While Joy guides her participants, Anne leads her nearby group in studying the area's plant communities. Anne directs her group to construct a plant profile, which introduces the environmental factors that influence a plant community. The teachers also observe and record flower types and structures, and the relationship of these features to pollination strategies. They note plant adaptations to the desert environment and describe the importance of soils to plants. Teachers use the Fish Slough Field Notebook as a guide.
Teachers also learn from non-BLM scientists during the week.
The participants explore the site, finding and mapping grinding rocks, rock rings, petroglyphs, and other remains of prehistoric human life. Periodically, local Native Americans conduct special presentations for program participants, who learn about prehistoric Native American lifestyles. Inyo County Water Department scientists teach participants how to record vegetation using point and quadrant transects. They learn to identify how groundwater pumping affects plants and how scientists use the data collected to monitor the effects of such pumping. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power provides groups with educational materials.