2026 Fall Birding Nature Experienceship Report

A bright and early morning of birdwatching at Utah Lake

For this nature experience, we got up bright and early and traveled to Spanish Fork to go birdwatching. We were led by Keeli Marvel and Janene Auger, a couple of expert local birders. We walked, watched, and listened for different bird calls, ultimately seeing or hearing 42 species, including a white-breasted nuthatch, sandhill cranes, great blue herons, a snowy egret, Caspian terns, and a barn owl.

Note: this image was taken by Katy Knight previously.

Note: this image was taken by Katy Knight previously.

Note: this image was taken by Katy Knight previously.

Note: this image was taken by Katy Knight previously.

We also stopped along the edge of Utah Lake, where we saw several types of waterfowl flying overhead and wading in the water. Overall, it was a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning!

Elise, museum educator

2026 Fall Insect Nature Experienceship Report

On Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 9 a.m., nine interested patrons met in front of the Bean Museum to learn about insects, insect collecting, and identification. The experience was led by Natalie Saxton, who works with the Bean’s Entomology Collection. My coworker Ellie and I joined the group as student educators, helping transport participants to each location and making sure everyone had a positive experience.

After meeting at the museum, Natalie took us to the Entomology Collection, where she gave us a short tour and showed us many species of insects preserved, pinned, and cataloged in the collection. After we shared some of our favorite insects, she pulled out cases featuring those species for us to examine. It was fascinating to see the incredible variety of invertebrates in the collection.

Once we finished our tour, we traveled by van through Provo Canyon to South Fork Park, just beyond Vivian Park. South Fork Park includes fields, pavilions, campsites, and a natural stream that flows into a small pond. The park was quiet when we arrived, although several other groups came to enjoy its facilities during our visit.

It was easy to see why people love the park. The trees were beginning to turn beautiful autumn colors, and the tall grasses were topped with ripe seeds. A few wildflowers were still blooming, mostly in pale yellow and purple. As we walked, we spotted several robins and heard a couple of northern flickers.

After crossing the bridge to the southeast side of the stream, Natalie distributed nets and vials of ethanol. She taught us effective techniques for sweeping the nets and collecting invertebrates. It was chilly when we first arrived, so few insects were active. As the weather warmed, however, more insects began to appear, and participants found many fascinating specimens.

Some of the insects and other invertebrates we encountered included praying mantises, soldier beetles, shield bugs, orb-weaver spiders, garden spiders, jumping spiders, caterpillars, moths, aphids, boxelder bugs, lacewings, crickets, grasshoppers, damselflies, mayflies, water beetles, and more.

At the end of the activity, we released the insects we did not want to keep and preserved the specimens we chose to take back to the museum. After shaking out our nets and packing into the van, we enjoyed listening to “Bugs” by Jesse Welles on the drive back.

Everyone said they enjoyed the experience, and we couldn’t agree more! Natalie did an amazing job leading the group and teaching us about insect collecting and identification. We are already looking forward to the next event.

Thank you to everyone who attended—you helped make the event a success!

Paige, museum educator

2026 Behind the Scene Experience Report

A behind-the-scenes look at the specimens and science shaping research at the Bean Museum

On Saturday, September 19, 2026, guests went behind the scenes at the Bean Museum to explore our research collections. From the freezing tundra of the Arctic represented in our cryogenic collection to the warmth of Utah’s deserts represented in our herpetology collection, participants viewed a variety of specimens and spoke with collection curators. They learned how specimens are obtained, preserved, and stored, as well as about the research taking place at the Bean.

Fan favorites included the ornithology and entomology collections. Guests also took an active role in the tour by standing in the walk-in freezer where soil samples are stored and examining insects and plants under microscopes.

With hands-on activities, bingo sheets, and prizes, guests enjoyed an eye-opening look behind the scenes at the Bean Museum.

Camilla, museum educator

2026 Fall Trivia Night Report

Greek mythology, friendly competition, and plenty of bragging rights!

On Friday, September 18, 2026, the Bean Museum hosted its second annual trivia night, featuring questions about Greek mythology. Ten teams competed across categories including flowers of Greek mythology, The Odyssey, monsters, and gods and goddesses. A bonus round challenged teams to identify modern adaptations of Greek myths—including whether Homer inspired The SpongeBob Movie. Our winning team took home tote bags, bragging rights, and the honor of showcasing their extensive mythological knowledge.

Make sure to sign up for the Museum of Peoples and Cultures trivia night on November 20th!

Angie, museum educator

2026 Biology Bootcamp Report

This past month, Biology Bootcamp has been tons of fun! The kids learned all about different types of animals, environments, and different skills that researchers use in the field.

Monday was our underwater day, where we focused on different types of fish. We learned about the different internal and external structures, as well as the different types of fish, and what kinds live deep underwater.

On Tuesday, we learned about Savannas, food chains, and adaptations different animals have. We spent the morning doing a fun, cross-campus game of Survival of the Fittest, and finished the day by learning about trophic levels. 

On Wednesday, we learned about bugs and plants by travelling down to the BYU duck pond. We were also fortunate enough to get a tour of the BYU Herbarium and Entomology Lab. We finished up the day by making our own terrariums. 

Thursday was kayaking day! We travelled down to the Provo River Delta and learned about the different animals that live there. The kids had a lot of fun dissecting owl pellets and learning to kayak!

On Friday, we took a field trip to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, where we got to see tons of fish, birds, amphibians, and other animals that live in and around water! Some of the kids favorite animals were the electric eel, the stingrays in the touch pool, and the red macaw. 

Elise, museum educator

American Animals Exhibit Opening

The American Animals Exhibit opening event at the Bean Life Sciences Museum was a blast! On Monday, July 6, nearly 600 guests joined us for the opening of our American Animals Exhibit and BBQ in celebration of America 250.

Guests enjoyed hot dogs catered by J. Dawgs, challenged themselves on a rock climbing wall provided by Outdoors Unlimited, and listened to live music performed by the cover band Fire at Will. Families also had the chance to explore the new exhibit while enjoying an evening of fun and community.

It was a wonderful evening celebrating America's incredible wildlife and bringing our community together for a memorable event.

Lydia C., museum educator

2026 Kayak Camp (June 24-26)

Kayak Camp ended on a high note with this final session of camp. 

The kids enjoyed learning all about different types of wetlands, wetland organisms and keystone species. They got crafty making their own wetland filters, invented brand new organisms and their lifecycles and even got to build their very own beaver dams!

Kayaking was the highlight of course, the kids especially loved seeing the different wildlife at the Provo River Delta and Alligator Park. We saw tons of different kinds of birds, cool fish including June Suckers and Carp and we even saw a few minks running along the banks! 

When the wind picked up on Friday, nothing could stop these awesome kids from paddling hard and learning new ways to navigate on their kayaks! 

Kayak Camp was awesome this year and we can't wait for the adventures that await us next year.

Audrey, museum educator

2026 Kayak Nature Experienceship

To start our kayak experience we met at the museum bright and early, then took a couple vans and drove down to the Provo River Delta. The Provo River Delta is a recent project to help the threatened June Sucker, endemic to Utah Lake. This wetland doubles as a great recreation area, with trails to walk or bike, lots of birds to see, fish to catch, and water to kayak! Everyone helped unload the kayaks and then paddled out on the water.

The group went across the entire delta, seeing a wide variety of wildlife along the way. Birds spotted included American Avocets, Black-necked stilts, American Coots, and many Great Blue Herons. And along the edge of the delta, a large Bald Eagle nest and a beaver lodge were spotted. By peeking through the trees, the kayakers saw the perimeter of Utah Lake. As the group paddled back towards the dock, an Osprey flew overhead and perched on a branch nearby. After bringing the kayaks in, the group headed back to the museum and concluded the tour. Thanks to everyone there and we look forward to many Nature Experienceships in the future!

Laurel, museum educator

2026 Kayak Camp (June 22-23)

These past two days at Kayak Camp were a blast! On day one we learned about wetlands, created our own tiny wetlands, invented brand new wetland creatures (including the frogachog, butterfly bird, pizza fish and the chickodile) and played with some mud to create our very own beaver dams. At the Provo River Delta we saw some amazing birds and even some ash falling from the nearby wildfires while out kayaking. 

On day two we went on a birding expedition, found treasure and kayaked out to a bald eagle nest! The kids had so much fun and we can't wait for the adventures we will go on next year!

Audrey, museum educator

2026 Kayak Camp (June 17-19)

This week we learned all about wetlands and their importance to different organisms. On Wednesday, we learned about types of wetlands and made filters using materials found in wetlands. Then we went kayaking on the Provo River Delta, where we learned how to kayak and identify birds. During lunch, Andrea from the Nature Conservancy taught us about wetlands and Utah Lake, and the campers played a trivia game. 

We learned about life cycles and ecosystems on Thursday, and we practiced being “ecosystem architects” by building our own beaver dams at the museum. Then we went to Alligator Park to kayak on the river, where we saw ducklings, fish, a mink, and even a great blue heron! 

On Friday we spent all day at the Provo River Delta. We kayaked out to see a bald eagle nest and saw coots, egrets, ibises, gulls, carp, and pelicans along the way. On land, we did a scavenger hunt and took our binoculars to use in the birding tower, writing and drawing our observations in our field journals. Both educators and campers had so much fun and learned a lot this week! 

Camilla, museum educator

2026 Kayak Camp (June 15-16)

We started off this session of kayak camp with inventing our own weird wetland creatures, like the ayexolotl, petal bird, tere, and jeff. We explored life cycles and the impacts of keystone species on the environment. After making our way to the delta, we spotted avocets, carp, and several massive flocks of pelicans. The next day we brought out our binoculars on the Provo River Delta trail and found eastern kingbirds, white-faced ibises, and even a great blue heron. We documented our findings in field journals and returned to the water, taking a closer look at the bald eagle nest at the edge of the delta. 

Samantha, museum educator