Anita C. Leight Estuary Center Public Education Programs

Anita C. Leight Estuary Center Public Education Programs includes Reptiles, Seeds, and Polliwogs, Please!, a hands-on program with plants and animals in Leight Park to learn how they grow over time. It also offers Chesapeake Bay Ecology sessions with fish seining, live animal talks, watershed hikes, and pond exploration, plus All About Fish, Reptiles and Amphibians, and Dissection Labs.

Programs

• Preschool/Kindergarten: Reptiles, Seeds, and Polliwogs, Please! — Ages 3 and up · Timeframe: 1 to 1.5 hours. Hands-on with plants and animals in Leight Park to learn how they grow over time.
• 1st thru 5th Grades: Chesapeake Bay Ecology — 1st thru 5th Grades · Timeframe: 2.5 hours. Activities include fish seining, live animal talk, watershed hike and pond exploration.
• 6th thru 12th Grades: Chesapeake Bay Ecology — 6th thru 12th Grades · Timeframe: 2.5 hours. Activities include fish seining, live animal talk, watershed hike and pond exploration.
• Homeschool/Group: Chesapeake Bay Ecology — Homeschool/Group · Timeframe: 1.5 hours. Activities include fish seining, live animal talk, watershed hike and pond exploration.
• All About Fish — Determine what makes a fish unique, explore their adaptations, and sample for fish in Otter Point Creek.
• Reptiles and Amphibians — Age 5 to 10; Age 11 to 17 · Meet the herps of Otter Point Creek. Age 5 to 10 focuses on Discovery Room activities and adaptations; age 11 to 17 includes guided investigations and research projects.
• Dissection Labs — For high school students ages 14+; for younger students, speak with instructor · An introduction to the external and internal structures of aquatic animals in the Estuary. Allow a 2-hour period. 2 chaperones requested per group.

At a glance

• Ages: 3–18 years old
• General schedule: Each season programs are planned for a variety of ages and interests.
• Facility hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM; Saturday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM; Sunday 12:00 AM to 4:30 PM; closed Sundays from December to March

About the provider

Otter Point Creek Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of the research, education, and conservation goals of the Otter Point Creek Component of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maryland. It promotes environmental education of school students and the general public, offers volunteer opportunities, supports research, sponsors college internships, and promotes stewardship and conservation.

Last updated October 29, 2026.