An Alumni Outdoor Adventure Combines Hands-On Trail Restoration, Lakeside Camping, and Plenty of Laughter in the Colorado Mountains Written by Senior Instructor, Changemakers & Alumni Coordinator, Erin Angel. Cottonwood Alumni were up bright and early, meeting at the gear room at 6:45 a.m. to get to our worksite at Red Feather Lakes on time. The… Read more »
LEO Students Build Connections and Harvest Fresh Vegetables on a Fall Farm-Based Learning Adventure Written by Angevine CAP Instructor and Social Media Coordinator, Harmony Esqueda. Middle schoolers from across the Colorado front range arrived at Thorne Nature Center in Lafayette early Sunday morning eager and nervous for our first LEO (Lafayette Explore Outside) trip. Since… Read more »
Through Outdoor Adventures, Shared Laughter, and Student-led Projects, New Vista Students Turned Passions into Action and Started Inspiring Change in their School Community Written by New Vista CAP Instructor Sara Grillo. At the beginning of the quarter, our Community Adventure Program (CAP) class at New Vista High School started a little timidly. We were still… Read more »
Changemaker Teens Enjoyed a Wild Weekend of Service Supporting a Multi-Year Greenback Cutthroat Trout Restoration Project at George Creek Written by Erin Angel, Senior Instructor, Changemakers & Alumni Coordinator. Changemakers Outdoor Leadership Corp (COLC or just Changemakers) started their year off strong in September with an overnight service project. After school on Friday, some of… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute Brings Supporters, Partners, and Staff Together at Woods Boss Brewing for Community Networking and a Celebration of Impact Written by Sara Grillo, CAP Instructor and Events Coordinator. On September 22, we gathered at Woods Boss Brewing for a Cottonwood Institute Happy Hour, bringing together staff, supporters, community partners, and folks from Colorado Startup… Read more »
New Vista High School Students Combine a Cal-Wood Camping Trip with a Hands-On Wildfire Mitigation Project Written by CI Field Instructor Chris Tobin. On September 24th, a group of intrepid teenagers from the Community Adventure Program (CAP) class at New Vista High School in Boulder, CO set out with four Cottonwood Institute instructors to the… Read more »
AXL Academy 8th Graders Embraced Wildlife Exploration as they Searched for Crawdads and Practiced Observing Local Plants and Animals like Naturalists Written by AXL CAP Instructor Hannah Posedel. On Thursday, August 27th, AXL Academy 8th grade CAP students embarked on their journey to Castlewood Canyon for a day that would include wildlife exploration. The first… Read more »
AXL Academy Students Unplugged, Explored Fall Foliage, and Connected with Nature During their Wellness Day of Outdoor Fun Written by Hannah Posedel, AXL Academy CAP Instructor. For AXL Academy’s second-ever Wellness Day, Cottonwood Institute and students took a Fall adventure to Staunton State Park. A beautiful park at 8,000 feet of elevation, we got to… Read more »
Students Experienced Regenerative Farming Firsthand and Learned how a Local Farm Nurtures the Land While Growing Delicious Food Written by Caroline Paul, Logistics Coordinator & Changemakers Instructor. New Vista High School’s Community Adventure Program (CAP) class spent their fall field day at Ollin Farms, where students spent the day planting, harvesting, and clearing debris. Ollin… Read more »
Colorado High School Charter (CHSC) Students Built Community and Shed Pretenses on their Staunton Camping Trip, Displaying a Childlike Wonder for the Natural World Written by CI Field Instructor Blaise Miles. We started the Staunton State Park overnight camping trip with archery – the perfect activity for a rainy and moody morning. We all loved… Read more »
