School Program Booking

Updated for Fall 2025

We’ve transitioned to an online booking request form. See below for more information on this new process!

We are accepting booking requests for fall programs. Continue below to access the booking form.

Booking day for Spring 2026 has not yet been set - it will be posted here when it is!

Booking and Reservation Information

Alaska Coastal Ecology Programs

Alaska Coastal Ecology programs are available from August-September of 2025. We will be opening an online request form for Spring 2026 programs in the fall. Dates will be posted here once they are set. Submissions may take place any time starting on that date. We will take submitted requests and begin organizing them into the spring calendar after that window, until the calendar is filled. We will no longer be accepting the downloaded forms.

Submission of a booking request will prompt an automatic response that confirms our receipt of the form and contains a copy of your answers for your records. You will receive communication from the School Program Coordinator within 2-3 weeks after submission with offers for trip dates.

An email will be sent soon after the beginning of the school year with further information and instructions. If you would like to be on this email list, please contact shannon@akcoastalstudies.org. Our emails have a tendency to end up in spam, so please check there if it seems you aren’t receiving communication from us!

Wynn Nature Center and Beluga Wetlands Day Programs

Reservations for the Wynn Nature Center and other CACS day programs can be made at any time by submitting the School Booking Form that is linked at the bottom of this page. Please note that depending on how many programs we are running, we may not be able to accommodate all requests. Providing multiple days of availability helps us to schedule your group.

Confirmation and Deposit Information

Field Trip Date Confirmation

Offered trip dates will be held for two days and need to be accepted in that time frame before the dates will be made available to other classes. Expect official field trip date confirmation within three weeks of submitting your reservation request. Please keep in mind that some dates will be highly requested by multiple groups. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we try to fit as many groups as we can into a tight spring window.

After our initial booking window, requests are handled on a first come first serve basis. We can take overnight program requests any time after the booking period opens, but keep in mind that our spring is usually full by January!

Deposits

A non-refundable deposit of $300 is due for each Alaska Coastal Ecology or Oceanography program. Trip deposits are due upon receipt of confirmation letter for fall and winter programs and spring trip deposits are due by December 1. If the deposit is not made by the deadline, the trip dates can be offered to classes on our waiting list.

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies follows a 3-stage payment process for all school programs. We require payment of 30% of the estimated cost of your trip by February 1st. The 30% deposit is non-refundable if your school cancels after February 1st. Complete payment will be invoiced to your school after the trip is complete in order to bill for the most accurate headcount.

Depending on funding availability, discounts may be available. Please contact CACS for more information.

A note about our prices: We do our best to keep our school programs at cost. This covers boat transportation, instructor time, lodging, and the inherent costs of running a facility. As the prices of gas, electricity, and overall cost of living fluctuate, we unfortunately must raise our prices to meet them. In an effort to avoid significant jumps, you may instead notice prices increasing incrementally over the next few years. If a program price is inaccessable for your group, please reach out. We are sometimes able to provide small scholarships.

Thank you for supporting our programs!

Pricing

Online Booking Forms

We are transitioning to an online booking form for our school programs. This means we will no longer be taking the downloaded and emailed documents that have been used for many years.

Day Program bookings are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Alaska Coastal Ecology priority booking for Spring 2025 was September 19th-23rd, 2024. All forms received during that time have been treated with the same priority, and will be confirmed on the calendar before requests that are submitted after that window.

Our philosophy

At the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, our educational philosophy focuses on providing opportunities for place-based and experiential learning in ways that are culturally responsive and respect students' knowledges, perspectives, and identities. Most of our teaching takes place outside of a conventional classroom environment. This often means getting a little muddy or swamping your boots–it’s all part of the learning process. We create a safe and supportive learning environment for all students, and we facilitate opportunities for growth through developmentally appropriate challenges and responsibilities. We work to foster healthy interactions with peers, positive relationships with trusted adults, and strong connections to local ecosystems and communities.