CBNERRVA staff provide in-school and field trip programs for a variety of groups including local school (4-12), college level and civic groups. Groups presently working on Chesapeake Bay or marine science curricula, lessons and issues in a broader context are be given priority in programs and field trip scheduling. In-school laboratory programs include fish and oyster dissection, marine invertebrate identification (mud crabs, isopods, amphipods, polychaetes etc.), plankton identification (phytoplankton and zooplankton), state of the bay slide show and others. Longer programs that address the collection, use and application of water quality, meteorological and biological data are also provided for suitable audiences.

Field trip opportunities include guided canoe trips at York River State Park (see general public outreach below for more information on these trips) and field trips at the Goodwin Islands and the York River and its tidal tributaries. Programs are designed to enhance awareness and understanding of the estuary and emphasize the interrelationships of coastal habitats and human activities. Trip themes focus on eelgrass, oyster reefs, and other shallow water and marsh habitats. Animal collection, water quality work and scientific investigation are planned according to each group's field trip objectives.

Teacher Training

CBNERRVA, in conjunction with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the College of William and Mary School of Education, provides a one-week summer course for middle and high school teachers. Topics revolve around shad, oyster, eelgrass and salt marsh restoration on the York River. Teachers also are introduced to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Virginia WAVE curriculum. Activities for this middle school curriculum can be adapted for elementary or high school use.

Minority Intern Training Program

Morgan State University (MSU), the National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB), and CBNERRVA are currently involved in a unique partnership that provides training for minority students on the collection, use and application of water quality and meteorologic data. The three-part training program consists of formal education for credit at MSU, a hands-on environmental science internship program at NAIB, and a two-week intensive training workshop at CBNERRVA. The two-week training at CBNERRVA includes YSI datasonde training and deployment designs, data and metadata management, water quality analysis (nutrients, fecal coliform bacteria etc.), weather station setup, data collection and QA/QC, meteorologic exercises (i.e., regional water budgets), nekton surveys and primary productivity studies.

Special Needs Environmental Education Program

The Special Needs Environmental Education Program is designed specifically for visually and hearing impaired students. The program consists of in-class and field activities offered at York River State Park. An introductory guide to developing environmental education programs for visually and hearing impaired people is available upon request as are other teaching aids. This program is offered in conjunction with York River State Park and the Virginia School for the Deaf, Blind, and Multi-Disabled in Hampton.