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 mountains for an overnight camping trip of special magnificence. We met up in the early morning in front of their school for introductions, gear checks, and name games beneath the Flatirons, climbed into our fancy rental SUVs, and drove off. Our destination was Cal-Wood, an environmental education center in the mountains west of Boulder, where we would be doing some wildfire mitigation service work.
When we arrived, we set to making camp as a group. Instructors helped students anticipate any challenges involved with tentsite selection and setup, including some specific things to keep your eye out for, called The 5 Ws: wind, water, wildlife (or “wanimals”), widowmakers (or “weally dangewous twees” if you please), and lastly, wobblies (rocks, roots, level ground, etc). Cheery and excited, our students set to work pitching camp, and a lot of students helped each other set up their tents (and take them down the next day too).
What followed camp setup was a grilled cheese lunch of unparalleled grandeur. What was allegedly going to be a grilled cheese cook-off competition quickly became a makers’ space free-for-all and a mad dash: every grilled cheese chef for themself! Cheddar, muenster, havarti, fig jam, and butter flew about our camp kitchen in a whirlwind of deliciousness. In the end, all our students were winners!
After cleanup, we meandered down to the Cal-Wood Visitors’ Center to spend some time volunteering with their facilities staff. Angie, Cal-Wood’s on-site wildland ecologist, organized us into a fine-tuned wildfire mitigation machine. Together, we spent a few hours that Thursday afternoon sweeping up pine needles and other copious amounts of ground fuel around Cal-Wood’s buildings—building what is called a “defensible area” around their facilities in the event of a forest fire. Our kiddos worked hard, loading buckets of pine needles into the back of a flatbed truck, which were later disposed of elsewhere. Ultimately we cleared almost 200 square feet of pine needles and duff from their property. It was so wonderful to give back to our hosts for the evening!
What followed our service work was a relaxed period of choose-your-own-adventure-type activities at our wonderful mixed-conifer campsite: whittling, bracelet making, playing Cards Against Humanity, you name it! For dinner, our students cooked up a delicious feast—a pasta stroganoff bar with all the options. Together, we sat around our gas-powered fireplace (fire bans are still in place throughout CO), reflected on our day, and enjoyed our meal. After dinner clean-up, students were eager to let themselves loose in the forest for a few rounds of Night Sardines!
In the morning, we broke our fast with bowls of yogurt and granola, fresh berries, and coffee before spending the cool mountain morning playing a few rounds of Camouflage and then taking down our campsite. We returned all our brave students to New Vista shortly after our lunch (Greek pita wraps with falafel, etc.). Students were excited to finish off their camping adventure, get home, get cleaned up, and jump right into the weekend!
Thanks to the funders and supporters who make the CAP class possible, including: Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Great Outdoors Colorado, Patagonia, PeyBack Foundation, Strear Family Foundation, Thorne Nature Experience, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
If you are also passionate about getting students outside for unique outdoor experiences, including wildfire mitigation projects, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor! You’ll help invest in our students, programs, and long-term sustainability and success!
