Field Trips

Outdoor Classroom Programs

WILDLIFE CAM

 Sonoran Wildlife Videos

Camp Cooper

Cooper Center Facilities

NEWS

Newsletter and Events

Camp Cooper

The Cooper Center site is situated on 10 acres of pristine Sonoran desert land. The twelve buildings on the site include an office, kitchen, classroom, two materials storage buildings, six sleeping cabins, and a bathroom. The camp hosts field trips and outdoor classroom programs offering unforgettable nature experiences for students.

Our Facilities

Our Program Philosophy

For us, Earth Education is the process of helping people of all ages live more harmoniously and joyously with the natural world. As an Environmental Learning Center, we follow the tenets of Earth Education, which is the process of helping people of all ages live more harmoniously and joyously with the natural world.

Earth Education

Our Mission

Campus Outreach Team - Cooper Center for Environmental Learning in Tucson Arizona

Our mission is to increase ecological understandings and deepen feelings for nature. We do this by providing hands-on, research-based programs in science and earth education, by creating lifelong memories, and by inspiring learners of all ages to live more lightly and sustainably on the Earth.

Vision & Mission

We're excited to announce that we are resuming in-person field trips for the upcoming school year!

Field Trip Interest Form

 
Cooper Center for Environmental Learning - Tucson, AZ

"I am amazed at the effort put into the activities and how great the staff are with the kids"

- Parent of Tolson Elementary student

 

Cooper Center News

Dean Johnson and College of Education Staff in front of the Kindness Wall at Camp Cooper

Ben's Bells Kindness Wall at Camp Cooper Dedication Ceremony

May 20, 2022

In honor of College of Education Dean Bruce Johnson stepping down from the role and returning to his environmental learning and earth education research, the College’s Advisory Board and Johnson’s family, friends, and colleagues sponsored Camp Cooper as a Ben’s Bells Kind Campus. Our friends at Natural Building Works erected a gorgeous rammed-earth wall along our entrance trail, and Ben’s Bells kindness tiles were added to create a large saguaro in bloom.

This new feature at Camp Cooper was unveiled during a May 6th event to celebrate Dean Johnson’s contributions to the College of Education and its work in the community, including the Cooper Center.

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Snapshot of the April 2022 Newsletter

April 2022 Newsletter

May 15, 2022

Camp Cooper Director Colin Waite has been busy! Not only did Colin prepare and present for SVP Fast Pitch (read below), but Colin also travelled to the Czech Republic to attend the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) last month.

The congress is a leading global network of those working to develop education for environment and sustainability. Colin represented Cooper Center, the University of Arizona, and Tucson Unified School District at WEEC, along with UArizona Research Scientist Dr. Corey Knox and College of Education Dean Bruce Johnson, who was a keynote speaker for the conference.

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Cooper Center Marketing Specialist Kyle Mirzaian at the Environmental Summit

Celebrating Earth Week at the University of Arizona

May 10, 2022

In April, as part of Earth Day and Earth Week at the University of Arizona, the Cooper Center participated in the Environmental Summit, organized by Students for Sustainability. The event featured several environmentally-minded guest speakers and organizations to promote the ideals of Earth Day – care for our planet and sustainable living. UArizona students, faculty, and staff learned about many initiatives both on and off campus to help individuals and groups establish simple, common sense practices to help sustain and protect our planet.
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Multiliteracy Workshop Photo

April’s Amazing Teacher Workshops

May 6, 2022

It's been a busy Spring! Along with a full schedule of field trips, we also continue to provide professional development for current and prospective educators, with workshops that focus on instructional practice and a variety of topics related to the wonders of the natural world.

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Environmental Education in Times of War

March 22, 2022

I’ve just returned from the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) in Prague, Czech Republic, where I had the honor of presenting and serving as a delegate on behalf of the Cooper Center and the University of Arizona. Traveling to Europe during the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was a difficult choice, but in the end, I felt that it was important to not let this violence throw darkness over such an important gathering of researchers and practitioners of Environmental Education (EE) from across the globe.

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Snapshot of the March 2022 Newsletter

March 2022 Newsletter

March 17, 2022

The Cooper Center has grown again! We're proud to be able to add two new positions to the Camp Cooper team. As the Cooper Center continues to expand on the programs and resources we can offer, it was crucial to fill these roles with passionate, knowledgeable people who bring their love of the Sonoran Desert and the environment and ecosystem with them in their work.

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