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102 youngsters enjoyed our summer camps and backpacking trips
19 summer interns and trail crew hired
3 miles of mountain bike trail built
10 climbing boulders installed at local schools
800 4th and 6th grade students scheduled for a day of
cross-country skiing and nature education this winter
150 sets of cross-country ski gear rented to Delta County School District staff and
families, and to kids and families taking a lesson from us
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Kids Pasta Project dinner
On October 22nd, Kids Pasta Project hosted a fundraiser dinner for The Nature Connection! We had a capacity crowd of more than 40 -- many thanks to everyone who turned out to enjoy some yummy lasagna and support our projects. Some lucky folks walked away with door prizes, like t-shirts, water bottles, a free session of summer camp, and a free day of fun for an entire class. KPP raised $375 for us!
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Youth Outdoor Network
The Youth Outdoor Network operates at five local high schools, in Paonia, Hotchkiss, Olathe, Delta and Cedaredge. In September and October, our YON students got to go on river trips down the Gunnison. Thanks to our partner Colorado Canyons Association, who supplied gear and river guides, 82 participants enjoyed one-day trips and 33 went on overnight trips.
For National Public Lands Day in October, YON students joined TNC, Colorado Canyons Association and the Bureau of Land Management - Colorado to help improve habitat for the threatened Gunnison sage grouse. Thanks to the students' efforts, the sage grouse now have more open land to roam and reproduce!
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Every Kid in a Park
In early September, Delta County 4th graders had a sunny day of fun at Lost Lake, learning about geology, wildlife and building bird houses. The event was hosted by the U.S. Forest Service, with help from the Interpretive Association of Western Colorado, Western Slope Conservation Center and TNC. It was part of the federal government's Every Kid in a Park program, which gives fourth graders and their families free entrance to national parks and other federal recreation sites.
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Explore Your Park Days, Cottonwood Days
From late August through September, Delta County and Olathe 5th graders enjoyed “Explore Your Park” days at Sweitzer Lake State Park, hosted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife with help from TNC. Students got to try stand-up paddleboarding, archery, fishing and predator/prey games.
Cottonwood Days took place in September for Delta County and Olathe 6th graders in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, emphasizing environmental sciences and hands-on learning stations including fly-tying and fish shocking. It was hosted by our partners the Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Canyons Association.
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Cross-country skiing programs
This winter, we'll be offering cross-country ski outings through our Skis for Kids (4th grade) and Winter Ecology (6th grade) programs. Our main partner for the ski outings is the U.S. Forest Service, which provides Junior Snow Ranger materials for our students, assists with presentations to students on winter science topics like the water content of snow, and manages the public lands where we ski. Colorado Parks and Wildlife also helps with educational presentations. And our many volunteers are invaluable, helping kids get fitted with gear, serving them hot chocolate after they've been out in the snow, etc.
We've already visited the classrooms of more than 800 Delta and Olathe 4th and 6th grade students, preparing them with information about how to dress in warm layers ("like an onion!") and what to expect. Most of our ski days will take place on the Grand Mesa. We'll also be taking various partner groups across the Western Slope out for a day of skiing and learning.
Ski rentals
The Nature Connection was able to offer holiday and season cross-country ski rentals for Delta County School District employees and their immediate families. We also provided gear rentals to 30 students (and their families) who participated in a one-day lesson program. All told, more than 150 children and family members received rental gear. Last year, we provided about 45 rentals, so this is a big increase!
Our individual rentals are now over, but if you'd like to rent cross-country gear for an organized youth or church group, contact Priscilla Williams, priscilla.williams@deltaschools.com.
If you're not part of a group but still want to rent cross-country skis, you can contact Odin Recreation, near Powderhorn Ski Area on Grand Mesa, odinrecreation@gmail.com.
New website
We're redesigning our website, thenatureconnection.net, to make it more informative and useful. Keep an eye out in early 2019 for the new, improved, super-spiffy site!
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What do the kids say?
Here are just a few of the sweet notes and pictures we've gotten from youth who enjoyed our programs!
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Summer camp participants say:
"It was really unique and it's like something I've never done before! It was really fun to make new friends. The astronomy thing was really cool. The people were really nice. I hope I can come back next year."
"The backpacking trip was one of the coolest things I've ever done, and archery was realllllly fun."
"It was really fun to ride the bikes on the pump track and nice how the trail crew would come out and ride with us. I liked how we swam after hiking in the reservoir."
YON participants say:
"It was so great traveling down the Gunnison RIver with you and Colorado Canyons Association for a day. I had lots of fun with my freshman colleagues and just being able to go outside. It was fun to watch them discover a possible new passion. The guides were really great at keeping us safe and filling our stomachs."
"Thank you for the enjoyable time I had floating the river that was possible because of you. I learned a lot of things from this. I learned how to be a good partner so I could move the raft easily."
"I'm glad that we talked about the prehistoric hunting site (Eagle Rock Shelter along the Gunnison), I did not know that that existed and found it very interesting. I also liked rafting in the kayak and going down the rapids."
"My favorite part by far was hanging out with my people on the raft! Thank you for giving my peers and I this opportunity to see something we will never forget!"
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Big thanks to our valued partners and funders!
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None of this would be possible without the support and partnership of Great Outdoors Colorado, Delta County School District 50J, Western Colorado Community Foundation, Mesa County School District 51, our Generation Wild communities (Paonia, Olathe, Hotchkiss, Cedaredge, and Crawford), Delta County Libraries, Bill Heddles Recreation Center, North Fork Recreation District, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, National Park Foundation, Interpretive Association of Western Colorado, Alpine Bank, Delta County Search and Rescue, Friends of the San Juans, Montrose County School District (Olathe), Colorado Canyons Association, Bureau of Land Management – Uncompahgre Office, US Forest Service, Grand Mesa Nordic Council, the Kampe Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, Conscience Bay, Solar Energy International, Thistle Whistle Farm, Timber to Table and many others!
| Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts, and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a Constitutional Amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 4,700 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information. |
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Support The Nature Connection!
Your donations help us get more kids outdoors to learn and have fun. We also love having volunteers to help with events!
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