ARMN’s mission is to increase the quantity and quality of healthy, biodiverse, high-functioning ecosystems. They work directly in the field to restore native habitat by removing invasive plants and cultivating natives. They provide education and outreach to the public and communicate to various audiences about habitat restoration, local wildlife, and related topics. We collect data to measure the health of our ecosystems and share results to contribute to scientific research. They are an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision of a healthy and vibrant system of natural lands.
ARMN’s Master Naturalists, like the AOEA, already partner with Arlington Public Schools (APS) to educate students and their families on their natural environment and improve school yards in Arlington. They also work with a multitude of Arlington agencies and non-profits to improve Arlington’s ecosystem. This new partnership leverages both the AOEA’s and ARMN’s similar missions to extend stewardship to the “little slice of Arlington” that is the Outdoor Lab.
The AOEA is welcoming ARMN volunteers to the Outdoor Lab to extend their professional development on our 226 acres with a variety of sub-ecosystems- both healthy and endangered. The Outdoor Lab staff will share their ODL specific knowledge with ARMN volunteers and learn from the vast experience of the Master Naturalists and their network of experts. For example, ARMN volunteers will meet at the Outdoor Lab for a salamander and amphibian night hike and learn about research conducted by former ODL Director Neil Heinekamp on our mascot- the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum).
The AOEA and ARMN are also working on Volunteer Days at the Outdoor Lab where Arlington students, families, and citizens can help remove invasive species, plant native alternatives and improve the ODL ecosystems enjoyed by Arlingtonians for over 50 years.
Parents ask what is it like chaperoning an overnight field trip at the Outdoor Lab. Generally, it’s like being a counselor at summer camp. You’ll guide the students through all activities, help with the family style meals in the dining area, and sleep with the students in big tents overnight. You’ll need to dress for the weather and be ready to experience nature first-hand. (In case of inclement weather, all students and chaperones sleep in our Nature Center!)
Many parents remember their chaperoning experiences fondly (even current school board members!). Students regularly remember it as one of the best experiences in their entire APS career.
Per APS policies, there will be one ODL administrator and one ODL staffer at every Outdoor Lab Overnight. They provide guidance to students and parents to pull-off a magical group experience! Meet the ODL Staff Here. APS developed a video to help Chaperones learn about Overnights, you can viewthe video here.
How do I become a Chaperone for my school’s trip? (for schools, parents & PTAs):
Each school has a staff member that coordinates the overnight trip (often the 5th grade Science Teacher); each school also has an APS Volunteer Liaison that manages the volunteer approval process (Liaison List by School Here). Find these school staffers and let them know you want to be a chaperone!
when a parent registers online to be a volunteer, they get a thank you email (from Raptor System[email protected], check your SPAM folder)
their request waits in a queue of the Volunteer Liaison at “their” school
when that liaison advances the request, then the email with the sexual misconduct video is sent to parent (from Raptor System)
parent completes the online training, passes the end of class test (80% correct) DO NOT LEAVE online training system yet
parent must DOWNLOAD certificate of completion from online training and EMAIL to their school’s Volunteer Liaison
once Liaison receives that completion email, they can approve Volunteer
START EARLY! There are a few points in the above process that can cause a delay. Please work directly with your school’s Volunteer Liaison if you are waiting at one of the above steps. All APS volunteer liaisons will be sent the Outdoor Lab Field Trip Schedule for their school. If there is a problem that the school Volunteer Liaison cannot deal with, parents or schools can contact Dawn Smith, Volunteers, Partnership and Events Manager, at [email protected] or 703-228-2581.
The AOEA, the non-profit that partners with APS to manage the Outdoor Lab, wants all APS students to experience all programs at the ODL. As you go through the volunteer process, if you have other lessons learned, questions or suggestions, please reach out to Mike Maleski, President of the AOEA, at [email protected].
**The Proposed FY2025 budget cuts each School’s Volunteer Liaison, learn more here!
Overnight APS Policy Change History
In Spring of 2023, APS paused 5th grade Overnights to review safety and staffing procedures.
APS added an additional administrator to ODL staff and requires 2 ODL personnel at every Outdoor Lab Overnight (1 ODL administrator & 1 ODL staffer). Meet the ODL Staff Here.
Over the summer of 2023, new safety policies and procedures were developed for overnights:
Large 12-person cabin tents were purchased (to replace multiple 3-4 person tents)
8-10 students are assigned to sleep in a cabin tent (previously 3-4 students/tent)
2 adult chaperones are required to sleep in each cabin tent with students (previously adults slept in their own small tents)
Ratio of adult chaperones to students must be 5:1 (previously 10:1 for overnights; remains 10:1 for 3rd & 7th grade trips)
Adult chaperones must be of corresponding male/female ratios to students
Adult chaperones consist of both School Staff and Parent Volunteers (minimum # school staff also required)
All Parent Chaperones must pass online APS Volunteer background check & training 3 weeks prior to ODL Overnight Trip.
In August 2023, All elementary school principals were notified of the new Overnight policies and procedures. Likewise, all school science leads were given the Outdoor Lab field trip schedule and notified of the new Overnight policies and procedures. The AOEA, as the APS partner in the Outdoor Lab, has asked APS to notify the APS community more broadly of the changes.
Unfortunately, some of the first schools on the schedule were caught with tight deadlines and a confusing process. Schools, PTAs, and Parents have all learned how to navigate the process better.
The Outdoor Lab is a partnership between the non-profit Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA) and the Arlington Public Schools (APS)
APS provides the teachers, educational program and buses.
AOEA owns and manages the land and buildings as well as advocates for outdoor education, STEAM curriculum, and hands-on, experiential leaning.
The AOEA is an all-volunteer, hands-on organization that keeps this beloved Arlington institution available for Arlington students and families.
We need members of the Arlington community to step-up and help us in this critical time for educating our students.
We need Board Members for the AOEA!
Current and past Board Members have a variety of experience and skills. Many are parents, teachers or staff of Arlington schools. Others are scientists, marketing professionals, real estate agents/builders or consultants. We need a variety of experiences to challenge our organization to improve and grow.
If you are willing to help Arlington children and the Outdoor Lab (or know someone who might) please contact us to learn more about our Board of Directors at [email protected]. We elect a slate of Directors at our annual meeting in April/May, but have openings year-round.
If you’d like to volunteer to help the Outdoor Lab in other ways learn more HERE.
APS Students: Join the AOEA Board
In 2021, the AOEA began a student Board Member program offering an opportunity for select APS students who have benefitted from the Outdoor Lab and want to give back.
The student Board Member participates in monthly AOEA board meetings mostly via Zoom, offering advice and voting on AOEA business. They participate in AOEA events at the Outdoor Lab and in Arlington and act as a liaison to their schools and student groups in APS.
If you are a rising Junior or Senior at an APS high school and are interested in learning more please fill out our brief application (2025-26 school year applications due March 31) or contact AOEA at [email protected] with any questions.
The Outdoor Lab Board and Staff celebrate Black History Month throughout February and the entire year.
We continue with our Cultural History Project to research, document, and share the stories of ALL the families who called the Pond and Biscuit Mountain Gap home. We continue to research African American families who worked and lived on Outdoor Lab and adjacent properties.
On a visit to the Afro-American History Association of Fauquier County, Outdoor Lab staff learned that part of the Underground Railroad went through our property. The oral history was that enslaved people escaping through Fauquier were told “Follow the Pine/Pond Mountains” to freedom. The map shows the path along the Bull Run Mountains (of which our Pond and Biscuit are a part) to safety with Quaker supporters in Waterford.
We continue to partner with other researchers, families and organizations as we progress with the Cultural History Project. Please check back to see our progress. If you have an interest in helping please contact [email protected].
The Outdoor Lab staff and board celebrate Native American Heritage Month. We reflect on the great contributions of Native peoples to our Commonwealth and Country and strive to learn and tell their stories of achievement. The land of the Outdoor Lab was originally settled by Manahoacpeoples, a Siouxan speaking tribal alliance, which descended from Mississippian mound building cultures. They originally inhabited the Ohio River valley region, with one group migrating east, sometimes called the Eastern Sioux, and another migrating West.
The Manahoac had little interaction with the English colonists in Jamestown and were shielded by the Powhatan confederacy on the coast and Tidewaters. In addition to diseases introduced by Spanish and English explorers, the Manahoac faced pressure from the Haudenosaunee confederacy (Six Nations of Iroquois) and Susquehannock tribes (Iroquoian speaking, also known as Conestoga) who raided their Piedmont homes. The Manahoac migrated South toward the related Monacan tribes and eventually merged with them and the Siouxan speaking Tutelo, Saponi, and Occaneechi.
What we have learned about the Manahoac culture comes from the few interactions documented by Europeans, often through translators from rival tribes, and their archaeological record. They were semi-nomadic and followed the animals they hunted including Deer, Bear, and Eastern Buffalo. They generally settled near streams and rivers and built palisaded villages with small round or oval dwellings covered with reeds and bark. They grew the Three Sisters of corn, squash and beans and managed their game lands by prescribed burning of forests.
In 1608, colonist John Smith explored up the Rappahannock river to its headwaters and documented various tribes and settlements of the Manahoac. Smith captured a wounded Manahoac warrior named Amorolec who told Smith about the tribes of the Manahoac, their enemies and related tribes who lived from the Fall Line up to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia’s rivers. The Whonkentia were settled in current Fauquier County and we can assume from artifacts found at the Outdoor Lab that other Manahoac tribes were living along Broad Run and its tributaries here at the present Outdoor Lab.
In 1754, Thomas Jefferson observed native peoples conducting ceremonies at a burial mound near his Monticello home in Albemarle County, Virginia. He later dug into the mound and recorded his findings in an organized fashion as part of his Notes on the State of Virginia (1787). Jefferson is recognized as an early archaeologist for this work.
The Monacan nation exists today and in 2018 became a federally recognized tribe with tribal land at Bear Mountain in Amherst County, Virginia. The Monacan nation recognizes the Manahoac as part of their ancestors. A living history presentation of a Monacan Village can be seen at Natural Bridge State Park.
The Outdoor Lab encourages you to learn more about the Manahoac and other native peoples and their rich history, culture and accomplishments in our history.
The Outdoor Lab is comprised of 226 acres including a mountain gap, streams, springs, pond, meadows and woodlands.
Every school day, students hike our trails and meadows, catch creatures in the streams and pond and immerse themselves in their natural world.
The Outdoor Lab staff and the supporting non-profit, the AOEA, work tirelessly to protect and improve the ODL’s Outdoor Classroom and diversify the flora and fauna of the Outdoor Lab’s eco-system.
We are committed to removing non-native and invasive plants and replacing them with natives.
Native plants are better suited to their environment and can survive and thrive with the water and nutrients found naturally. They also provide food and habitat for native insects and plants.
The Arlington Outdoor Education Association and the Outdoor Lab Staff celebrate national Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 – Oct 15 annually)
We honor the many Hispanic Americans who have contributed to our schools, community and country. And celebrate our Latinx students who contribute their talents, skills and culture in all schools every day.
