Farmington Bay • Utah fourth graders are required to learn about the state's plants, wetlands and animals, but that can be challenging because of a lack of applicable science textbooks.

That was one of the main reasons teacher Courtney Thomas brought a group of young students from South Summit Elementary in Kamas to the Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay on Tuesday. She wanted to give her students first-hand knowledge of some of the birds and plants found in Utah.

The nature center — with its three trails, two classrooms, volunteer instructors and access to some of the Great Salt Lake's most important wetlands — provides a place for not only children to learn but where adults can hike, watch birds and learn about the lake's ecosystem.

"We don't have a science book that applies to Utah, so we need all the opportunities we can get," said Thomas. "The volunteers here were absolutely fantastic. They kept the kids interested."

Volunteers John Liegel, Larry McClurg and Terry Freeman joined nature center Director Diana Vos in giving the students hands-on experience. Kids used binoculars to look for birds such as great blue herons, mallard ducks, white-faced ibis and red-winged blackbirds while on their bus. Others peered into buckets of water containing macro invertebrates. Liegel led one group into the marsh on a trail to teach kids about different types of plants.

"I learned that the phragmites win out over all the plants, so they try to burn them out," said 9-year-old Dominic Tychsen, about an invasive non-native plant that is a threat to many Great Salt Lake marshes.

Another student, Larell Fitzgerald, said he learned about the animals that live in water. He thought the field trip was a lot better than studying math back in school.

Vos tries to keep the facility open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., though she occasionally gets called away for meetings or for instruction. She is looking for volunteers to keep the classrooms that contain bird displays, nests, feathers, insects and books open on Saturdays and may change her schedule in the future so the facility can be open on Saturday. It hosts about 4,000 students a year on field trips such as the one the students from Kamas enjoyed Tuesday.

Though the gates are locked at 4:30 p.m., the restroom facilities are open 24 hours a day and birders or hikers can park their vehicles near the gate on Glover Lane west of Farmington and use the trails.

The handicap-accessible 1.3-mile partial boardwalk trail leads to blinds overlooking a pond, allowing visitors to see birds without the birds seeing them. It opened in May 2010 after being built with help from the Utah Wildlife and Conservation Foundation, the Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Wildlife in Need and area Boy Scouts.

What keeps many visitors coming back is that the setting and types of wildlife that can be seen at the nature center, which is part of an 18,000-acre state waterfowl management area that hosts millions of birds each year. Each season brings new sights.

For example, this time of year, shorebirds and waterfowl are in the midst of the annual migration south. As many as 200,000 ducks can be seen on a single day. Tundra swans pass through the area in November. In the winter, as many as 400 bald eagles come to Farmington Bay. The swans return in March. Spring is nesting time. In the summer, migrants such as Wilson's phalaropes come by the thousands to bulk up for their trip south.

Volunteers such as Liegel enjoy educating the students.

"It's always good to promote the wetlands," he said. "You get them started young. You get some odd questions, but they are always pertinent. The group that came today did its homework before coming."

McClurg, a former junior high science teacher, enjoys watching the kids' faces light up when they discover something new. Freeman, a plant expert, takes off from work occasionally to help lead field trips.

wharton@sltrib.com

Twitter @tribtomwharton —

Getting to Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay

To reach the nature center from Salt Lake City, take I-15 north to Exit 322 for Lagoon Drive. Stay right at the fork and, just off the exit ramp, turn right onto the frontage road. Continue to the stop sign, then turn right onto Glovers Lane. Continue two miles and the Nature Center is on the left.

Although trails and restrooms are open after hours (park outside the gate), the nature center is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call Director Diana Vos at 801-589-2373 or email her at dianavos@utah.gov to volunteer, for exact hours or for programs.