CAP Post-Course Survey, 3rd Quarter 2007

As the quarter comes to a close, I want to get some open and honest
feedback from the 3rd Quarter 2007 CAP class to improve the CAP for
future students. This information will not affect your grade, but
please take it seriously. It will be reviewed by the school, the
Cottonwood Institute, and this information will help us secure funding to make this class accessible to other
high school students. Please Click Here To Take The Survey.

Quote for Tuesday, March 20, 2007

"One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourself out.  Be as I am–a reluctant enthusiast…a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic.  Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure.  It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.  While you can.  While it is still there.  So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains.  Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for awhile and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space.  Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators.  I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards."

-Edward Abbey

CAP Reflections, by Brittany Salley-Rains

The Community Adventure Program has changed my life. Not only has it awakened in me a passion I never knew existed; it has increased my awareness about environmental issues in my community and shown me that I can make a difference.  After taking the CAP class for the first time I realized that I loved being outdoors and that I was very interested in outdoor survival techniques. Since that first class I have taken two others and am currently serving as a student mentor in CAP classes and participating in a CE with the Cottonwood Institute. I also started the CAP club at my school with a few friends and have decided to design my culminating project around outdoor survival skills. None of this would be happening if I had not taken CAP.

After participating in three CAP classes and their action projects I came to realize that I can make a difference in my community. CAP gave me the opportunity to brainstorm environmental issues in Boulder as well as design and implement 3 projects with my classmates. Not only was I helping others but developing personal skills such as leadership and public speaking.

Community Adventure Program has empowered me to explore new ideas and volunteer in my community. It has enriched my life in so many different ways and I wouldn’t be the same without it.

Quote for Monday, March 19, 2007

"I feel that the greatest award for doing is the opportunity to do more."

-Jonas Salk

Anyone can be Caught in a Real Survival Situation

With reality shows like Survivor, Man Vs. Wild, and Survivorman, survival has become a buzzword synonymous with crazy people willing to risk their lives on national television for the sake of entertainment. But with survival stories of missing families stuck in their cars and the climbers on Mt. Hood dominating the national headlines last November, we are faced with a sobering wake up call that survival is not just for outdoor enthusiasts and that anyone can be caught in a real survival situation.

Having a little knowledge can go a long way in a real survival situation. If you scan the headlines of survival articles that show up in the media, there are a few common mistakes that everyone can learn from:

• Plan Ahead – Most survival situations occur because people are not familiar with the area in which they are traveling. Bring a map and compass, but more importantly know how to use it. Otherwise your map is just tinder for your fire and your compass is just a paperweight. If you are driving in the winter, know your route. Don’t travel on roads that are closed for the winter or that are not maintained in the winter. This may sound like common sense, but you would be surprised how many survival situations occur because people don’t plan ahead and are unfamiliar with their environment.

• Tell Someone Where You Are Going – Before traveling in the backcountry, make a quick itinerary that has some basic information. Tell people where you are going, what trailhead you are starting from, what your destination is, when you plan to be back, and what your friends should do if you are overdue (such as call search and rescue). Have two copies of your itinerary and give one to a friend, family member, or roommate and put the other copy on the dash of your car at the trailhead. If your itinerary changes, make sure you tell everyone who has your itinerary. Don’t forget to call people when you get back from your trip so they don’t send out search and rescue.

• STOP – Should you find yourself in a survival situation, it is important to remain clam and think through your situation. One way to do this is to STOP: Stop, Think, Observe, and Plan before you spring into action. If you don’t stop and think about your situation, it is easy to make some crucial mistakes that could greatly reduce your chances of survival. Take a deep breath, try to meditate, or do something that does not take a lot of energy to take your mind off of your situation. Calories are precious in a survival situation and it is critical to maintain your energy and a positive attitude. Think about your situation, where you are, how far you are from a trail, road, or trailhead, what direction you are traveling, etc. Observe your environment. What resources in the environment can you use for insulation, making shelters, making fires, or finding water. What resources do you have on you that can help you get through your situation?  Everything from your clothes on your back to your belt to your shoelaces can used to help you get through your survival situation. Once you have stopped, thought about your situation, and observed resources in your environment, make a plan and stick to it.

• Survival Priorities – There is a simple general rule of thumb called the Survival Rule of 3’s that can help you focus on the priorities that will keep you alive. In general, you can live 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours without shelter/warmth, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food. Therefore, food is not your most important priority, which is a common misconception. Shelter, fire, water, rescue, and food are your most important priorities in any situation, whether it is in the dead of winter or the middle of summer.

• Carry a Survival Kit – Survival kits are nominal insurance policies that could help save your life. The contents of this survival kit are designed to help you survive a short-term survival situation between 1 and 7 days. This survival kit is not a substitute for proper planning, good judgment and decision-making, and sound backcountry skill. The purpose of survival kits are to supplement essential gear that you should already have with you on any backcountry trip. Survival kit materials should be lightweight, durable, serve many purposes, and address the most critical survival priorities, including: shelter, fire, water, rescue, and food. The Cottonwood Institute sells a survival kit with field tested materials that are perfect for day hikes, overnight backpacking trips, or for putting in your car next time you drive into the mountains. To find out more information or to purchase a survival kit, Click Here. Please Note: All proceeds from the sale of our survival kits go to support our General Scholarship Fund.

You never know how you will perform in a survival situation until you are actually in one. Your first instinct may be to panic, and that is ok, as long as you can snap out of it. Having some basic knowledge, training, and supplies can help make survival situations inconvenient adventures, rather than life or death situations. Always practice survival skills in perfect, safe, warm conditions. As you become proficient in your ability to make shelter, water, and fire in good conditions, practice these skills in cold and wet environments. Always practice your skills with a safe exit strategy and never create a REAL survival situation when practicing survival skills!

One of my mentors, Paul Van Horn, always told me that you should have enough skill and knowledge if you ever find yourself in a survival situation to make a shelter, start a fire, find water, and make a cup of hot pine needle tea to offer to your rescue team. After all, they probably had a long day looking for you and they will need to rest and relax before hiking you out!

Quote for Tuesday, March 13, 2007

"A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children."

-Audubon

Quote for Monday, March 12, 2007

"Nature has made neither sun nor air nor waves private property; they are public gifts."

-Ovid

CAP Reflection, by Brittany Salley-Rains

The Community Adventure Program has changed my life. Not only has it
awakened in me a passion I never knew existed; it has increased my
awareness about environmental issues in my community and shown me that
I can make a difference.  After taking the CAP class for the first time
I realized that I loved being outdoors and that I was very interested
in outdoor survival techniques. Since that first class I have taken two
others and am currently serving as a student mentor in CAP classes and
participating in a CE with the Cottonwood Institute. I also started the
CAP club at my school with a few friends and have decided to design my
culminating project around outdoor survival skills. None of this would
be happening if I had not taken CAP.

After participating in three CAP classes and their action projects I
came to realize that I can make a difference in my community. CAP gave
me the opportunity to brainstorm environmental issues in Boulder as
well as design and implement 3 projects with my classmates. Not only
was I helping others but developing personal skills such as leadership
and public speaking.

Community Adventure Program has empowered me to explore new ideas
and volunteer in my community. It has enriched my life in so many
different ways and I wouldn’t be the same without it.

Journal Discussion for Friday, March 9, 2007

For this journal entry I’d like you to think about the things Bill Hayes discussed with us.  Please spend a couple of paragraphs talking about what was most interesting to you and why.   Also, I’d like you to consider our action project and its importance in our community.  What are we achieving by our collaboration with local businesses and is it worth it?  As always, your comments should be lengthy and edited for errors.

Thanks.

Quote for Friday, March 9, 2007

"The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between the way nature works and the way man thinks."

-Gregory Bateson

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