Colorado Academy: Amidst the Wind and the Wolves

Just before school let out for the summer, 11 adventurous girls from Colorado Academy set out on a final mission: wolves.  On a warm spring day in May, although the van was stuffed full of fuzzy pillows, makeup bags, and iPods, it was the adventurous spirit of these girls that filled the air with confidence, strength, and true girl-power.

Turning out of the driveway and leaving the city life behind for a few days, we were all buzzing with a sense of curiosity, wondering what the future had in store for us. Upon our arrival at Mission: Wolf, while we were greeted gustily by the wind, we could still hear faint howls from the wolves off in the distance, reminding us that nature now surrounded us.

Mission: Wolf is a wolf sanctuary located in the southwest corner of Colorado, near Westcliffe.  It is home to more than 40 wolves, giving these often misunderstood animals a safe haven.  Our mission while visiting here was to connect with nature through survival skills, hang out with the wolves, get to know them, feed them, and in return, gain a better understanding of how wolves affect the environment and how we can improve the environment for everyone.

Amidst the wind, we attempted to set up camp without getting blown away. Little did we know that the wind would remain our constant companion throughout the course.  After a few broken tent poles and chasing tent bags, we managed to successfully set up camp and eagerly went off to meet our first wolf.  The anticipation was palpable and that initial excitement remained with us as we woke up in the mornings, met each wolf, helped to feed and care for them, and collapsed happily into bed each night.

While the wolves took up most of our time, we still managed to build debris shelters, make one-match and cotton ball fires, create our very own pop can backcountry stoves, meet and care for horses, embark on hikes, roast marshmallows, and hold inspiring discussions into the wee hours of the night.

With the distant howling of the wolves whispering in our ears and the Sangre de Cristos offering us glimpses of snow-capped mountain tops through the wispy clouds, we relaxed into our new surroundings, giddy as 7-year olds.  And when it was time to leave, although eager to return to society, there remained a hint of nostalgia for the memories created in our short time spent with these majestic creatures.  The students stated it best: “This course changed the way I look at wolves and had a large impact on me.  I felt more peaceful here.”

Click here for a slideshow of our adventures and until next time…Hooooooowl!

 

Highlights from the Cottonwood Institute’s 2010 Annual Report

People often ask me about the impact Cottonwood Institute programs have on our participants and the communities we serve, and I am reminded of a quote by Paul Loeb, the author of Soul of a Citizen, we share with students at the end of our programs:

“We never know how the impact of our actions may ripple out. We never know who may be touched. That’s one more reason why, although the fruits of our labors can’t always be seen, they matter immensely.”

Through exciting programs like our Community Adventure Program (CAP), our collaboration with West Denver Preparatory Charter School, and Operation: Military Kids, we are having a tremendous impact in the lives of our students.

Here are a few of the ways Cottonwood Institute programs impacted the communities we served in 2010:

More than 1,000 participants, including more than 375 diverse youth, logged more than 11,000 program contact hours, and completed more than 3,500 environmental service-learning project hours through our educational programs, outreach programs, and volunteer projects.

Cottonwood Institute primarily works with schools and community groups that serve low-income students. On average 53% of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch — an indicator of poverty.

According to post course surveys, 98% of our students would recommend our programs to other students.

Cottonwood Institute generated over $140,000 in revenue through programs, individuals, businesses, grants, and special events. 94% of every dollar raised went to direct programming activities.

To download a full copy of the Cottonwood Institute’s 2010 Annual Report, including a list of our top supporters,  Click Here.

I want to personally thank all of our students, parents, volunteers, staff members, instructors, board members, donors, and supporters who make what we do possible.

Sincerely,

How to Make a Fire (And Anything Else): Colorado Academy Learns Stone Age Survival Skills

Whether you are camping out for a weekend or climbing to the top of Longs Peak, surviving in the wilderness can be an empowering, humbling, and enriching experience.  However not many people in this day and age choose to spend their lives relying only on what the natural landscape has to offer.  Yet that’s exactly what some of the students of Colorado Academy chose to do when they signed up for the Cottonwood Institute’s Stone Age Survival Skills Course.  For five days at the end of May, these students lived, learned, and worked at the survival skills school known as Earth Knack in Crestone, Colorado.  Under the instruction of Robin Blankenship, the owner of Earth Knack, and her partner, Mike O’Donal, students learned a plethora of new survival skills that not only made use of the natural resources around them, but also challenged their intellectual and creative abilities as they used ancient methods to help sustain their modern lifestyles.

“With stone age survival, adaptation is one of the most important skills to have,” said Clark Patton, one of the instructors who went on the course.  Adaptability was certainly a learned skill for Robin, who built her family’s home from the ground up, and one that was strengthened for the students of Colorado Academy during the course.  By the end of their five-day stay, the students knew how to make fire from friction using bow drills, create cordage from plants, construct their own hunting weapons, and were even able to make arrowheads using the ancient and challenging technique known as flint knapping.  They helped lay the foundation for a new workshop at Earth Knack, shoveling dirt to level the ground and clearing away tree stumps and branches that would have gotten in the way of the new structure.  A day was also spent at Sand Dunes National Park, where they learned about camouflage as well as animal tracking techniques used by the Apache and the Bushmen of Africa.

The students of Colorado Academy not only gained a better understanding of primitive survival at Earth Knack: they gained a broader perspective of the natural world.  They realized that the natural landscape has much to offer each and every one of us, and that we not only have the ability to change their relationship to the land but also to make use of its potential in different ways.  These students learned that it is possible to live off the land and still remain a part of the modern world.

“Being able to take value of the wilderness is important,” said Aleyna Porreca, a student instructor who also went on the course.  “When students can learn outdoor skills you wouldn’t use in everyday life and then combine those skills with an appreciation for the outdoors in the city…I think that’s the most valuable thing they can take away from their experience.”

Click here for a slideshow of their adventures.