Field Report: Students hit the river!
This fall CCA took two groups of high school students - one from Delta High School and the other from Central High School in GJ - on overnight rafting trips to learn about river sports, Colorado history, and ecology.
Through active collaboration, trip planning, and relationship development, the students build the confidence to begin their own adventures as outdoor enthusiasts.
The first group from Delta High School enjoyed the beautiful canyons and archaeological sites within the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area (NCA). These students are part of a district-wide program, supported by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), called The Nature Connection (TNC).
On TNC trips students plan and lead! CCA works with our TNC partners to provide participating students with opportunities to learn about outdoor exploration and to build their own skill sets therein. By working together on the river, students learned to paddle two-person inflatable kayaks. In camp, students took the time to recognize each other's strengths and process the day's adventures.
Over the course of the two-day trip, students not only paddled the canyon together, but they also worked together to build and test hypotheses regarding the relationship between damming/irrigation and water quality, hydrology, and vegetative systems in the canyons.
Our next trip was through the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (NCA) in partnership with Central High School's Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Sciences class and was focused on preparing students for the AP test.
Working alongside their AP teacher, CCA built and implemented a curriculum focused on both science and team dynamics. Specifically, while introducing key ecological and prompting students to apply these to the riparian and upland ecosystems of Ruby and Horsethief Canyons, we also encouraging teamwork and collaboration between students working together in teams of two to navigate the canyon.