New leaders have been stepping up at the Cottonwood Institute the past few months. We are excited to have April Pishna, our Adventure Coordinator for the past two years, become our first Program Director! She will be responsible for working with our educational partners and instructors to make sure we deliver fun, high quality, high… Read more »
We experienced a new twist in the evolution of the Operation: Military Kids Essential Survival Skills course – family participation! 10 folks from 4 families, converged at the Colorado Lions Camp to challenge their carnivorous and cooperative edges. We learned about survival priorities, wild edibles, sustainable harvesting, camp craft, fire craft, stalking and wilderness walking…. Read more »
The third quarter of the Community Adventure Program (CAP) for the 2010-2011 school year came to a close as spring started to emerge around us. While the class was very excited for a week of relaxation, spring break meant no more CAP. It was a little bittersweet for all of us after a very enjoyable… Read more »
On Saturday February 19th, 2011, a few enthusiastic members of the Cottonwood Institute’s Earth Task Force (ETF) took part in the Boulder International Film Festival’s screening of Bag It, a documentary about waste created by plastic bags and plastic usage, in general. Gracie Currier-Tait, Kelly Percy, and Zander Deetz represented the ETF and shared a… Read more »
The Cottonwood Institute and the Garden Club of Denver teamed up with an amazing group of curious sixth graders from West Denver Preparatory Charter School for a service-learning trip to Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. It was a beautiful sunny day and our mission was to plant cottonwood tree whips for re-planting later in the… Read more »
The Cottonwood Institute put together an incredible Environmental Leadership Summit for Johnson & Wales University Community Leadership Institute students on February 4th, 2011 at the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado in downtown Denver. Facilitated by Ford Church and Paige Doughty and students from New Vista High School’s environmental club called the Earth Task Force, the day… Read more »
The Community Adventure Program hit the road last weekend for their first winter camping overnight. With the use of a 15-passenger van we were able to seek out the snow for some winter activities, despite the warm temperatures. The 10 students, 2 student leaders and 2 Cottonwood Institute Instructors had a great time bonding as… Read more »
As we set out for our annual Winter Staff Training, the snow flakes dumping in the cold mountain air, the excitement of Cottonwood Institute’s staff was hard to miss. Veterans and rookie instructors alike came together to learn about patience, compassion, and survival in the snow. Brainard Lake Recreation area provided the ideal location for… Read more »
If ‘change the world’ means bringing a positive change to some corner of the globe– affecting the lives of one, ten, a hundred, or a thousand people, then, in my opinion, the answer is yes. -David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World. As we reflect on another amazing year at the Cottonwood Institute,… Read more »
Community Adventure Program (CAP) students unleashed their inner worker bee this quarter to create a great two-pronged Action Project that focused on honey bees and cold-frames. Based on early class discussions, the plight of the honey bee was a hot topic within this group, which was duly noted. However, they just couldn’t let go of… Read more »
