Angevine’s Semester of Exploring, Curiosity, and Making Small Changes

Posted by & filed under Action Projects, Angevine Middle School, Program News.

Curiosity Guided Students from Classroom Questions to Real-World Action at Angevine During Fall Semester. Written by Angevine Middle School CAP Instructor Sara Grillo. As the semester wraps up, it’s fun to look back at just how much we fit into our time together during our Fall CAP class at Angevine Middle School. It was a… Read more »

Service Learning in Action: AXL Academy Students Give Back at Cherry Creek State Park

Posted by & filed under AXL Academy, Program News.

AXL Academy‘s Day of Service Learning Connected Students to Local Wildlife, Public Lands, and Community Impact. Written by Shawn Heyland, CI Field Instructor. AXL Academy 7th-grade CAP students recently had the opportunity to visit Cherry Creek State Park in Aurora for a day of service learning, archery, and fun. Not far from where the students… Read more »

Fishing and Birding with Lafayette Explore Outside

Posted by & filed under Program News.

Students Enjoyed a Day of Fishing, Birding, Playing, Relaxing, and Doing Service Work at Golden Ponds. Written by CI Senior Instructor Erin Angel. Lafayette Explore Outside (LEO) is a new program for us this year. A small group of middle school-age students meets twice a month, once for an evening workshop and once for an… Read more »

2025 Ripple Effect Award Winners Receive Lauren Guthrie Legacy Scholarship To Attend Avid4 Adventure

Posted by & filed under Ripple Effect, Updates.

Avid4 Adventure Rafting Trip

We Are All Changemakers; Knowingly or Unknowingly, the Effects of Our Actions Ripple out, Changing the World in Large and Small Ways Each Day. Written by AXL CAP Instructor Harmony Esqueda. Every year since 2013 at the Base Camp Bash, Cottonwood Institute has recognized students from our Community Adventure Program (CAP) classes who demonstrate leadership,… Read more »

Mystery on Taylor Mountain: Changemakers Fall Backpacking Adventure

Posted by & filed under Changemaker, Program News.

The Taylor Mountain Trip Provided the Reminder that Sometimes All You Need is a Forest, a Fire, and Friends. Written by Erin Angel, Senior Instructor, Changemakers & Alumni Coordinator. The Changemakers kicked off their fall backpacking trip to Taylor Mountain with a little unexpected mystery. On the hike to our campsite, we were checking out… Read more »

Sustainable Holiday Gift Giving Guide

Posted by & filed under Updates.

The holiday gift-giving season is upon us, so we wanted to share a few ways to gift to your loved ones in an environmentally conscious way. Your time, energy, and creativity are just as valued as a store-bought gift. Give Pre-loved Items Join your local Buy Nothing group to find gently used items like books,… Read more »

Seed Cleaning: Restoration, Community, and a Heartfelt Farewell

Posted by & filed under Action Projects, Alumni Spotlight, Upcoming Events, Updates.

A Night of Habitat Restoration Work Became a Tribute to Chelsea’s Time at Cottonwood. Written by New Vista CAP Instructor Lori Powell. Cottonwood staff, instructors, board members, Changemaker students, and Alumni recently gathered on an unseasonably warm November evening to take action for local habitat restoration—and to share a heartfelt farewell to Associate Director Chelsea… Read more »

Dam Work, Good Fun: Alumni Build Beaver Dam Analogs

Posted by & filed under Alumni Spotlight.

Cottonwood Alumni Mix Laughter, Labor, and a Little Mud While Building Beaver Dam Analogs at Caribou Ranch. Written by CI Senior Instructor Erin Angel. Our group of Cottonwood Alumni gathered together for a weekend of hard work, adventure and much-needed silliness over the weekend of October 11-12. The group of college freshmen and sophomores and… Read more »