The collaborative Lafayette Stewardship Youth Corps, co-led by CI Instructor Adam Fedyski and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers Project Coordinator Jackie Curry, continues going strong throughout the winter months. While much of their time is spent on restoration and improvement projects for Lafayette Open Space, the interns also had opportunities to participate in two trainings, Leave No Trace and Wilderness First Aid, to help them more confidently explore the natural world.

In December, due to rising COVID-19 cases in Boulder County, the group met online for two Saturdays to focus on professional development activities. One of those Saturdays, the interns completed a Leave No Trace (LNT) Awareness workshop with Colorado’s LNT State Advocate Micah Leinbach.

The group began with a couple activities to define their outdoor values and ethics, and shared their opinions with their peers. After gaining a better understanding of what mattered to them, they role played scenarios to practice how to discuss LNT principles with friends and strangers alike. They left not with a memorized list of facts about LNT, but a deeper understanding of what they value and how to share it with others in nature.

In January, once they returned to in-person meetings, the interns welcomed Kathy Nguyen from the Colorado Mountain Club to co-lead an 8-hour Wilderness First Aid course with Adam. On day one, they practiced scene size-ups, assessing their “patients” for life threatening issues, and completing a head-to-toe exam on a stuffed dummy.

Day two focused on scenarios that the interns could apply to anyone whether they plan to explore the backcountry or not. They learned how to read vital signs, what questions to ask an injured patient, how to help someone having a mental health emergency, and how to improvise a sling and swathe for someone who hurt their arm or shoulder.

These trainings gave the interns the opportunity to explore topics that many had not previously considered. It also gave them a couple certifications to add to their résumés as they prepare for what’s next after the internship ends in May.

Stay tuned for updates on the group’s various projects to improve and update one of Lafayette’s newest spaces at Waneka Centennial Farm!

Written by Stewardship Internship Instructor Adam Fedyski