On the weekend of the 26th, the 1st quarter CAP class went on their first overnight! Allenspark was beautiful, as always — and not a cloud in the sky! In fact, the only imperfection that weekend was the wind. It blew and blustered all the day and night. But in spite of a rather sleepless… Read more »
Posts By: Ford Church
Turn Your Stache Into Cash!
Ford Church, Founder and Executive Director of the Cottonwood Institute, is an amazing man who sadly does not have the ability to grow facial hair. But this October, despite the odds, Ford will be attempting to grow a mustache! Why would he want to do such a silly thing you ask? Well, for Mustache4Cash of… Read more »
What’s CAP up to? First Post
What’s this quarter’s CAP class been up to? let’s take a peek! A guest speaker talked about environmental issues surrounding Open Space on a hike, and they’ve had many guest speakers already. Students are way stoked about their action project, which will address Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs. More information on that soon — stay… Read more »
Gilpin Students Make World Water Monitoring Day a Success
On Thursday, September 17, 2009 students from Gilpin K-8 School headed over to the South Platte River in downtown Denver to team up with Earth Force and Cottonwood Institute for World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD). In partnership with Keep it Clean from Drain to Stream (KIC), a water education campaign led by Denver Public Works,… Read more »
Alumni Spotlight: Dana Nelson
Dana was one of the very first students to register for the Cottonwood Institute’s core educational program called the Community Adventure Program at New Vista High School when the program first launched during the 2003 – 2004 school year. Q: What are you up to these days? A: Well I’m a recent graduate from the… Read more »
NPR Contributor Recommends Survival Books
If you didn’t catch it, NPR had a report called Stranded? Three Books To Save Your Life on All Things Considered. Jake Halpern found himself deep in the backcountry of New Zealand with his wife on their honeymoon. When another family accidentally ate all of their food while they were on a day hike, they… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute Wraps up a Phenomenal Summer!
As the leaves start to change color and kids return to school, it is time to reflect on an amazing summer and all the happenings here at Cottonwood. We kicked the summer off with a couple of weekend adult survival clinics, where our brave attendees not only built a survival shelter, but actually slept in… Read more »
Volunteers Give Back On Mt. Evans
Under the intense blue of the mountain sky atop Mt. Evans, Cottonwood Institute and Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) teamed up to give back to the mountains we love so much. Our volunteers worked hard for two days, completing much needed trail maintenance and ecological restoration projects next to the glistening waters of Summit Lake. They… Read more »
A Romp with the Wolves
There is just something about wolves that makes them unforgettable, especially when you get right up close and personal with these amazing animals. On July 18-24, 2009, the Cottonwood Institute took eight brave students out on their Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking Project. Not only did they pet the wolves, but they came right up… Read more »
Fall Staff Training
Surrounded by the beauty of Echo Lake and Mt. Evans, the staff of Cottonwood Institute came together for an amazing staff training session. Ford Church, the Founder and Executive Director, walked us through a variety of survival scenarios and taught us skills to last a lifetime. We teamed up to build survival shelters and started… Read more »
