Bear Creek Explorers

Guardians of the Forest

A small group of young people spend a full day each week immersed in a family forest near Cheshire, Oregon. They check the rain gauge, take soil temperatures, record bird songs, and report their findings after morning sit spots. They tag and measure trees in permanent research plots, track wildlife with trail cameras, and collect water quality data from the creek, the pond, and the stream. They make fire using ferrorods, carve spoons from greenwood, spin cordage from nettles, and weave baskets from freshly harvested hazel. They climb old oaks, bushwhack through creeks, hike to snowy summits, and build shelters in the rain.

They are the Bear Creek Explorers — the guardians of the Bear Creek Wilderness.

The Program

What Is BCE?

Beginning in 2019, Bear Creek Explorers is a weekly, full-day program for ages 9–13 at the Bear Creek Wilderness, a 47-acre family-owned land that includes forest, meadow, and many streams that serves as a student research forest.

This isn’t a nature class. It’s a commitment — to a place, to a community of peers, and to a way of being in the world that values observation, competence, stewardship and connection. Explorers return to the same land week after week, season after season, developing a relationship with place that deepens over years. They know where the chanterelles emerge in November, where the trilliums bloom in April, and where the cougars walk at night.

Three Threads

BCE weaves together three threads

Protect & Maintain

The explorers are stewards of the land. They manage trails, harvest hazel for regrowth experiments, clear hazard trees, fight invasive weeds, and contribute to the long-term health of the forest. The Bear Creek Wilderness is managed for old-growth restoration, wildlife habitat, and native plants. The explorers help make that happen.

Research & Monitor

Every week, the team collects rainfall, air and soil temperature, and bird species data as part of a long-term ecological monitoring effort that stretches back to 2020. Our precipitation data is shared with CoCoRaHS, a nationwide citizen science network. Explorers also conduct their own research projects: from soil respiration studies and lichen surveys to herpetofauna monitoring and wildlife camera studies.

Learn & Practice

Fire making, knife skills, compass navigation, knot tying, shelter building, cordage, plant identification, and foraging are all part of the BCE experience. We use a system of competency where students demonstrate safe, effective use of tools before earning independence with them. Whether it’s sharpening a blade, reading a bearing, or measuring a tree with a diameter tape, the goal is real skill built through practice and hard work.

See what we practice on the Wilderness Skills page →

The Culture

More Than Curriculum

Some of the best moments at Bear Creek have nothing to do with curriculum. A 10-minute nap in the sunny meadow after a morning of trail building. The sound of wolf-howls echoing through the forest as the explorers call to each other. Someone discovering that a shovel makes an excellent cooking surface. A praying mantis hitching a ride in the van. A spontaneous choreographed routine on a rooftop after a long day of water quality testing.

The explorers name their data loggers after Lord of the Rings characters (Balrog lives in the pond, Gimli in Bear Creek, Legolas in the meadow, and Arwen near the village). They measure trees in “units of human bodies at breast height.” They carry fire and spin cordage and discuss the best location for the next shelter.

I’ve learned that when you give young people real responsibility — sharp tools, sensitive equipment, long-term data that actually matters — they rise to it. The focus and care I see from 10-year-olds operating a Vernier dissolved oxygen sensor or carefully reading the meniscus in the rain gauge is something to witness.

Follow along with our weekly adventures in the Field Notes →
The biggest thing the Bear Creek Explorers experience has given me is a safe space to find and hone into my connection with nature. Bear Creek is a separate universe away from the busy bustle of the world. This separation allowed me to tune into myself, truly connect to the earth, and find confidence in a previously uncomfortable environment. The Bear Creek Explorers experience has not only given me the skills to survive in the wilderness, but to see the forest as another home. A home that fuels a love for exploration, creativity, imagination and most of all a love for the forest and the creatures within it.

— Gabriel, BCE student

Who It’s For

Is BCE Right for Your Family?

Bear Creek Explorers is a mixed-age program for students ages 9–13. Age and grade matter less than interest, temperament, and readiness. The right fit is a young person who is curious about the natural world, willing to work through hard things, and ready to be part of a small team that depends on each other.

BCE is built for the developmental window between emerging independence and the self-consciousness of adolescence. These are kids who can manage a full day away from home and take responsibility for their choices, but who still lose themselves in the world around them. It’s a brief, remarkable phase, and BCE is designed to meet it.

Because we use sharp tools, sensitive scientific equipment, and work in remote terrain, explorers need to be able to listen, follow safety protocols, be self-directed, and handle a full day outdoors in all weather. We go out in the rain, the cold, the mud, and occasionally the snow. Explorers are generally together as a group, but not always — they walk back to camp alone to grab forgotten gear, spread out for solo sit spots, and move through the forest with increasing independence. Families should be comfortable with that level of autonomy in a wild setting.

If your kid is the one who comes home muddy, asks big questions about fungi, and would rather be outside than anywhere else — they just might be one of the next Bear Creek Explorers.

Bear Creek Explorers has been the heart of our homeschool experience. We will forever be connected to nature in a deep way and hold fond memories of our time sharing the outdoors with our friends. I’m filled with gratitude knowing my kids and I will have these shared memories and a fondness of nature, to carry with us for years to come.

— Cristen, BCE parent

Details

Details & Enrollment

Schedule

One full day per week (usually Wednesdays) during the school year (October–June).

Location

The Bear Creek Wilderness, a private family forest near Cheshire, Oregon.

Transportation

Provided from a central Eugene location. Pick-up at 9:00am, return at 4:00pm.

Group Size

Up to 6 students, plus one junior field assistant.

Team Meetings

In addition to field days, explorers participate in periodic online team meetings where we analyze data, plan upcoming work, and function as a real research team. Details vary by season and project.

What to Bring

Lunch, snacks, water bottle, and weather-appropriate clothing for a full day outside. Layers are essential. Personal tools such as knives and hatchets may be brought once a student has passed the relevant competency.

Tuition

Yearly program, billed twice at $1,500 per semester

Scholarships available. There is a one-time $50 deposit and materials fee to hold your spot. We are an approved vendor for Teach Northwest and Fossil.

Interested? Fill out the waitlist form and/or reach out to discuss whether BCE is a good fit for your family.

Get in Touch

Student Research

Forest Science Projects

Explorers have the opportunity to design and carry out their own research project at the Bear Creek Wilderness, and/or be part of the team research project for the year. Online team meetings between trips to the forest allow us to do secondary research, analyze and record data, and make a plan for the next week. Past and current projects include:

  • Soil Science

    Terran’s study of soil moisture, temperature, and texture across forest and meadow plots, funded by a student-written grant from the Diack Ecology Education Program.

  • Lichen Survey

    Simon’s systematic collection and identification of ground lichen species within permanent forest plots, using microscopy for detailed documentation.

  • Tree Growth Monitoring

    Annabella’s work measuring and tracking trees in permanent plots, including accuracy verification and long-term diameter data.

  • Herpetofauna Monitoring

    Ruani’s project using artificial cover objects placed in research plots to survey reptile and amphibian populations.

  • Wildlife Camera Study

    A multi-year effort using motion-triggered trail cameras to document mammal activity, including cougar, bobcat, fox, deer, and many smaller species.

  • Meadow Restoration

    Gabriel’s experiment to control invasive meadow knapweed and enhance native plant diversity, including camas, goldenrod, and king gentian.

See full project write-ups on the Student Projects page →
My favorite thing about BCE is that it provides a total separation from my everyday life. I feel free to just be in the moment and take in all the wonders of nature while being together with others sharing the same experience. We do many activities, but nothing is rushed or pressured with a need for a definite outcome. We learn new things — about nature, science, outdoor skills — but from a framework and attitude of joyful curiosity. The outdoor setting and the time for reflection provide a sense of calm and gratitude. There is a strong sense of fellowship as the BCEs build things together, eat together, share stories and experiences and explore the environment together. Finally, it just feels good to walk in the cool forest and sit in the sunny meadow.

— Barbara, BCE grandparent