The Cottonwood Institute’s 3rd Annual Base Camp Bash fund raising event was a total success! We partied the night away with great music, great conversation, and some awesome silent auction items. We would like to thank the Wynkoop Brewery for hosting this memorable event and to all of you for your support in helping us… Read more »
Posts By: Ford Church
CalWood Overnight
We spent the weekend at CalWood Education Center, hiking, camping, and practicing wilderness survival skills. Students hiked 2 miles in to the campsite, set up a wide range of shelters (tarp shelter, tent, schwag), and, after some lunch we hit the trail again to do some wildfire mitigation. Students braved a cold night, using hot… Read more »
Gear Check!
Students spent the day in the park across from PS1 learning the ins and outs of backpacking gear. Topics included strategies for staying warm while sleeping, how to layer insulating clothing, water filtration, stove use, backcountry cooking, and packing strategies.
Water Sentinels
PS1 staff and students spent a chilly Wednesday along Bear Creek on the 16th of April collecting water samples for the Sierra Club’s Water Sentinels Program. Kirk Cunningham, Bill Myers, and Dan Ridgeway of the Sierra Club facilitated the outing. Students collected samples that will be laboratory tested for the presence of E coli, Selenium,… Read more »
Celebrate Earth Day at the Green Apple Festival Sunday, April 20th!
On Sunday, April 20, in Denver’s City Park, Cottonwood Institute will be participating in the largest Earth Day celebration in the history of the Front Range! The 1st Annual Green Apple Music Festival will occur from Noon to 6 p.m., and will feature a wide variety of green businesses, organic and natural food vendors, nonprofit… Read more »
Smoke, no fire…yet.
The CAP class spent Tuesday’s session at the park across the street working some bow drill skills, with special guest instructor and Cottonwood Institute founder Ford Church lending a hand. Although the bow drill is an extremely difficult skill to learn and master, the students pushed through their difficulties and kept working at it… Read more »
Cordage and Tea
Students spent class today researching and utilizing Stinging Nettle, a plant well-known to native people for its nutritive properties, its medicinal uses and for producing the strongest plant-fiber cordage in the natural world. Students sampled Nettle leaf tea, and discussed The Sacred Question. Special thanks to Jessie and JJ (our newest TA) for their assistance… Read more »
How Green are Solar Panels?
In many circumstances, the products we use in our efforts to be more sustainable have a bigger footprint than we think. Recent articles in the Washington Post and from the Worldwatch Institute show how the production of large amounts of polysilicon in China are dumping toxic wastes on the surrounding landscape—the homes of poor Chinese… Read more »
Survivorman Movie Night
One man – alone in the wilderness for seven days. No food, no shelter, no fresh water, no tools. Survivorman star Les Stroud has what it takes to survive, do you? To find out, join the Cottonwood Institute and REI this Thursday, April 3, 2008 as we host a Survivorman Movie Night. We will watch… Read more »
New quarter, new instructor…
The CAP class at PS1 started the new quarter with new instructor Steve McCue, who will be taking over for Megan to finish off the year. The class spent the day discussing the import of Awareness, a skill absolutely essential for survival in both natural and urban settings. The class finished the day with rehearsal… Read more »
