Uses of these areas includes students at Ball State University, in-service teacher training workshops, and guided use by students in grades K - 12 of schools in surrounding communities.  Use of Cooper Field Area is confined to educational activities that are compatible with the concept of the area as an outdoor laboratory.  The following educational uses of Cooper Area are encouraged: (1) Research conducted by undergraduate and graduate students and Ball State University faculty; (2)  Field trips by university classes in the environmental sciences; under-graduate and graduate student class field projects; (3) Field trips and/or class projects for education students at Ball State University (pre-service teachers) dealing with environmental science topics; (4) Workshops for in-service teachers pertaining to various environmental science topics; (5) Field trips and interpretative presentations for K - 12 students from local schools pertaining to a variety of environmental science topics.