Five Oaks Ag Research and Education Center

Five Oaks Ag Research and Education Center is a 501(c)3 agricultural nonprofit organization. The mission of our organization is to provide scientific guidance and education for waterfowl and wetland management with a focus in bottomland hardwood forests.

Five Oaks Ag Research and Education Center strives to provide educational opportunities to individuals of all ages with the hopes of instilling the importance of conserving our natural resources.

One way we pursue our mission is through our youth education program. Four years ago, we created and launched our youth education department. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, we partner with elementary schools across the state of Arkansas. Third and fourth grade classrooms travel to Five Oaks for a day full of exploration, learning and fun at our signature camp titled, "Where is Mike Mallard?"

When picturing a field trip at Five Oaks, you can envision the game of "Clue" meets the great outdoors. When students arrive to our lodge, they are divided into four teams. At the beginning of camp, they are read a story, that our staff published, titled, "Where is Mike Mallard?" In the story, they learn that Mike Mallard, the main character, is missing! Once they learn the suspenseful news, each team is charged to work together to find Mike himself. At that time, students are dismissed and rotate through four unique stations. At each station, the students are provided with hands on instruction relating to a new conservation topic, and they are given one clue as to who is responsible for Mike's disappearance. Our exciting camp instils important skills such as cooperation, critical thinking and teamwork.

What stations do the students rotate through? During one day of camp, all students will fish at our station titled, "Gone Fishing." They will shoot archery on our archery range. Boys and girls will put on a pair of boots and wade into a body of water with dipnets to find invertebrates in our station titled, "Wacky Waters," and finally, teams will learn about various animals and what natural food sources they rely on as they complete an exciting scavenger hunt in the station titled, "Wilderness Wonders."

Who do we partner with? Our Five Oaks family is grateful for the opportunity to work with schools throughout the state of Arkansas. Our field trips are completely free of charge. This includes the price of travel, all materials, t-shirts, prizes and lunches for every student, teacher and volunteer.