Students will collect plankton, conduct hydrological testing, discover life under the docks, and the creatures that inhabit the marina. Students will have a chance to view invertebrates under the microscopes and discuss human impacts on the environment.

Watershed Discovery Program

• Grade level: K-8th
• Duration: 1-2 hour programs available

Students will gain an understanding of what makes up a watershed and learn all about the San Francisco Bay's watershed. There will be a hands-on demonstration on the watershed model, a facilitated discussion on plastic and human impacts, and students will participate in a brief shoreline clean-up.