As the cold of late autumn wraps its long arms around us, our inner and outer world begin to slow, settling in for winter. May we use this time to reflect on what we are grateful for, and recall the warm memories of a busy summer.
Written by Cottonwood Field Instructor, Caroline Paul, July 18th, 2024
This summer has been hot, Hot, HOT. So, this week a group of teens from the Lincoln Hills Cares (LHC) Foundation cooled off in Leadville for a week to learn where Denver receives its water, build team relationships, and – most importantly – experience some classic Colorado summer fun!
These students are part of LHC’s career pathways program for environmental and green jobs. Most of this program involves working alongside professionals and learning about their jobs. This includes many labor intensive service work, data collection, and critical thinking projects. Because most of the year students are working, LHC wanted the focus of this trip to be recreating and connecting with nature. The Colorado Watershed Project was the perfect balance of fun, connection, and learning for this group.
Camping at one of Colorado Outward Bound School’s (COBS) group campsites immediately provided the cool and laid back vibe LHC’s teens were looking for. Our mornings were packed and we had plenty of time to relax in the late afternoon. On the first day, students carefully set up and organized their new home for the next 5 days. They played games, did some team-building activities and settled in. The first day ended with a breathtaking night sky and hike.
The next few days were a whirlwind of fly fishing, white water rafting, a visit to the fish hatchery, and a short service project. At the hatchery are troughs of trout at different life stages and lots of fish food. The hatchery was a great way to learn about the delicate balance of water chemistry needed for sensitive fish like trout.
The nature trail from the hatchery conveniently takes hikers to the COBS reservoirs where Andre from CPW waited to teach fly fishing. On Wednesday, Wilderness Aware rafting guides excitedly told students about their personal experience with the watershed. They explained how annual snowpack, Colorado water rights, and industry alliances impact their daily lives as raft guides.
On the last full day, we all took a field trip to meet a team of Environmental Scientists from Climax Molybdenum to learn about how mining affects our water and what Climax does to give back to the land. A short hike took us through a stunning gulch and we helped gather water samples. By testing the water, we helped monitor if any Molybdenum has ended up in our water supply.
Friday, campers disassembled their homes and took in their last breaths of the forest. At parent pickup, the van thermometers were reading 105°! What a difference from the cool mountain air at COBS.
If you are as excited as we are about watersheds, please consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor to help invest in students from Lincoln Hills Cares and beyond!
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