Education

The Blue Ridge Bird Observatory is committed to connecting people with birds, science, and conservation through free educational programs that attract hundreds of students each year across Western North Carolina. At our French Broad Banding Station in Hot Springs, NC, students, educators, and community groups can participate in hands-on outdoor STEM experiences that bring avian research to life.

Through school visits, youth birding programs, and public bird-banding demonstrations, participants learn about bird biology, migration, ecology, and conservation while developing observation and scientific inquiry skills. Visitors can watch trained researchers safely capture, band, and release wild birds as part of the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program, a continent-wide research effort that helps track bird population trends across North America.

Our programs encourage curiosity and stewardship through activities such as bird identification, birdsong recognition, binocular skills, citizen science using eBird, and exposure to real conservation research. By creating meaningful outdoor learning opportunities, we inspire the next generation of scientists, conservationists, and bird enthusiasts.