Moab Happenings Archive
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Non-Profit Happenings July 2014

Summer Camps Where Kids Learn And Play In The Outdoors

Moab-based outdoor education nonprofit, Canyonlands Field Institute (CFI), has a number of exciting opportunities for youth this summer. These summer programs offer opportunities for youth to have fun in the outdoors while learning a thing or two about the Colorado Plateau.

The first camp this summer is the La Sal Mountain Explorer Base Camp, a four-day overnight camp in the La Sal Mountains, with two sessions, July 8-11th and July 15-18th. This popular summer camp is for kids who want to be active, have fun, and learn about the beautiful La Sal Mountains. The camp includes camping at Warner Lake, healthy meals and snacks, nature games, easy hikes, fishing, stories, art, and a day paddling the Colorado River. Hands-on science activities take a look at stream life, animals, rocks and fossils, and Native American and pioneer tales. The mountains provide a cool haven during the warm summer.

“I liked when we climbed the mountain because it was challenging... I learned that pushing myself is actually quite fun and others can help to push you.” says Baxter Waltermire, a 2013 Explorer Base Camp participant.

Plus, CFI is offering a special Guide in Training opportunity for teens entering 10th-12th grades. As an assistant to CFI guides during the Explorer Base Camp, Guides in Training learn outdoor skills, leadership skills, and earn $100/week.

CFI’s Teen River Skills Day Camp, July 1-3, is an exciting clinic for students entering 7th-12 grades. Campers learn to navigate whitewater rivers through hands-on rafting and ducky trips with CFI’s experienced Naturalist River Guides. In the heat of the summer, spend three awesome days paddling and rowing the classic “Daily” stretch of the Colorado River outside Moab. This is a mild, scenic Class II stretch of river, perfect to learn on! The camp even includes a morning clinic on Stand Up Paddle Boards thanks to outfitter and sponsor Canyon Voyages.

This year, CFI is happy to announce new partnerships with the Utah State University Extension Sustainability and Friends of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks that will be kicking-off two camps this summer.
CFI and USU Extension Sustainability will be partnering for Sustainable You! Summer Camp. This program is four days and one overnight, August 12-15, for students entering 5th-8th grades. Sustainable You! allows kids the opportunity to learn how to can improve the environment by examining the categories of Land, Air, Food, Water, and Energy. In a field trip style, participants will explore these topics by hiking, visiting local farms, waste facilities, and examining their own impact on the environment.

Roslynn Brain, PhD and leader of the Sustainable You! Summer Camp, launched Sustainability Camps as a part of the Utah State University Extension Sustainability last year, with camps in Logan and Park City, Utah. She has written a curriculum that is being published as a guide for 4H clubs across the state.

“The most important part of these camps is that they teach sustainability with a positive outlook” says Roslynn, emphasizing that this positive empowerment is what inspires youth to apply these concepts to their lives. Roslynn’s website, and more about her sustainability programs, can be found at extension.usu.edu/sustainability.

The final camp this summer is the Bates Wilson Youth Camp, taking place Labor Day weekend. Fully funded by the Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks and partnering with Canyonlands Field Institute and Navtec Expeditions, the first annual Bates Wilson Youth Camp seeks to “find the next Bates Wilson.” The camp takes place in Canyonlands National Park’s Needles District in celebration of the Park’s 50th anniversary. This is an opportunity for students with career interested in recreation, resource management and public land agencies, and interest in building skills and experiences in the wilderness.

Participants will learn about the legacy of Bates Wilson, first superintendent of Canyonlands National Park; take an exciting Navtec jeep adventure; go on archaeology and geology hikes and camp with inspiring CFI guides. This camp is a available to youth entering 9th-12th grades and requires an application. To apply, contact Joette Langianese, Executive Director, Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks: 435-259-0108 or visit bateswilson.org and go to the “programs” page.

CFI’s summer camps are kept a a low tuition thanks to the youth summer camp sponsors: Grand County Credit Union, Grand County Recreation S.S.D., Canyon Voyages Adventure Company, Utah State University Extension Sustainability, and Friends of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.
For more information about these camps and more, visit cfimoab.org.

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