With the continued shortfall in the budgets of California's schools, tough decisions often must be made about program cuts. Educational field trips are often curtailed or even eliminated due to a shortage of program funding.

Click here to fill out the Transportation Grant Application

With this in mind, Rio Tinto Minerals - Boron Operations developed a Transportation Grant Program targeting schools in Kern County, Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita communities due to their proximity, but available to any public school that is interested. Boron Operations will reimburse up to $350 per school per year to help cover transportation costs for your Borax Visitor Center field trip. To be eligible for this grant, you MUST schedule your field trip and reserve your grant funding prior to your visit. Grants are available on a "first come first served basis," and are paid after your class field trip to the Visitor Center. They are intended to assist only with the actual cost of transportation.

Rio Tinto Minerals operates California's largest open pit mine (located in Boron). The Borax Visitor Center, first opened in 1997, is a facility designed to educate the public about modern mining and the important role minerals play in their daily lives. Since then, thousands of students have participated in field trips to the Visitor Center to learn about minerals and mining. We receive extremely positive feedback on the educational value of these tours from students, teachers and the general public.

Below is more detailed information regarding setting up a field trip, the information that will be required to both schedule your trip and to apply for the transportation grant, and what to expect while you're at the Visitor Center. If you are interested in learning more about our school field trip funding program please contact Sheila Amento at 760.762.7588, or by e-mail at visitor.center@borax.com.

Scheduling

• Contact Sheila Amento at the Borax Visitor Center at 760.762.7588 to select a date for your field trip. We schedule only one school group at a time in the Center to allow your students a more rewarding field trip experience.
• Field trips are limited to no more than 100 students per visit. An ideal number is closer to 50. Please allow at least one hour for your visit; two is optimum.

Transportation Grant Details

• We award one grant per school per year (12-month rolling calendar). The grant is available to public schools only. The grant is processed following your field trip. The grant maximum is $350 and is intended to cover only the cost of transportation. If your actual bus cost is less than $350, you will be awarded the actual cost of your transportation. Verification of transportation costs from the school or district is required to process the grant following your trip.

What's Included in Your Visit?

• Your field trip is conducted entirely at the Visitor Center. We do not provide student tours into the pit or refinery.
• Your visit starts with a ten minute video which describes the history of borax the mineral, and Borax the company, and continues on through mining today, how borates are used and how they are transported to the world.
• A speaker with expert knowledge of the mine and refinery may provide an overview of operations (subject to availability and ONLY if requested in advance).
• We provide a short "observation" quiz for students to use as they go through the exhibit area. This quiz requires the students to find certain answers as they go through the 6 different exhibit areas of the facility.
• There are both internal and external exhibits. Internal exhibits include displays on mining and geology, the refining process, product distribution, examples of the many products that contain borates, our safety, environmental and community programs, and a bit about our heritage and our connection to Death Valley.
• Externally, there are two viewing areas - a primary area just east of the Visitor Center and a secondary area on top of the Visitor Center Ð where your students can watch the trucks and shovels working in the pit. There is a mineral collection area where students may do their own "rockhounding" and collect their own borate samples. You may wish to bring either paper sacks or plastic bags to provide to students to hold their "finds" so they make it back to the classroom. In addition, we have a display of an original 20 Mule Team wagon set, complete with fiberglass mules, and a large haul truck tire which provides the background for a great photo opportunity.
• We provide each student with a "tv rock" (ulexite) bookmark and grades 5 and below also each receive a Visitor Center Fun book.

Suggestions to Make Your Field Trip Successful

• Ensure that you have enough chaperones to provide guidance to your students. The Visitor Center has two hosts, but it is not their responsibility to ensure that students conduct themselves in an appropriate manner.
• Consider including the Twenty Mule Team Museum in your field trip. The Borax Visitor Center focuses on modern mining and mineral education while the Museum focuses on the history of Boron and Borax. The Twenty Mule Team Museum is located in Boron at 26962 Twenty Mule Team Road. There is no admission fee at the Museum, but if you plan to take your field trip there, it is recommended that you call them ahead of time and let them know you are coming. Their phone number is 760.762.5810.
• If you bring lunches or snacks to eat at the Visitor Center during your field trip, there is a covered area that will seat approximately 20 people and an uncovered area that will seat 10-12 more. There is also an area to eat at the Museum and there is a County park in town with tables and a playground area.

Shopping

• The Visitor Center has a retail store focusing on mining and mineral education materials. A field trip to the Borax Visitor Center is intended to be a learning experience, not a shopping trip. However, we do carry a nice variety of mineral related souvenirs and if teachers feel that souvenirs add to their students' field trip experience, we are more than happy to accommodate your students. It is at the complete discretion of the teacher as to whether you wish to allow your students to shop.
• Materials include everything from individual mineral samples that can be purchased for as little as $1.00 to mineral jewelry, novelties and books in at a variety of price points. The store is relatively small, so if you choose to permit your students to shop for souvenir items during their visit we need your help.
  • A maximum of 10 students at a time are allowed in the store.
  • An adult chaperone must be available to assist the students with keeping the appropriate numbers in the store. Also, younger students often do not understand purchases, sales tax, etc. It is extremely helpful to have an adult chaperone there to assist them with their purchases.
  • We do allow up to (4) classes, which has been around 100 students at a time. Each class takes turns being inside the Visitor Center or outside exploring until everyone has been able to enjoy all the sights we have to offer.
• If you have any questions not covered in the information above, or simply need additional clarification about something, please call or e-mail. A field trip to the Borax Visitor Center should be not only educational but fun as well, and we're happy to work with you to ensure that your field trip is a worthwhile adventure.

Click here to fill out the Transportation Grant Application