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The 2023-2024 school year has ended, and it was a time for flexibility, teamwork, and trying new things! Thanks to incredible Volunteers-in-Parks (VIPs); partner organizations like Colorado Canyons Association, Riverside Education Centers, and Colorado National Monument Association; and assistance from teachers and chaperones, we were able to serve 3,000 education contacts this school year while keeping adult to student ratios less than 1:15 – with an average of 1 adult to 10 students. Small group sizes like these make learning more individualized, personal, and more rewarding for both the learner and educator.  

If you haven’t come to a school program in the last couple of years, it might look very different from what you’d expect. Often, teachers request to bring the entire grade of students from their school at one time, in order to minimize per-student bus costs and minimize disruptions to the curriculum calendar in the classroom. A typical field trip here has 60 to 80 students at one time for up to four hours. I don’t know about you, but I would NOT want to hike with that many people together on a single trail, no matter their age – not to mention the impact on Wilderness values. 

We design experiences that address topics through different types of activities, with the understanding that relationships and enjoyment affect learning and memory. VIPs and partners help lead activity stations that range from drawing and coloring to guided exploration to hiking to story time to playing group games. The order of the stations fluctuates so that students are not kept at a high energy for the entirety of the field trip. Having slower and more reflective activities between more high-exertion activities helps learners not become exhausted, bored, overstimulated, or under stimulated – ways that preclude many “behavioral issues” that are really just the result of energy dysregulation. 

If you ask whether this field trip structure is effective in practice, I’d refer to the feedback we receive from teachers and learners alike (I could also refer to the research in experiential education and memory – let me know if you’re interested!). Here are some letter samples we received from a class of Fruita third grade students this year: 

• “Hey I got to say THANK YOU that was a pretty fun activity. I mean a spider crawling on me that is just a bonus! You are a good teacher! We are off to a good start, thank you soooo much.” (To be clear, we do not put spiders on students nor can we control spiders’ behaviors.) 

• “Thank you for teaching us the FUN game. By the way I LOVE cactus.” (We also don’t control the cacti.) 

• “Thank you for teaching us a new game. And for being nice. Also thank you for giving us a good time. I wish I can go again. See you next time.” 

• “I want to write to all the rangers because I couldn’t choose! I loved all of them! I hope you liked it as much as I did. Thank you!” 

What I read from these and many other letters from students is the sense of a positive experience in a national park, where students connected not only with each other and the landscape but also with the rangers. That’s been my goal as the school programs coordinator for the monument. I think most of us need more positive interactions and meaningful connections, especially young people still developing their sense of identity and worldview. Fostering these positive attitudes and memories of national parks and park rangers will lead to interest in continued learning and experiences in the outdoors and on public lands, potentially leading to increased conservation values and support for the National Park Service as a whole. At a personal level, positive connections with nature and other people also lead to better mental and physical health. This is one positive feedback loop that I’m grateful to be part of. 

Colorado National Monument Association has helped with these efforts by facilitating grant funding for us to hire educator positions and grant-specific educational opportunities, not to mention the transportation assistance for schools to receive funding that covers bus costs associated with their field trips to the monument. Many thanks to CNMA and to you as a CNMA member for your continued support of this work! If you’d like to be more involved in school programs or are curious about what else you can do to support our local students and schoolteachers, feel free to reach out to me directly at nicholas_scarborough@nps.gov. 

What comes to mind when thinking about nature? Is it the quiet or calm, is it humbling to feel so small gazing upon these grand vistas and viewsheds? What about peace?

For many military veterans, at risk youth, and diverse groups, peace is something they are searching for, and the outdoor setting of the Colorado National Monument is the perfect place to find it. A sense of belonging in the natural setting goes a long way to comforting the spirit and calming the mind.

There is a reason why this place is referred to as the ‘Heart of the World’ by so many. 

My name is Amber, and I am excited to be the first Resiliency Ranger for the Colorado National Monument. My job will encompass working with these diverse groups, community partners, and suicide prevention efforts, as well as educating participants to the natural setting of place and home for so many of our incredible visitors.

Whole health, mindfulness, and resiliency will be at the heart of this program, and I am committed to changing people’s perspectives through the healing element of the great outdoors.

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The Colorado National Monument Resiliency Ranger program is the first of its kind. This would not be possible without funding from the Mesa County Workforce Center and the Western Colorado Community Foundation. Colorado National Monument Association thanks them heartily for their support. If you are interested in helping this program continue into 2025, please reach out to johannavwaveren@coloradonma.org.

Please join us in welcoming three new staff to our team!

Learn more about them at our website, Meet Our Staff.

We are excited to shine the spotlight on one of our long-time business members!

Meet Sorter Construction, a locally owned, 3rd generation, company founded in 1953. Their patriotic ethos "We Dig America" rings true in more ways than just dirt. They provide a service to those in need, be it small or large.

Sorter Construction is particularly proud to support education efforts offered within Colorado National Monument for both youth and adults alike. And noted, 'Colorado National Monument is a jewel in our community. It's our price and support to be a Colorado National Monument Association member.'

We are so thankful to Sorter Construction for their continued support of Colorado National Monument Association!

In this year of prodigious anniversaries, Glade Park Community Services, Inc. (GPCS)--the organization representing and providing services to the Glade Park community--is celebrating our 50th! Sharing a boundary for many years with the Colorado National Monument, GPCS is very excited to celebrate our half-century of existence alongside the 60^th anniversary celebration of the Colorado National Monument Association (CNMA).

The Pipeline School building was offered to the Glade Park community by the Piñon Mesa Stockmen in 1973. The community came together to purchase property adjacent to the existing building, move the building, and incorporate with the aim that the old school would be maintained and utilized as a place for public use and enjoyment by Glade Park residents. The deed changed hands in December of that year, and the first meeting establishing a GPCS board of directors was on January 12, 1974.

Since then, GPCS has maintained and improved the building and secured its placement on the National and Colorado State Registers of Historic Sites. Countless events and fundraisers over the past 50 years have kept the community close: rodeos, poker rides, dances, 4H, Boy Scouts, church services, pasta potlucks, chili cookoffs, craft fairs, pancake breakfasts, cemetery and road clean ups, aerobics, Tai Chi, craft and quilting groups, game days, and many private celebrations and memorials.

To celebrate, GPCS is planning our 50th anniversary day for Saturday, July 27th to include activities from our past events. We are searching for historical information and images to share throughout the year in our quarterly newsletters as well as monthly postings and pictures on several Glade Park-related Facebook pages.

We appreciate the CNMA’s pride and anticipation in sharing your 60^th anniversary with the surrounding community. It represents a cooperative dedication of spirit and energy, planning, hard work, and joy. Congratulations, neighbor!

Join us for an unforgettable concert event with live music by Jeneve Rose Mitchell, a multi-instrumentalist and top 14 finalist from American Idol's farewell season. Learn more about Jeneve here.

Thanks so much to our sponsors for the 60th Anniversary Fundraiser:

-Kinder Morgan- Title Sponsor

-Alpine Bank

-Monument Vista Place (MVP)

-Hillbilly Catering

-KAFM

-High Country Beverage

-Christi Reece Group

-Shaw Construction

-Fiddlesticks Florals

-City of Fruita

-Balanced Rock Inn

-Hays Home Group

-Rosecap Financial

-GJ Sentinel

-Christine Tubbs

-Ginger Mitchell

-Touch and Phally Vat

-Buck Creek Farm LTD

And thanks for our other organization supporters:

-Rotary Club of Grand Junction

-Rotary Club of Fruita

-Western Colorado Community Foundation

-National Park Trust

-Ramblebine Brewing Company

-Wild Tribute

-Hot Tomato

-Loki

-Network’s Unlimited

-Sorter Construction

-Enstrom Candies

-Red Bike Counseling

-Brown Cycles

-Women’s Giving Club

-The Trophy Case

We are so grateful for your support!

If you are interested in learning more about business sponsorships, please contact johannavwaveren@coloraodnma.org.

Parting Shot: Aurora borealis over Colorado National Monument captured by Casey Smith