Leaving the Right Kind of Trace

Dateline: Fort Collins, CO

The Colorado Tour

Our hearty breakfast at a Fort Collins eatery, the Farmer’s Table, was topped with fresh-cooked apples from a local CSA (community supported agriculture) project.  It was a sustaining meal that gave us a good foundation for our workshop with Dan Dannahower’s class at Poudre Community Academy.  The Academy is a non-traditional (alternative) public secondary school that focuses on a blend of academics, experiential learning, and community service. We were amazed at the variety of learning and service experiences that the group (ages 14-20) talked about during our visit, and we're definitely impressed by the positive impacts that their efforts have on the surrounding community: work involving local trail maintenance, campsite rehabilitation, trash cleanup, and assistance at CSA farms (like the ones that supplied our breakfast meal).

Class members raise a cheer to a Leave No Trace icon.

The "traces" left by Poudre Community Academy have been positive for community and students alike… definitely an approach that could benefit mainstream, traditional approaches to educating kids.

...along the Colorado Trail,

Peggy and Barrett

Front Range Views

Dateline: Fort Collins, CO

The Colorado Tour

Front Range Country: Experiential Learning Happens Here...

Professor Jennifer Lee’s Wilderness Skills class at Front Range Community College is a feisty mix of outdoor enthusiasts – fishermen, hunters, mountain bikers, hikers, climbers, horse packers, kayakers… and in Colorado, most any of the winter snow-dependent activities are included without saying. The course covers a host of wilderness topics, including land management policy and regulations, plant identification, leave no trace skills and ethics, and winter survival techniques. Our time with the class passed quickly, as we had spirited discussions about the impacts of discarded fish visera (“guts” by any other name), dogs-off-leash, trail etiquette, and raucous disturbances of wilderness tranquility.

Later this semester (when the nearby mountains are in the cold, snowy grip of winter), Jennifer will take her 28 students on an overnight snowshoe trip to a backcountry campsite where they will stay in yurts and hone their wilderness survival skills in the wind-whipped, sub-zero setting. Now there’s a practical motivation to study hard for the final exam…

…along the (chilly) Colorado Trail,

Peggy and Barrett

Hawk's Eye View

Dateline: Telluride, CO

The Colorado Tour

Take a hawk’s eye view... that’s what the four 4^th grade classes at Telluride Elementary School do every year to study natural and cultural history of their hometown located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains.  Students and teachers will soon hike the popular Jud Wiebe (“wee-bee”) Trail in the Uncompahgre National Forest just as we did on a recent Sunday afternoon. Beginning at the eastern edge of Telluride, the trail climbs up sharply through aspen and spruce glades to a high alpine meadow perched over 1200 feet above the valley floor. At this height, the students will be able to clearly distinguish the U-shape of the glacially formed Telluride Valley with its hanging side valleys and waterfalls. And, they will look down on the 19^th Century mining town of Telluride and see the history of its development literally unfolding before their eyes. It’s a great perspective to experience and remember...

Courtney Childe, 4^th grade teacher and Leave No Trace practitioner, invited us to talk to the students about principles of outdoor ethics and planning ahead to make choices that minimize their impact on the Jud Wiebe Trail, as well as in all of their outdoor adventures.

…soaring above the Colorado Trail,

Peggy and Barrett

Hands-On Learning at New Emerson

Dateline: Grand Junction, CO

The Colorado Tour

Curious minds and uninhibited enthusiasm greeted the Colorado Tour at Grand Junction’s New Emerson School.  We had a blast with students from kindergarten through fifth grade over the course of a full day of classroom visitations. The “Choose-the-Right-Path” savvy students taught us a catchy phrase when hiking in areas of the Colorado Plateau with super-sensitive cryptobiotic soils: “Don’t Bust the Crust!” In fact, it may take a lifetime for the crusty living soils to recover from one ill-placed step.

While at New Emerson, we also had an opportunity to visit the fascinating John McConnell Math and Science Center, where area students and families actively explore principles of science and engineering through hands-on encounters and experimentation; it was hard to pull Barrett away at the end of the day. We really appreciated the welcome provided by Principal Terry Schmalz and New Emerson's dedicated faculty.

…along the Colorado Trail,

Peggy and Barrett

Tune-In to "The Resource"

Dateline: Vail, CO
The Colorado Tour

Two high school students at the Vail Mountain School entertained a lunchtime gathering of students, teachers, and ourselves with their extemporaneous acting skills in a mock encounter of two hikers, each accompanied by their dog. One hiked with his dog on-leash, the other one traveled with faithful pup off-leash. The students practiced using "Authority of the Resource" as a strategy for teaching about negative impacts through a dialogue based on a common appreciation for the out-of-doors.

...along the Colorado Trail,

Peggy and Barrett