We strive to educate the public through our exhibits and programming about green purchasing options and the benefits of supporting sustainable agriculture. Visitors often leave the Butterfly Pavilion with a greater connection to nature, and a better understanding of the holistic relationships humans have with the planet through hands-on experiences and content-driven learning. In 2010 approximately 6,700 visitors in 310 groups attended free, classroom-based, educational programs called “Spineless Spotlights” during their visit.

More than 70,000 school children annually gain an appreciation for the smallest of creatures, while also building their “green” knowledge and awareness of how to implement wise environmental practices, through onsite fieldtrips and on or off-site class experiences. In 2010 we provided 680 programs serving nearly 18,000 students through 8 unique, curriculum-specific, off-site outreach education programs throughout the state of Colorado.

We also provide opportunities for teachers to grow and learn and further enrich their classrooms with knowledge about sustainability through teacher workshops and programs such as the G.R.O.W. (Growing Respect by Observing Our World) program. In 2010 our Teacher Enrichment Program provided an unprecedented 14 workshops, serving 186 professional educators, doubling the number of teachers served in previous years.

We offer more than 100 different programs annually for youth, families and adults on conservation and invertebrates including hobby-specific opportunities such as macro photography and lecture-based workshops on green practices. Visitors learn while doing at the Butterfly Pavilion and often take the skills back to their communities. In 2010 we doubled the amount of adult and senior on-site class participants, serving 182 groups with 1,775 visitors. We also provided 45 senior educational programs to more than 1,250 participants, with Senior Day serving over 294 seniors from 24 centers.

Our scholarship program serves schools throughout Colorado. The goal of the scholarships program is to provide children of lower socio-economic status with free or reduced-cost interactive, science education opportunities. Schools and organizations in need of financial assistance and qualifying as 50% or more free and reduced lunch complete a scholarship application that accompanies their field trip or outreach reservation. Assistance can be applied toward admission or transportation fees. Schools that qualify as 80% or more free and reduced lunch may apply for both forms of assistance. We provided scholarship assistance to more than 12,000 students from 240 schools around Colorado during the 2010/2011 school year.

Our Senior Habitat Gardening Program has installed butterfly habitat at 25 different senior residential and recreational facilities along the Front Range corridor over the last eight years. Each year we choose three senior facilities to receive environmental education in the spring and hands-on butterfly garden projects in the summer. This program provides an essential therapeutic activity that helps to maintain mental and physical health. Participation in a gardening project can also build confidence, self-esteem and optimism. These traits are strongly connected to physical health and life expectancy, especially when the results are noticeable and concrete. In 2010 this program received the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) Citizen/Community award.