Leaping into Spring!
Spring is right around the corner and we've been busy planning for our upcoming education programs! Along with our signature events, Nature Knowledge Days and Escalante Field Experience, we will be leading 3 brand new land education programs this spring. These new events will reach 250+ additional students across Mesa County and engage them in exciting themes in our National Conservation Areas (NCAs). We’re looking forward to warmer weather and to taking more kids than ever outdoors!
CCA’s Land Education Programs this spring:
Earth Science Knowledge Days
4th-grade students from across Mesa County will join us for our first-ever Earth Science Knowledge Days! Students will rotate through stations to learn about the geology and fossils of our backyard in McInnis Canyons NCA! We are excited to engage with these students in creative new ways using STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) to provide a holistic curriculum to kids with different learning styles. In fact, at one of the stations, students will get to tap into their artistic side and learn about the landscape through art.
Fruita Middle School Field Career Day
After many of our trips, students ask us how they can work outside when they grow up; there are so many different ways to have a career in the outdoors that we’ve dedicated a whole day to it! Fruita Middle School 7th graders will join us and other local professionals for an outdoor career day in McInnis Canyons NCA. Students will learn from a diverse array of outdoor professionals including mountain biking and river guides, wildland firefighters, archaeologists, and more! They will get to test out each job by doing interactive activities such as changing bike tires, identifying invasive plants, and pumping up kayaks. We hope to inspire all students that they can find a career in the outdoors that’s right for them!
Dias del agua y Tierra (Days of Water and Land)
CCA is excited to partner with D51’s Dual Immersion Academy to bring bilingual learning outside! This 2-day program will bring over 50 5th graders onto the lands and rivers of Dominguez-Escalante NCA. The theme of water in the American West will be explored through spending one day on the land and the other day on Gunnison River. Both Spanish and English will be used throughout the program, letting the students view the land and river through the different lenses of language. We are very excited to begin this partnership and continue it in years to come!
Nature Knowledge Days and Escalante Field Experience
Let’s not forget about some of our most successful and longest-running events, Nature Knowledge Days and Escalante Field Experience! For over a decade, CCA has been taking local 3rd and 7th graders outside to learn about their public lands. Students join us in either Dominguez-Escalante NCA or McInnis Canyons NCA for a day of interactive, fun, and state standards-based learning. A variety of topics are covered including wildlife, plants, archaeology, ranching, and more! This diverse curriculum provides students with a well-rounded perspective of the various resources on public lands. We will be leading a total of 10 days at both of these events this year, getting more kids outside than ever!
Interested in volunteering for this event? Click here!