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. “This is exactly where I am supposed to be. I’m in the middle of midterms, and this is just what I needed.” -Cottonwood Alumna gazing at golden aspens after working hard… Read more »
Exploring Ancient Cliffside Dwellings, Volunteering Along the Rio Grande, and Uncovering the Layers of History in New Mexico’s Red Earth. Written by Changemaker Alum Lahja Wise. As a Changemaker Alum, I am incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to continue learning from and working with Cottonwood. That all culminated in a final trip that kicked… Read more »
Experiences in Labyrinth Canyon and with Regenerative Agriculture Provided Changemakers with Opportunities to Show Grit, Growth, and Share Plenty of Laughs. Written by Changemakers Senior Instructor Chelsea Tossing. We spent our first day in Dinosaur National Monument trying to find fish scales and instead discovered a thousand similar lizards. We sat on warm rocks, crawled… Read more »
Under blue skies and the shade of towering cottonwoods, Cottonwood Institute alumni and Changemaker students teamed up to host our second annual Cottonwood Ancestral Skills Gathering at Ollin Farms—a day full of hands-on learning, cultural connection, and community building. Inspired by the success of our student-led gathering last year, our alumni invited participants to reconnect… Read more »
In a world where broken gear often means buying new, Changemaker students decided to take a different approach: repair, reuse, and keep it out of the landfill. As part of their spring action project, our Changemakers tackled two big issues in the outdoor industry—waste and accessibility. Outdoor gear isn’t cheap, and when it breaks, it’s… Read more »
Building Quinzhees for the Winter Overnight Kept Everyone Sheltered from the Cold. Written by Changemakers and Senior CAP Instructor Erin Angel. Changemakers met at the crack of dawn to beat ski traffic to the Colorado Outward Bound School (COBS) in Leadville for our winter overnight trip. We snowshoed to our site and got to diggin’… Read more »
A Community Service Day with Luvin’ Arms Benefited both Humans and Animals. Written by Senior CAP Instructor Erin Angel. Although many people don’t realize it, the MLK Jr. holiday was originally designated in 1983 as a day of service. The idea was that people got the day off of work or school to do civic… Read more »
The Winter Solstice Offered a Unique Opportunity for Connection. Written by Senior CAP Instructor Erin Angel. On the evening of the Winter Solstice, a group of old friends who had scattered off to college, jobs and internships gathered in the forest in the mountains above Boulder. Some of our Alumni hadn’t seen each other for… Read more »
The Changemaker Program continues to have successful social and leadership development gatherings for CAP high school alumni, who enjoy each opportunity to be reunited. Written by CI Senior Instructor Erin Angel. Cottonwood Changemakers Alumni reunited this weekend for the first-ever Alumni Hike. They caught up with each other’s lives, schools, and jobs, and exchanged stories… Read more »
