By Gregg Goodland
It happened again this year. They nearly got me this time, though. Our Valley’s youth possess such great aptitude and passion for learning that I nearly ran out of things to present to them. I’m talking about the amazing students that attended the Forestry Session at the Beaver Creek Youth Conservation Camp on June 4 – 6 this year. Nearly five years into working here at the Rio Grande National Forest, I find myself pretty amazed, and thankful, that I was able to share a bunch of a long career’s worth of acquired knowledge to a great group of students for the fourth time. I also realized that I would share my camp experience here each year. I mean, the kids simply deserve the recognition.
My partners, Katie Goodleaf and Julia Franz from Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, put on a great show in their third and first year of the Forestry Camp, respectively. With only a short pre-camp coordination discussion, we set out at noon on Tuesday, June 4 for what would easily become one of the highlights of my year, so far. Mimicking curriculum from past years, we began the session with introductions all around and establishing our “camp names.” Cysco Cat, Ziggy Zebra, Noelle Narwhal, and Jasper Jaguar, to name just a few, set the stage for the next two days of learning in this wonderful outdoor classroom.
It stands to reason that during introductions, we would want to meet some of the local trees, doesn’t it? So, we did. The kids got a happy laugh out of “Katydid Katie” leading a blindfolded “Grizzly Bear Gregg” to ultimately hugging a tree to meet it properly. Of course, they all enjoyed meeting their own trees too.
The second morning began with a highly active game of predator and prey where the prey had to try to cross the field and avoid being tagged by the predators. It was a fun, interactive way to illustrate the wildlife relationship and was just what we needed to prepare us for the arriving wildland fire engine.
A BLM crew from Worland, Wyoming, here to help out for a couple of weeks, promptly presented information on why wildland fires can be used to benefit forest health, or why they must be immediately extinguished. The firefighters even explained the fire triangle and explored ways they use to break that triangle and snuff out wildfires, including a look at all the tools on their truck.
The highlight of the presentation (according to the students) was when they all participated in a mobile attack of a fake fire. Each student took a turn at walking on the front flank of the engine and spraying water to extinguish our fire. They said it was “pretty cool.”
The afternoon began with an exploration of the water cycle, and afterwards the “water droplet” stories the students created were shared. They were very creative and well written — it seemed to be a meaningful and thought-provoking activity for them.
The session then moved us to a secluded section of Beaver Creek to conduct our annual review of macroinvertebrates. The small side channel was running a bit slower than past years, but we found some interesting critters anyway by lifting rocks and allowing the current to sweep them into our awaiting nets and placing the specimens into these cool cups with magnifying glasses for caps. Each student then had the opportunity to identify caddisflies, mayflies and the gamut of other miniature creatures we find in our wild waters. We discussed how the stream flow and other factors might affect the species we find and how it might affect their survival. The students also easily understood how other aquatic species can be affected by changes in these populations. How they can pick this up so fast is truly impressive!
The third day brought us to our quiet place where the students used all their senses to learn about their surroundings. And quite the perceptive group they were again this year. Finally, the big hike tried to bring many of the newly learned concepts together as we gained the ridge and looked out across the valley.
It is with gratitude that I thank Rio Grande Watershed Conservation and Education Initiative for hosting and inviting us to the Youth Conservation Camp at Beaver Creek. As always, it is an experience worth participating in that gives us great hope in our bright, future land stewards.
Gregg Goodland is the public affairs officer for the Rio Grande National Forest. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, he encourages individual stewardship and responsible use of our public lands.