A great group of formal and non-formal educators participated in the award winning Project Learning Tree curriculum workshop taught by Colorado Forest Service Danielle Ardrey and recently retired Shawna Crocker. The workshop was sponsored by the Northwest Regional Council of the Colorado Environmental Education Plan. 

Wild Rose Education piloted an innovative approach to provide a Leave No Trace Trainer Course for the new Aspen Mountain Guide School students this fall. The 11th and 12th grade students spent the entire month of September during their regular class time learning and practicing the 7 Principles of LNT and the ethics of minimal impact use of public lands. They then worked in small groups to research and then teach mini-lessons on special uses such as mountain biking, camping bear country, hammock camping, winter travel, hunting, fishing, and rock climbing. All the participants are now trained by LNT and have the skills and knowledge to teach LNT Awareness Workshops. 
Aspen Public Radio covered the workshop with this recent news story.
Special thanks to Tim Borden, LNT Master Educator for co-instructing the course and to Aspen Valley Land Trust for the use of the Chapin Wright Marble Basecamp.

Thursday, October 24, 8:00am-4:30pm
Third Street Center, 520 S. Third Street, Carbondale, CO 81623
now $55 (only had 16 $20 registrations available)
registration includes curriculum guide book, lunch, and light snacks
Register here
Instructors: Shawna Crocker and Danielle Ardrey

All K-8th grade educators are invited to participate in this highly active, hands-on session to experience and model several PLT activities in Carbondale, Colorado. Enhance your teaching skills and become comfortable teaching outdoors – in urban, suburban, or rural environments. Receive multi-disciplinary, hands-on lessons aligned with state and national academic standards. Put the materials to use right away in your own classroom, playground, or nature center. The workshop will include planning time to integrate PLT into your curriculum or program. All PLT activities are created with the NGSS lens and include robust content, relevant cross cutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. 

Participants will receive a PLT K-8 curriculum guide. Door prizes will include a grade band appropriate NGSS correlated online e-unit and access to PLT Green Schools online training. All participants will receive a certificate of continuing ed hours. Optional 0.5 graduate-level relicensure credit available for $40 from Colorado School of Mines (to be confirmed).

The PLT workshop is co-sponsored by the Northwest Regional Council of the Colorado EE Plan and Wild Rose Education. The cost is subsidized by a grant from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE). ​

The Youth Water Leadership Program hosted the Community Action & Problem-Solving Process Teacher Workshop  facilitated by Earth Force and offered graduate credit from the Colorado School of Mines for over 15 educators at the Third Street Center in Carbondale, Colorado on August 5, 2019. Educators attended from Grand Junction, Cedaredge, Leadville, Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Parachute, and Glenwood Springs. 

Participants were introduced to Earth Force’s award-winning Community Action and Problem Solving Process. The Earth Force Process is a six-step approach that combines the best of action civics, environmental education, and STEM to provide a framework of action for teachers seeking to engage students in hands-on community environmental action projects. This professional development gave educators the opportunity to understand how incorporating youth voice, student-driven inquiry, democratic decision-making and place-based authentic problem-solving into their classrooms prepares students for life-long environmental stewardship, civic engagement, and collaborative action. Participants gained a better understanding of how to engage students in learning that makes a difference, for students and communities. All were encouraged to participate in the upcoming Healthy Rivers Youth Water Summit and to publish their students' work on the Youth River Voices blog. 

​All this made possible by these generous 2019 Youth Water Leadership Program sponsors. 

​Fifteen educators from across Colorado convened for a River Ecology and Water in the West courses during the 3nd annual Western Rivers Teacher Workshops during the 2019 Western Colorado University's Summer Teacher Institute. In addition to five days of instruction in the field and classroom, participants learned to use ESRI story maps and Google My Maps to share special watershed topics and create walking field trip maps from their school. 

• view Walking Field Trip Maps
• view Watershed Topic Story Maps

Plans are underway for the 2020 Western Rivers Teacher Workshops at Western Colorado University. If you would like to be added to the educator alert email list, let us know, and we'll keep you up to date on upcoming registration deadlines.

Wild Rose Education is honored to be invited to present the Reframe, Rethink, and Re-inspire Adult Learning workshop and a Community Engagement poster at the 2019 River Rally hosted by River Network in Cleveland, Ohio June 21-24. Both the workshop and poster will bring proven best practices from the field of environmental education and adult learning to the river protection professional community's commitment to sustaining strong leaders, organizations, and coalitions. 
River Rally 2019 takes place along the banks of the Cuyahoga River and marks the last time that river caught fire from unregulated pollution 50 years ago, a pivotal event that sparked the environmental movement that led to the establishment of the Clean Water Act.

During the 2019 spring semester, Wild Rose Education's intern Jessy Stevenson worked remotely from Missoula, Montana to collaborate on the development of a new deliberative forum guide addressing the challenges of increasing demands on our nation's rivers. 
Using proven tools from the National Environmental Issues Forums, Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums, Let's Talk Rivers framework was drafted, edited by national experts in the field, tested in Carbondale, Colorado, and then finalized. 
The internship included the opportunity for Jessy to learn how to name and frame an issue, conduct background research and draft a deliberative forum guide to use with groups. 
The intended use of this guide is for use by trained deliberation moderators with groups of public, university students, and high school students. The guide can be adapted to reflect specific local and regional river issues, opportunities, and trade-offs. The guide will be utilized by teachers and students involved with the Youth Water Leadership Program during 2019 and in years to come as well as during the Western Rivers Teacher Workshops. 
Wild Rose Education was thrilled to work with such a talented and committed university student. Jessy Stevenson graduated on May 4, 2019 from the University of Montana's College of Forestry and Conservation with a B.S. in Resource Conservation, a double major in Environmental Studies, and a minor in Wilderness Studies.
Read her reflection on this project at the Youth River Voices blog. 
Special thank you to the River Management Society for creating an opportunity to meet and connect with Jessy Stevenson during the annual Symposium. Also special thank you to Bora Simmons (North American Association for Environmental Education), Michele Archie (Harbinger Consulting Group), Kellie Gorman (Yampatika), Hillary Mason (University of Denver), Connor Bailey (Wilderness Society), Dan Kahl (University of Kentucky), and Carla Atkinson (University of Alabama) for their support and edits. 

All this made possible by these generous 2019 Youth Water Leadership Program sponsors. 

​Monday, August 5, 2019 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Third Street Center, Carbondale, Colorado
$20/participant 

Join Wild Rose Education's Youth Water Leadership Program and Earth Force for a one-day educator professional development event! Participants will be introduced to Earth Force’s award-winning Community Action and Problem Solving Process. The Earth Force Process is a six-step approach that combines the best of action civics, environmental education, and STEM to provide a framework of action for teachers seeking to engage students in hands-on community environmental action projects. This professional development gives West Slope educators the opportunity to understand how incorporating youth voice, student-driven inquiry, democratic decision-making and place-based authentic problem-solving into their classrooms prepares students for life-long environmental stewardship, civic engagement, and collaborative action. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to engage students in learning that makes a difference, for students and communities.
 
Participating educators will receive an Earth Force Educator Guide to the Community Action and Problem-Solving Process, a TIPS Cards reference set, web-based classroom resources, and a digital archive. Earth Force in partnership with Wild Rose Education, provides trained educators ongoing teacher support from class visits to stakeholder outreach, at no cost. 

This workshop is made possible by these generous 2019 Youth Water Leadership Program sponsors. ​

Monday - Friday, June 10-14, 2019
Western State Colorado University, Gunnison, Colorado
Utilize western rivers to meet interdisciplinary academic standards creating relevant place based context for your students.
​Register through the Extended Studies program. 
See last year's participant reflections, photos, and more here. 

River as Text: Ecology (3 days)
Monday-Wednesday June 10-12, 2019, 2 credit course
Learn how to utilize rivers and riparian habitat as the context to meet your curriculum through observations, explorations, discussions, and journaling to create student-centered learning experiences. During this field-based course, participants will explore the three major components of a river ecosystem: aquatic life, water quality, and riparian habitat. Inter-disciplinary field experiences include field trips to local riverside parks, Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery, and Curecanti National Recreation Area. Participants will also create an online Google My Maps river field trip asset map for their school. Physical ability to walk across uneven terrain, stand for long durations, and carry equipment is highly suggested. ​

Water in the West (2 days)
​Thursday-Friday June 13-14, 2019, 1 credit course
Learn how to incorporate the complexities of water management in the West into your curriculum through cross-curricular field and classroom activities and routines. Using questioning, observing, and reflecting routines participants will explore western water management, water law, and watershed geography. Participants will also create an ESRI Story Map using online GIS tools to explore and explain water management concepts and corresponding geography more closely. Field experiences include a Blue Mesa Dam visit, a visit to Taylor Reservoir, and time at Gunnison Mountain Park. Physical ability to walk across uneven terrain and stand for long durations is highly suggested. 

Insiders Tips
1. If you sign up with a group by May 17 everyone gets a discounted rate, up to four people from your school district. 
2. Western State makes the dormitories available during the workshops at a very affordable rate for lodging. 
3. Childcare is available at the Tenderfoot Child and Family Development Center during the courses.