30 years of environmental education at Table Rocks

What do the dwarf woolly meadowfoam and the vernal pool fairy shrimp have in common? They are both found on top of the Table Rocks in southwest Oregon.

If you hike these flat-topped mesas in early spring, you have a good chance of seeing them. This is a highlight for many of the 3,500 school children that annually hike these rocks as part of the Table Rocks Environmental Education Program.

This past spring marked the 30-year anniversary of the community program, a partnership celebration with The Nature Conservancy in Oregon. For decades, students have made the steep mile-long hike, discovering new plant species on the way and gazing upon the entire Rogue Valley from the top. The program offers pre-hike classroom visits and a state-standard based curriculum that is available in both English and Spanish. Since 1986, about 75,000 students have participated in the guided, interpretive hikes.