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 »
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 »
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 »
A Fall CAP Trimester Full of Firsts: AXL Academy Middle Schoolers Enjoyed a First-Time Camping Trip, Rock Climbing, and Taking on New Challenges. Written by AXL CAP Instructor Harmony Esqueda. AXL 7th Grade CAP Adventures and First-Time Experiences We kicked off our trimester with a visit to Golden Gate Canyon State Park where AXL 7th… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Read Our Top 10 End-of-Year Suggestions to Help Cottonwood Unlock a $25,000 Match to Support Award-Winning Programs. As we wrap up 2025 and dream about what the future holds, I am incredibly grateful for our Cottonwood Institute community of students, parents, program partners, staff, instructors, donors, sponsors, and funders who have supported us the past… Read more »
From Sudden Storms to Sunshine and From Root Veggies to Flower Fields, Our Miller Farms Harvesting Adventure was Everything We Hoped For—and More! Written by CI Senior Instructor Erin Angel. The students from Lafayette Explore Outside (LEO) spent a gorgeous Colorado day harvesting vegetables and playing outside at Miller Farms on our very first trip… Read more »
At Cottonwood Institute, we believe in fostering the next generation of changemakers, which is why action projects are a crucial component to our CAP (Community Adventure Program) classes. These projects are hands-on initiatives where students identify an environmental issue they care about and work together to lead meaningful activities with local impact. CAP fosters leadership,… Read more »
