Spring 2019 Land Education Wrap-up

This spring, CCA partnered with school districts, land management agencies, and local non-profits to get students outside and learning in a standards-based way in the height of one of the wettest springs on record! Thanks to all of our partners, we reached over 1,200 students with our events on the land.

With record winter snowfall in the basins of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers and prolonged periods of rain stretching into May, our 2019 education season is one for the history books. Students, teachers, and staff had to contend with rainfall and high rivers, which forced us to change dates and even the places we could access. We believe in authentic outdoor experiences for all participants, and this was a great way to highlight the unpredictability of our natural world. Fortunately our students, teachers, and volunteers were gracious and flexible as we adapted to our wild spring weather. Overall, we had a fabulous and successful spring education season.

We taught 230 students at Ute Heritage Day about the importance of plants to the Ute people both in the past and today. We brought 310 students from Delta County and Olathe out to the Escalante Boat Ramp for Nature Knowledge Days in Dominguez-Escalante NCA, then took 264 7th graders up Escalante Canyon to learn about the early settler history of the region. We brought 409 3rd graders from Mesa County out to Devil’s Canyon for the final Nature Knowledge Days of the spring as well.

We are looking forward to our upcoming educational programming for the summer on the land, including trips with Riverside Educational Center, The Nature Connection, and others. Check back for updates on those programs later in the summer!

Interested in volunteering as a youth educator? Contact Rob Gay via rob@canyonsassociation.org or 970.263.7902