March 2016 brings in instructors new and seasoned with Cottonwood Institute. As we roll into April and a busy prep season for trips, we cannot forget the instructor training that set it all up. Over the course of two evenings and two very full weekend days, the CI instructor training unfolded, forming new bonds while… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute and Johnson & Wales University Student Government Association teamed up once again to host the 6th Annual Sustainability Summit at The Alliance Center in Downtown Denver. Despite the snow and icy roads, the day started off with an exciting presentation from Sonrisa Lucero, Sustainability Strategist from the City of Denver’s Office of Sustainability…. Read more »
Have you ever experienced the full potential of what nature can offer? Students at KIPP Montbello Collegiate High School, as part of the Cottonwood Institute’s Community Adventure Program, were able to experience nature up close and personal when they took a snowshoe trip to the mountains at Caribou Ranch. As the bus arrived in the parking lot,… Read more »
The act of making a fire connects us back to our ancestors of more than 100,000 years ago. Huddling around a fire for warmth, sustenance and community is something that too few of us get to experience in our modern world. But on a snowy day at the end of January, in a sheltered grove… Read more »
The Middle School students at STRIVE Prep – Sunnyside are creative visionaries. Their interests in art, writing and self-expression have allowed them to cultivate an authentic experience through the Cottonwood Institute’s Community Adventure Program at their school during fall of 2015. After spending several weeks on team-building initiatives, nature awareness activities, and an exciting overnight camping trip… Read more »
Over the course of two gorgeous days this fall, a small group from STRIVE Prep – Federal experienced a Cottonwood Institute backpacking adventure at White Ranch Open Space. Students were amazed at how much stuff there was to pack up for two days, how heavy the packs were, and how long it took to get it all in… Read more »
Cottonwood Institute is honored to partner with Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Inspire Initiative and three community hubs that were just each awarded $100,000 planning grants to help get kids off the couch and out the door from the backyard to the backcountry. The planning grants will help each community hub further refine their projects and… Read more »
The Aspen leaves just began changing, and this weekend Cottonwood Institute had the chance to see the leaves and enjoy the fall weather camping with four National Guard families in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. The group had various outdoor experience but one commonality, as one of the mom’s explained, “My family doesn’t usually camp and my husband… Read more »
It was a sunny September morning, as a group of bright eye bushy-tailed Cottonwood Institute volunteers gathered at what looked to be an old abandoned warehouse with willing hands, ready to work! Little did we know how far this old warehouse had come in the past year and the vision and passion leading it forward…. Read more »
The sun shined promisingly as a group of adventurous teenage girls met in the Centaurus High School parking lot, ready for a night of backpacking in the woods. The girls knew each other from school, but still had some familiarizing to do as a group. One thing they all had in common was being part… Read more »
