The informal, non-traditional classroom is a great way to augment conventional approaches to learning, while exposing students to unique outdoor educational experiences. We strive to involve students from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances in all aspects of raptor research, and introduce them to key ecological principles, raptor ecology and conservation biology. We believe involving the next generation in the quest to conserve raptors and their habitat is part of a larger effort to create understanding of the issues that threaten them. RVRI offers hands on outdoor educational workshops for local school groups, youth homes, college students, community organizations, and the general public.

Each year school groups, summer camps and others go out to Osprey nests with us and learn about our work. Recently, we teamed up with the Montana Natural History Center and used our research to create multidisciplinary E-STEM education programs for middle and high school students. This program, called Wings Over Water (WOW), has been used by teachers across the nation, and was recipient of the 2019 Underwriters Lab Innovative Education Award for innovation and excellence in the E-STEM field.

RVRI also partners with the MPG Ranch and Inspired Classrooms to provide virtual lessons and experiences to educators who want to engage learners with authentic experiences. Using technology, Inspired Classrooms, RVRI and the MPG Ranch are able to share their research with thousands of students in real time. The students are able to feel as though they are right in the field with the biologists and can ask direct questions.