Blue Goose School Bus

The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society manages the Blue Goose Transportation Fund to pay for buses that enable school field trips to visit the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge as a learning laboratory.

History

For a number of years, the Fund, formerly known as the Yellow Bus Transportation Fund, has enabled school groups to participate in the Wetland Round-up Field Trip (grades K-6) and Living Wetlands (grades 5-12) programs at the refuge. These programs actively involved teachers, adult volunteers, and students in investigating the diverse habitats and wildlife of the refuge. Hands-on, small group activities are designed to teach basic ecological concepts and to introduce endangered species, migratory birds, and wetland habitats to the students. The programs are relevant to the appropriate State of California Education Standards.

The Fund was initially financed as a pilot program by grants of $1,500 each from the Connecting People With Nature Regional Funding Initiative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and $4,000 from the Society. The Society was inspired by the success of the pilot program and, seeing the value of maintaining a permanent fund to assist under-served schools with transportation costs, provided $4,000 for a second year. The program goal is to provide under-served local Title 1 schools access to meaningful programs held at the refuge’s Environmental Education Center in Alviso and the Newark Slough Learning Center in Fremont.

Students from four schools totaling 240 children participated in the pilot year and funding for seven more visits from schools in Castro Valley, Half Moon Bay, Newark, San Jose, and Union City has been committed for this year. Several of the schools would not have been able to visit the refuge without the Fund’s support. The Society has since fundraised to make this Fund a permanent fixture.

Continued Need for the Fund

We are currently raising funds to support environmental education field trips and summer camp buses for local underserved school kids. Your donation furthers the education of young students and connects local communities with the natural wonder of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This can be achieved with a contribution to the Blue Goose Transportation Fund.

For many years, the Fund has enabled school groups to participate in free field trips and summer camps at the Refuge. These programs actively involve students, teachers, and adult volunteers in exploring the diverse habitats and wildlife at the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge locations in Newark and Alviso. Students are engaged and inspired by the hands-on, interactive small group activities designed to teach basic ecological concepts and to introduce them to the wetland habitats that shelter endangered species, migratory birds, and other cute and furry creatures that they learn to love.

The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society manages the Blue Goose Transportation Fund to pay for buses to transport kids to the Refuge for these free programs. These kids come from under-resourced schools that otherwise cannot afford to pay for these guided excursions. As the availability of school district-sponsored buses decreases, bus costs have increased dramatically and can be as high as $1000 per trip. Donations in any amount will help restore our depleted funds and bring many more groups of students out for a day in nature.

We have seen Refuge field trips engage and energize every generation of young students to appreciate wildlife and their habitats. Research consistently shows that children who spend more time in nature grow up to be greater stewards of the environment, and this helps promote their awareness of the importance of building a sustainable future.

To support the Blue Goose Transportation Fund, you can donate through any of the following methods:

Thank you for providing your generous support for a life-changing educational opportunity that will enrich young people’s lives and help encourage them to take good care of our planet during their lifetime!