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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
From Learning to Cast to Catching Crawdads, AXL Academy Students Got Hands-on Fishing Education with a Side of Aquatic Discovery Written by Monique Murillo, CI Field Instructor. After arriving at Chatfield State Park, the first activity of the day was this group of AXL Academy students was fishing. Students learned about the different parts of… Read more »
Our Headlamp Highlights Shine a Light on the People and Organizations that Help our Cottonwood Community Thrive. Meet Board Member D’Andre. We are excited to highlight our Cottonwood Institute (CI) Board Member, D’Andre Curtis, who previously served on the CI Board and is now back with us again. Read on to learn more about D’Andre! Introduce… Read more »
AXL Academy 7th Graders Dive into Creek Exploration, Discover Macroinvertebrates, and Gain Outdoor Skills During their Canyon Adventure Written by AXL Academy CAP Instructor Hannah Posedel. On Friday, September 4th, the AXL Academy 7th grade Community Adventure Program (CAP) class had their field day at Castlewood Canyon. Each student owned responsibility and leadership on this… Read more »
In our Staff Spotlight, We Introduce Cottonwood Staff Members who Help Run our Outdoor Programs. Get to know Hannah Posedel (she/her), our CAP Instructor at AXL Academy! With outdoor experiences in the Great Lakes, Appalachia, and the High Sierra Mountains in addition to Colorado, Hannah brings a wide variety of skills and experiences to her… Read more »
