West Hills College students take unique field trip across San Joaquin River

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- An adventure in learning for some local college students Friday.

Canoes delivered them to their outdoor classroom. The students are all freshman at West Hills College in Firebaugh. They boarded the canoes in Mendota and traveled along the San Joaquin River to Firebaugh.

It's all thanks to a partnership with the National Park Service. The field trip is designed to boost students' ecological understanding of the area.

And it's hoped the program will help raise enrollments in the environmental sciences and promote conservation work on the San Joaquin River watershed.