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Tips to help you connect your family to nature!
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As part of her award, Anita received a signed copy of one of Enos A Mills 16 collectible books "The Spell of the Rockies." Anita Evans, Chair of the nonprofit Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN), recently received the prestigious Enos A. Mills Award for Exemplary Contributions to Environmental Education. This award is the highest honor presented by Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education each year to an individual for long-term, outstanding achievements and contributions to environmental and outdoor learning. The award is named after Enos A. Mills, a naturalist and author whose passion for environmental protection and education, photographs and writings were largely responsible for the decision by Congress in 1915 to establish Rocky Mountain National Park. Enos Mills spent his life discovering and experiencing nature, and working tirelessly to preserve it by sharing its benefits with others through guiding, writing and photographs. Like Enos Mills, Anita Evans has demonstrated exemplary vision, character, practice, and has made a long lasting and far-reaching impact on the field of environmental education (EE) on the Western Slope of Colorado. Anita Started her EE impact on Colorado youth in 1982 instructing cross-country skiing and backpacking for the Balarat Outdoor School in Denver, and as a trained Project Wild instructor in the 1990s. After getting her teaching certificate, Anita consistently made an impact with her students through hands-on outdoor skills, EE projects and field experiences. Every class Anita has taught to cross-country ski through the "Skis for Kids” program she and her husband Richard and many volunteers established in 1987 has experienced in-depth winter ecology instruction and learning. "Every child I ever taught experienced nature: learning to cross-country ski, creating schoolyard habitats, learning how native species thrive in their web of life and observing how humans play an integral part in nature. I tried to have my students feel a sense of responsibility to learn about and experience our world, and practice responsible recreation and conservation efforts. Over 27 years I taught thousands of kids about what it means to be a responsible human intertwined with our natural world, and I hope they remember that we are nature," explained Evans. J oining forces with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) in 2013, Anita helped facilitate the written curriculum and publication of the Delta Teaching Environments Naturally teachers guide for all grade levels, connecting youth to the vast resource of public lands here on the Western Slope of Colorado. She also joined up with the U.S. Forest Service in 2014 to expand the Skis For Kids Programming with a "More Kids in the Woods" program, ensuring every 4th and 6th grader in Delta County could experience winter in Colorado on Cross Country Skis and learn about our largest reservoir of water—mountain snow. Since retiring from teaching in 2014, Anita has assisted with teacher education classes put on by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) in a program called OUT, or Outdoor Understanding for Teachers, helping with four teacher workshops a year on a variety of topics such as Bears, Elk, Beaver, Fish, Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Wildlife Diseases, Winter Animal Adaptations, and many more. In 2015, Anita helped facilitate a coalition of EE providers for three years in order to gain funding from Great Outdoors Colorado in 2018 to officially establish the Nature Connection in Hotchkiss, which is supported by the Delta County School District for Delta County and Olathe. This is where the Skis for Kids program came to reside, and with the addition of staffing and outdoor gear established the Learn to Bike program, paddle boarding/river experiences, rock climbing and weeklong youth summer camps. In 2018, Anita's passions and insights spearheaded the creation of the nonprofit Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN), increasing the impact on youth every year, and supporting EE experiences for over 8,500 youth in 2023 alone. FOYAN is where her heart lives now, working with the seven member board across the four Western Slope counties of Mesa, Delta, Montrose, and Ouray counties. FOYAN’s focus is on four areas of EE: farm to school projects; watershed education; scholarships for teachers and youth for field trip busing, program fees, or special projects; and the Together for Resilient Youth (TRY) program, facilitating 6 outdoor events a year and reaching out to a segment of our local youth most in need of mentored outdoor skill building, peer connections (without screen time), and creating emotional connections to our beautiful Western Colorado wild places. "There is something to be said about working together to help make a better world for those generations that follow us. We are nature. We are an intricate part of the web of life in this world, and how we interact with nature determines the path our world will take in the future. We all have a chance to choose our path in this world, shaping that future through our sphere of influence. That sphere expands, shifts, and changes throughout our lifetime allowing us to touch the lives of others in many positive ways. We have a responsibility to share our knowledge of nature through discovery, teaching, and learning experiences. How has Nature shaped you, your world, the world you share with your loved ones and acquaintances?" asks Evans. As part of her award, Anita received a signed copy of one of Enos Mills 16 collectible books entitled "The Spell of the Rockies." Anita plans to continue her work with FOYAN and FOYAN partners to make a lasting positive impact on the lives of local youth. You can read more about Anita and past Enos A. Mills Award recipients here: https://caee.org/awards
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 Leigh Robertson, Ecologist, takes a group of Montrose Fourth Graders on a guided walk along the Dave Wood Interpretive Trail. The students are exploring and discovering many of nature's surprises on the Uncompahgre Plateau. The name Dave Wood is often mentioned in conversation around town, mostly in the context of directions to access to the Uncompahgre National Forest. Dave Wood Road is one of the closest access point to the forest from Montrose. We are lucky to be able to access these public lands within 40 minutes of town for a quick nature get away to recharge and reset ourselves. However, there is more to the name- Dave Wood. Here is a brief history of the man, the area as well as a guide to a fun interpretive hike to help you observe the nuances of the area's ecology. Who was Dave Wood? Dave Wood was a freighter in southwestern Colorado. He started his business in 1881 in Gunnison, when the Durango & Rio Grande Railroad made him their "forwarding and commission merchant." Wood freighted supplies west to construction gangs and newly-settled towns from the railroad's end-of-the-line. When the D&RG built its narrow gauge line through the Black Canyon and over Cerro Summit into Montrose, Wood took his business to that town. Montrose would be his largest and most permanent base, and for five years he was the exclusive agent for all freight going to Ouray, Telluride, and Rico. The D&RG extension, built from Montrose to Ouray in 1887, forced Wood to again move his base of operations. From his new location at Ridgway, he did a large freighting business into Telluride and Norwood. The completion of the Rio Grande Southern in 1891 ended Wood's operations. Built in 1882, the famous Dave Wood Road between Montrose and Telluride, via Horsefly Mesa, ran on the west side of the Uncompahgre River parallel with the present highway from Montrose to Ouray, and is today identified by a U. S. Forest Service marker. Who were the first inhabitants of the Uncompahgre Plateau? Long before Dave Wood set foot on the plateau, about 10,000 years before the early explorers investigated the area; the Paleo Indians roamed the plateau hunting herds of wildlife without bows and arrows! They travelled in groups of 10-20, found shelter in rock overhangs and caves, and subsisted on the abundant natural resources of the area. The Ute tribes were descendants of these early native peoples. Dave Wood Interpretive Trail The area encompasses about 3200 acres of typical habitats of the Uncompahgre Plateau. To the careful observer, there is evidence of multiple ecosystems, traces of past life that swam in an ancient sea, plants that actually communicate with each other, and traces of history that shaped our lives. A very informative guide is available to help you explore and understand these ecosystems. The trail meanders through a montane forest. The word montane means mountain. These forests occur between 5,500-9,000 feet elevation. Not surprisingly, the major feature of this zone is trees! Ponderosa pines dominate in this forest along with Rocky Mountain juniper. At higher elevations, lodgepole pine and spruce become more common. Other trees and shrubs in the montane forest include aspens, mountain mahogany and serviceberry. The guide will help you decipher the difference between a ponderosa pine and Douglas firs, coniferous and deciduous trees, mountain and western bluebirds and more. This is a landscape forged by wind and fire and as you hike along the trail, you will observe signs of those forces shaping the forest. Pines have evolved to take advantage of periodic fires. The guide described details of plant and animal adaptations that allow species to thrive here. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you walk along the trail. Look and listen for the sounds of nature. Ask yourself questions about the forest such as describing what it looks like, pointing out living and nonliving parts of the forest, or thinking about how the forest helps us. Engage your sense of wonder, dig deep for bits of forgotten knowledge, and test your connections to new nature knowledge you may have read or observed recently. Take a closer look at the layers of this forest: the canopy, the understory and the forest floor. Pick a layer and check it out more closely. Look for living and non–living items in your layer. Draw it in your journal. How is your item connected to the forest? (Example: a leaf is connected to a tree, but also shelters a ladybug, and will soon become a part of the nutrient rich soil.) Be an observant hiker and discover your forest- there are surprises everywhere! You may learn a few new fun facts about the forest as well as refresh some of the nature knowledge you haven’t thought about in a while. You can download the guide from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest website under highlights (https://www.fs.usda.gov/gmug). The website also provides links to more information about the Paleo Indians of the area, Dave Wood and details about the ecology of the plateau. Directions from Montrose: From Townsend and Main in Montrose head west on Main, Left onto CO Highway 90, 0.4 miles stay right on Oak Grove (Hwy 90), 0.25 miles turn left onto Dave Wood Road/6250 Road. Continue on Dave Wood Road for about 8 miles. The interpretive trail is the first part of the Simms Mesa/Dave Wood Trail. The trailhead is on the east side (parking area) at the forest boundary. The Simms Mesa/Dave Wood Trail is designated for horses and hikers only; across the road, Forest Service Route #536 is open to motorized travel (OHVs and snowmobiles). Volunteering is an excellent opportunity for young adults to give their time and in return learn valuable life skills and gain friendships and memorable experiences. Here in Colorado, "Serve Colorado" is a volunteer program under the AmeriCorps umbrella, which offers funding for people, young and old, to volunteer and help communities across Colorado recover from the effects of COVID-19 and build them back stronger! AmeriCorps offer a variety of areas for their members to volunteer such as education, the environment, energy and social service programs. AmeriCorps volunteers receive a living allowance, training, and an education award that may be used for future education costs, or to repay past student loans. The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Educators (CAEE) has a special AmeriCorps program called “eeCorps” that focuses specifically on conservation and the environment and has many host sites across Colorado, including several locations on the Western Slope. The focus of volunteers with the eeCorps program is connecting youth to year-round place-based nature education. Nilam Hypio, was an eeCorps member this past summer serving youth attending the Nature Connection programs in the Delta County and Olathe areas. Nilam writes about her experience as an eeCorps member working with Western Slope youth, teaching them about the environment and helping them gain outdoor skills.  Nilam Hypio, an eeCorps volunteer with the Nature Connection, spent this past summer working with local youth teaching them about the environment and helping them gain outdoor skills. (Photo Courtesy: Anita Evans) “During the beginning of my term, we (the Nature Connection staff) were right in the middle of preparing for one of our core school programs that takes place in the wintertime- our Skis for Kids Program. I was all too familiar with this program, as both of my parents had started this program, and I had helped with several outings. After previously working with a much older population than our core youth audience, I was a little nervous. Over time and leading many programs and activities, I became more comfortable with holding conversations and joking around with just about any kid. Fast forward to our summer camp programs with The Nature Connection that took place in two locations, Hotchkiss and Delta, Colorado. I was responsible for facilitating education stations for various themes offered for each camp week throughout the summer. I was hopeful that the summer camps would be fun for the kids, give them a chance to relax, make new friends, and just let them be kids doing kid things. Even though we saw some of the same kids from our school programs, each camp brought a different vibe for each location. I was a little surprised by this. Some camper groups needed a lot more physical activity and movement throughout the day particularly to get through that last chunk of the day. Knowing this, I had fun modifying education lesson stations based on the location of the camp and the kids needs. During one station, I had taken the kids and camp counselors for a nature walk to gather leaves for a leaf rubbing activity to get the kids moving, and observing. After we came back with the gathered leaves, we started our activity. The theme of that week's activity was Nature of Art, and the goal of that activity was to use leaves gathered to create designs on a piece of paper using crayons for a colorful result. After they had created their designs, the campers could write a little note to whomever they chose.. One camper wrote "Anthony, please come to camp. It's not as bad as you think it is." This had me and the other counselors cracking up in fits of laughter! I mean, what would you expect a kid to write, other than complete honesty? It was as funny as it was humbling. I didn't know which camper wrote that note, but it assured me and the other counselors that the kids were actually having fun and making memories. Ultimately, having fun while connecting to the outdoors is our intention and if we can make an impact on at least one kid, then that is more than satisfying enough.”  The camp counselors were awesome and really tuned into the campers to let their inner kid out. The counselors from left to right: The Nature Connection Staff: Anna Robinson (Program Director) and Cy Hassell. AmperiCorps members: Nilam Hypio, and Stephanie Sietz (Program Manager). (Photo courtesy: The Nature Connection) Most of us head outside to unplug and unwind from the stresses of daily life, to improve our mood, get some exercise, or connect with others. These are some of the exact same benefits you get from doing volunteer work. So why not give back and do some good while you’re enjoying The Great Outdoors? Whether it’s benefiting your local community, a specific organization, or Mother Nature herself, volunteering outside has countless benefits. With internet access to many different social media platforms and groups, it’s never been easier to find volunteer opportunities! More information about the AmeriCorps program through Serve Colorado can be found at: https://servecolorado.colorado.gov/americorps-recruitment Specific AmeriCorps programming through the CAEE eeCorps programming can be found at: (https://caee.org/programs/act/americorps-eecorps/eecorps-host-sites The Nature Connection summer camps and school break camps are offered in Hotchkiss and Delta with programs for all ages of youth. For more information visit: thenatureconnection.net  Butterflies are pretty cool! Anna Krickbaum is fascinated by an owl butterfly whose color resemble the camouflage colors of a great horned owl (Photo Courtesy: Carrie Krickbaum) Animals are fascinating creatures that easily capture the attention of children and adults! Most children learn about animals from storybooks, cartoons, and shows but an up-close encounter is another story! A trip to the zoo, a wildlife sanctuary, an animal farm, a horse therapy session, or even a butterfly exhibit is a chance to give life to their imagination and help them build an emotional connection with animals. How cool is it to see a child’s eyes light up in amusement every time they see the “King of the Jungle” prancing around, or giraffes reaching up to nibble leaves from the high tree branches. Even babies screech in excitement when they look into the eyes of a baby goat or pet the soft velvety muzzle of a curious pony. To watch a butterfly open its wings for the first time after emerging from a chrysalis is nature's gift to our sense of wonder. Wildlife encounters provided by zoos and other animal sanctuaries enable children to learn about animals effectively, promote empathy and compassion for living creatures, and foster cognitive development, which helps a child think about and understand the world around them. Observing and discussing animals with young ones stimulates their interest, curiosity and their realization that animals have feelings and emotions too! These encounters are planting the seeds of conservation as they begin to show concern for our natural resources. A natural resource is something that exists in nature, such as soil, water, air, plants, animals, and energy. What a surprise when your child realizes their special animal does exist for real! Most kids can't stop talking about the first real bear they see, which until then existed only as their stuffed teddy bear. A zoo or aquarium can be the scene of such exciting discoveries when wild creatures from around the world are brought together in one place. You don’t have to travel far and wide to see them and they are right there within reachable distance. It is like having their make-believe world come true. Observing behaviors and learning about animals helps children develop a sensitivity to animals as living beings. Children can learn that animals have moods, emotions and needs just like they do. Empathizing with animals gives your child a sensitive mindset for other fellow creatures. Even taking your child to a humane society shelter to play with cats can teach kids’ compassion towards animals. Animal connection can help your child grow up to be more aware and responsible towards nature, the environment and its conservation. Learning to respect animals is an important lesson. Even in a zoo, aquarium, ranch, pond, wildlife park or national park, these places provide habitats and homes for animals. It is important to respect an animal's space and not disturb them. Children need to learn early to comply with rules for watching animals for their safety as well as the animal's safety. It is intriguing to watch lions roaring and monkeys scratching their heads, otters swimming or a beautiful peacock displaying its tail feathers! Visits to the zoo may help children understand animal behavior and characteristics. Even though some animals are confined in cages, their setting provides a semblance of their natural habitat. Observing animals being their natural selves in their almost natural environment is an immense learning experience for children. Who doesn’t remember relating to a sleeping lion or a penguin joyfully diving into the water? While observing animals, focus on your child's senses- visual, auditory, and kinesthetic! Children's learning experiences are enhanced when they employ their senses. If they can see, hear and touch animals, they will remember more than just hearing about them. Auditory learners find it fascinating to listen to animal sounds while visual learners enjoy watching animal antics. For some people, it is difficult to see animals in settings like zoos. However, many zoos are doing great conservation research with other countries to protect or re-establish species. Wildlife sanctuaries are an important refuge for wild animals that can no longer survive in the wild. There are many places in Colorado where you can take your children to safely experience animals up close and personal. Summer is a great time to go on a family field trip to observe and learn about animals: hear a chorus of native frogs at the Denver Zoo, touch the smooth, shimmering back of a stingray at the Denver Aquarium or experience the magic of metamorphosis at the Butterfly Pavilion. Check out some of our suggestions for summer animal learning adventures below. ********** Wild Animal Sanctuary (https://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/) is an educational facility (located near Keenesburg, - eastern Colorado) built on 1,300 acres of beautiful open grassland, the kind typically found on the plains of Colorado. The wild animal sanctuary is the largest carnivore sanctuary in the work not only by the number of animals rescued and currently cared for, but also through the size and scope of operations. This site currently hosts over 550 lions, tigers, bears, wolves and other rescued animals and is open to the public for educational purposes The Wild Mustang Sanctuary Herd (https://www.greatescapemustangs.org/sanctuary) is composed of mustangs who have journeyed through various chapters – from the wild to captivity but are strongly wired with their wild instincts and have proven themselves happier with minimal human interactions. Here, they are granted the freedom to live out their life grazing and roaming, forming bonds within a natural environment that mirrors their native habitats. The Denver Zoo (https://denverzoo.org/) programs are rooted in age-appropriate experiences that connect all learners to the natural world through cultivation of empathy and self-driven exploration that builds knowledge and ultimately empowers learners to take action for wildlife. Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, CO (https://butterflies.org/) is the first stand-alone, Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited non-profit invertebrate zoo in the world and a leader in invertebrate knowledge, inspiration and connection. Whether it is providing unique, hands-on learning experiences in our exhibits and educational programs, conducting new research that sets the standard for zoos across the country or building innovative solutions for species and habitat conservation in countries around the world, Butterfly Pavilion is leading the way in ensuring invertebrates are protected for the future. Metaphorse Equine Therapy and Riding Instruction (https://www.metaphorse.com/) offers a uniquely designed equine activity for children and adults. Each session with the therapy horses can truly be a profound experience, is a more powerful way to learn and is proven to cause a lasting change. Western Colorado Botanic Gardens: Butterflies (https://wcbotanic.org/butterflies/ promotes the responsible conservation of precious natural resources in Western, Colorado by providing educational and recreational opportunities for visitors of all ages, while offering an aesthetic setting for cultural and community events.” Moon Farm Petting Zoo (Moon Farm Pumpkin Patch and Petting Zoo - Moon Farm) Grand Valley Equine Assisted Learning (www.gvequineassistedlearningcenter.org) provides horse-based therapies for children, adults, veterans and public servants including police and fire personnel to facilitate growth, learning and healing to people of all abilities including the disabled, disadvantaged and special needs.  A traditional summer festival activity is the pie-eating contest! Both adults and kids had a chance to gobble up ! Bring on the Summer Outdoor Festival on Memorial Day weekend brought several hundred youth and families to River Bottom Park to join in a fun summer celebration! The festival was an opportunity to bring our community together and be outside enjoying games, food, and music. There was something for everyone. The idea behind the festival was to engage kids and families in outdoor activities that they could continue to do throughout summer. Organizations that provide summer programs, workshops and camps for youth were encouraged to participate and engage kids and families with a taste of their offerings for the summer. As part of the festival, a skateboard contest drew 17 competitors of all levels including Ollie Graves, an upcoming athlete from Western Colorado with Olympic potential. Prizes were awarded to the top three contestants in the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels as well as for the highest air, and best trick. The skate maneuvers were artistic and innovative attracting over 150 observers. Junktown Clothing and La Familia Music Group (LFMG) sponsored the contest. The competition drew teens and young adults to the festival. "We hope Montrose will be part of a regional competition and we can continue to host this as an annual event," said Johnny Sales, competition host. Other outdoor sports included a basketball tournament sponsored by Dripping Industries and disc golf sponsored by Aces Flys Dyes. "It was great to have the community come together at this festival and to see the teens and young adults wanting to participate in it. These types of events are needed in our community and we plan to provide more fun events like this in the future," said Edgar Quiroz, of LFMG Music Academy and festival co- organizer. In addition, a few timeless festival events included the cornhole tournament, pie-eating contest, and the ducky races - all with great prizes provided by Hot Water Productions, Mi Mexico, Fiesta Guadalajara, and Tacos and Beer. Safeway and City Market (South) provided the delicious pies! The Montrose Art Guild is hosting several summer youth art workshops and organized a bird art activity that attracted many young artists. After creating their own birds, kids were able to learn to identify common local birds with representatives from the Black Canyon Audubon Society. A few other activities included a fossil dig, displays of dinosaur skulls, rock painting, chalk art, bubble play, face painting, bouncy house, backyard games, free books for summer reading and much more. A Time to Dance featured several dance style demos as teasers to their summer dance programs, and Montrose Surf and Cycle provided wave surfing demos. The One Takers provided live music. LFMG Music Academy brought out a student artist to perform music he has been working on at the Academy during a short jam session. The festival is the primary fundraiser for the nonprofit Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN). All proceeds will help FOYAN cover the cost of getting more kids outside, which has been proven to help kids build confidence, resilience, healthy lifestyles, and skills for problem solving. One of FOYAN'S goals is to remove the barriers for our local youth to participate in nature experiences that build these traits. FOYAN helps cover the cost of bus transportation for many school district field trips, provides scholarships for underserved youth and other community youth for camps, assists with costs associated with field trips and nature learning events, and will expand available items in the free outdoor gear library for youth partners of FOYAN in Montrose and Ouray Counties. "We would like to thank our community members for their support of the event and our efforts to get more kids engaged in healthy, active outdoor activities. This event could not have been such a success without our sponsors, all the organizations that provided an assortment of summer activities for our youth and the invaluable volunteers that helped Bring on the summer - Outdoor Festival" said Anita Evans, FOYAN Chair We hope families and kids attending the festival took home a few new ideas for summer. Please join the fun next year and help us get more kids outside! Thank You to all the providers of youth activities for the festival: Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Canyons Association, Montrose Regional Library, Bill Heddles Recreation Center, the Montrose Recreation District, The Museum of Western Colorado, Montrose Art Guild, Hispanic Affairs Project, Audubon Society, Metaphorse (horse therapy), Montrose City Youth Council (all around festival help), Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club, Partners West (cornhole, ducky races), Second Chance Humane Society, Girl Scouts of Colorado, and Boy Scout Troops (490 and 491). List of Sponsors: Platinum ($1000+) Western Colorado Community Foundation Colorado Health Foundation The Kampe Foundation Montrose Hardware LFMG Music Academy Bronze ($500+) Circle of Dreams Foundation Montrose Community Foundation City of Montrose Bank of Colorado Grove Street Alchemy High Country Beverage Montrose Daily Press Colorado Boy Brewing Hot Water Productions Silver ($250) Chow Down Pet Supply Rocky Mountain Ice Bronze ($100+) Davis Service Center Montrose Ford Nissan Peer Kindness Alpine Bank San Juan Coffee House  School is finally out and it’s time to celebrate summer! Kick off your summer fun with a day of outdoor games, art, and music at the Bring on the Summer Outdoor Fest. The activities begin at 11:00 am at River Bottom Park in Montrose, and continue until 5:00 pm. The outdoor festival is to give kids and families ideas of sports, camps, and activities they can participate in at the festival and throughout the summer. The event is hosting a regional skateboard competition, a disc golf contest, cornhole games, and a pick-up basketball tournament, as well as an assortment of activities for kids including a bouncy house, bubble station, dinosaur fossil dig, wild bird games, art projects, nature activities, and more. At the top of the hour, there will be ducky races, a frozen t-shirt contest, a life jacket scramble, and a pie-eating contest. “A Time to Dance” will feature a hip-hop dance demo, and Montrose Surf and Cycle will be nearby on the river demonstrating the skill of wave surfing. An outdoor festival isn’t complete without music, food and drinks. Benny Boom will host the event with DJ-AK1 and live music by “One Takers.” Local youth are invited to play a set during the youth jam session. Several food vendors will be serving delicious food, and for the thirsty folks there will be a beer garden with generous donations from local breweries (Colorado Boy) and High Country Beverage. Of course, there will be prizes and awards for all contests and tournaments.
“This is an opportunity to bring our community together and be outside enjoying games, food, and music. There is something for everyone and every age group," said Edgar Quiroz of the nonprofit LFMG Music Academy, one of the event organizers. LFMG will feature students from the music academy at the youth jam session. The festival is the primary fundraiser for the nonprofit Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN). All proceeds will help FOYAN cover the cost of getting more kids outside to support mental health, resilience, and outdoor education in coordination with staff from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Montrose Recreation District, and other partners. “We want the festival to highlight all the activities, summer camps, and sports available for our youth to try out this summer. We are so lucky to have so many local options for kids in the summer as well as so many surrounding public lands for our communities to explore and enjoy,” adds Anita Evans, Chair of FOYAN. Time outdoors has been proven to help kids build confidence, resilience, healthy lifestyles, and skills for problem solving. One of FOYAN'S goals is to remove the barriers for our local youth to participate in nature experiences that build these traits. FOYAN helps cover the cost of bus transportation for many school district field trips, provides scholarships for underserved youth and other community youth for camps, assists with costs associated with field trips and nature learning events, and will expand items in the free outdoor gear library available for youth partners of FOYAN in Montrose and Ouray Counties. Some of the groups that will be providing activities for our youth at the festival are: Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Archery Trailer), Bill Heddles Recreation Center, the Montrose Recreation District, The Ute Museum, The Museum of Western Colorado - Dinosaur Museum, Montrose Art Guild, Mexican American Development Association (MADA), Hispanic Affairs Project, Audubon Society, Metaphorse (riding Instruction and therapy), Montrose City Youth Council, Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club, Partners West, Haven House, CASA, Great Old Broads of the Wilderness and Second Chance Humane Society (puppies!). “As a first annual event, we are hoping for a great turnout! It’s the start of Memorial Day weekend, a great day to celebrate the onset of summer,” said Anne Janik, FOYAN board member and event co-organizer. “We are lucky to have some great sponsors so far who support FOYAN’s mission: Kampe Foundation, Community Health Foundation, Western Colorado Community Foundation, Montrose Community Foundation, Montrose Hardware, Alpine Bank, and the City of Montrose, as well as in-kind donations from Montrose Daily Press, High Country Beverage, and Colorado Boy,” she added. If you want to help get more kids outside to reap the benefit of a nature fix, please consider sponsoring this event. Visit our website for more information and sponsorship packages!  These young gardeners proudly display their tasty produce from the Hotchkiss K8 summer garden club (left: Ava Caldwell, Avery Flores, Anja Ullman, Whittier Ullman). (Photo credit: Angela Flores) Getting kids involved in growing their own food can be fun for both of you! What better way to teach kids about where their food comes from and the importance of healthy and local foods than growing your own at home? Watering, weeding, and caring for living things also teaches kids an important sense of personal responsibility, as well as patience.
Involve your kids in the entire process—start your garden planning early, and allow them to make the decisions (with a little guidance) so they feel ownership of the project. What kind of vegetables do they want to grow and eventually eat? If you’re using pots, help them research what size of pots those plants will need, and where in your yard to put them so they have the kind of sun or shade conditions they need to thrive. How often do you need to water, and whose responsibility will it be to make sure they’re getting enough water? How will you tell when they’re ready to eat? And, perhaps most importantly, let them plan out what you’re going to cook with each vegetable when they’re ready! There are many ways you can involve kids in garden planning and care, and they’ll learn a lot in the process. Here are a few quick and easy ways you and your kids can get started with a backyard garden. Building a garden bed can be time consuming, and it takes up a lot of space. If you’re not ready to take the leap to a full-on garden bed, potted plants can work well, too. There are a lot of vegetables that will grow in pots including tomatoes, beets, leafy greens like chard and kale, hot or sweet peppers, lettuces, onions, and even beans (as long as you have something for them to climb on). Just make sure the pots you use are big enough for the plants you want to grow—tomatoes, for instance, will need at least an 18-24” pot—and use a high quality potting soil that’s made for vegetables, so they’re getting all the nutrients they need. Sun-loving vegetables like tomatoes and peppers should be in a bright, sunny place, but make sure more delicate plants like lettuces and spinach have a little bit of shade to provide relief from the heat. Another easy way to bring the garden into your kitchen is with herbs. Not only will your kids get to participate in the growing process, but planning the meals you’ll make becomes even more fun! One idea is to start with some of your kids’ favorite foods, and ask them to help you research what herbs they’ll need to make it. Do they love lasagne or pizza? Oregano is critical to the Italian flavor. Are they big on pesto? Basil can be your crop of choice. Start with the final product, and work backwards to help them figure out what ingredient you’ll need to make it happen. Herbs are also great because almost all of them will thrive in small pots, which are convenient and can usually be grown indoors. You could do a number of different herbs—thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, etc.—or just stick to one that requires a larger quantity, such as basil to be used in a batch of pesto. In addition, many of these herbs can continue to be grown in their pots indoors year round, providing fresh additions to your daily cooking beyond the normal summer garden. Your kids can help pick out or decorate fun pots, fill them with soil, start seeds or transplant already-started herbs, and pick out the spot where the plants will be happiest as they grow. Another good option to start with is lettuce. Lettuces thrive in cooler temps, like the early spring season or in the fall, and they’ll provide a continuing source of salads for your dining room table. They are easy to start from seeds, and there are many interesting and colorful varieties to choose from. Salad greens are a perfect farm to table connection—clip off some lettuce leaves, whip up a quick vinaigrette, and combine them into a fresh salad in less than 5 minutes. Lettuces have fairly shallow roots, so you can get away with a long and low container to house your whole lettuce garden. Have your kids help you pick out a variety of colorful and unique lettuces from the seed pack selection at your local nursery, fill your container with high quality soil, and plant rows of various lettuces to create a beautiful and tasty little crop of salad greens. Many businesses have stacks of pallets that they’re happy to get rid of—with a quick search on Craigslist you’ll be able to find a plethora of pallets, ripe for the picking. These pallets can be repurposed into a fun and economical vertical or horizontal garden with just a little work. This is a really neat way to create a space-saving and beautiful garden for a small backyard. There are hundreds of how-to guides for making a pallet garden that you can find online with a quick online search, but the basic process involves stapling landscape fabric inside the pallet to create multiple vertical rows for planting your vegetable garden. The main thing to be careful of in general, but especially with kids, is that pallets can have sharp nails and splinters, so be very conscious of that when you’re picking out pallets and building your garden. You can get your kids involved filling it with soil and planting all of the vegetables, or even a sweet treat like strawberries. You and your kids can also make an art project out of decorating the pallets with a bit of paint and creativity, to make a beautiful home for your small garden! With these simple ways to get a garden started with your kids, you’ll be able to teach them about their food and where it comes from, involve them in research and planning, and cultivate responsibility and patience. Have fun, and enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor!  Nature guides are a great way to identify critters. These girls are using a bird guide to help them identify local birds likely to be seen along the Gunnison River. Colorado is famous for its great outdoor activities. Many of these activities require money or experience to get involved. Snowboarding, rock climbing, climbing 14ers, or riding snowmobiles or ATVs require both. Getting started in outdoor activities can be easier than you think, though. It is widely known that being outdoors helps our physical and mental health. So, here are a few easy and cheap ways to get outside on your own, or with others. Hiking: One of the best outdoor activities to start with is hiking or trail walking. The only real required equipment to start is a good pair of shoes. This cannot be stressed enough. Poor fitting or flimsy shoes can result in some frustrating experiences like blisters and sore feet. It can also result in safety issues from poor footing in steep or slippery trail areas. This does not mean you have to purchase expensive hiking boots or shoes, but sturdy, well-soled shoes with a good fit will be comfortable and safer. Next, and very importantly is to know where you are going. The COTREX app is a great trail application that has many hiking, biking and other trails all over Colorado. It includes important trail information such as distance, elevation changes, surface etc. Second, start with trails closer to your community because these are typically well signed and shorter. These will help you get a sense of how you feel on a variety of distances in different topography. Bring water and extra clothing layers for changes in temperatures. Before you know it, you will have gained experience, stamina and a little more equipment. You will be ready for longer day hikes on our public lands. Some of the most memorable experiences are being outdoors and seeing, hearing, smelling, or feeling nature around us. A short trail walk in the same location in winter, spring, summer and fall will result in amazing differences in what you experience. Tracks and Scat Hunting: It is surprising how many species of wildlife are close to, and even inside, towns in Colorado. Recently, I was on one of the concrete trails early in the day in Montrose after a slight snow fall. I was excited to see fox tracks, and a beaver track including drag marks where the beaver had pulled a tree across the trail. In addition to small mammals and rodents, there are great bird and waterfowl tracks all around communities. Even more fun than tracks by itself, is to add scat identification. Identifying scat (or poo), and the creature associated with it, is a surprising amount of fun. Different families of animals will have different scat based on what they eat and how it is processed. Herbivore scat looks very different from carnivore or omnivore scat. In addition to tracks and scat, there are other ‘signs’ you can find like trees felled by beaver, or deer antler rubbings on trees, or the mud slide of a river otter. It is a little like a nature investigation. Best of all, there is no real cost to get started because track and scat guides can be pulled up online, obtained at many wildlife or public land offices, or you can also check out scat and track guides at your local library. As with all activities involving wildlife, the goal is to not disrupt the actual animal, so observe from a distance or just look for the sign and know they are around. Star Gazing: Similar to tracks and scat, astronomy guides are available as apps or online. You can also find printed materials at your local library. Make sure you have an app, or guide, that covers your location and the current time of year. The key to star viewing is clear night skies with as little ambient light as possible to not wash out the constellations (so get away from streetlights, vehicles, etc). One of the easiest constellations to identify is the Big Dipper. National and state parks have astronomy programs you can also attend where the local astronomy clubs bring out amazing telescopes that bring the planets, comets, or other astronomical features more into focus. These and other programs also add information to make your future star gazing even better. Outdoor Discovery Apps If you have a ‘smart’ phone, you can also use several outdoor applications in outdoor discovery. Applications like Agents of Discovery, INaturalist, Merlin, geocaching and others are very user friendly, and allow you to choose what you want to focus on. Some have missions or challenges, others are to help id any type of natural item out there (plants, animals, rocks, birds, you name it!). Even though we all need less screen time, this is a way to be outdoors and focus on what is around us with the assistance of technology. In addition to the above recommendations, other cheap and easy outdoor activities can be as simple as flying a kite, or making our own ‘Outdoor Bingo/Scavenger Hunt’ where you can look for things like a rock the size of a toaster, any bug under a rock, or any bird with white and black feathers. Another recommendation is to find a mentor who is already doing things you are interested in, and ask them to show you how to get started. When I first moved to Montrose, a co-worker showed me all his favorite trails, and areas to hike or bike. Many of those trails mean a lot to me. I have since taken my kids and hopefully soon my grandkids out to the same areas. You don’t need to be an expert or wealthy to spend time outdoors, there are many ways to get started and the benefits are endless!  Local youth learn about owl adaptations for flying at night from a Forest Service Wildlife Biologist. By now we have all heard how vital it is for the health and well-being of our youth to be active in the outdoors. Not only that, but nature immersion helps our youth develop resiliency and confidence - what kid doesn’t need more of that these days? Unfortunately, many families living in rural Colorado have incomes where they can’t afford the outdoor activities so popular in our local area. The good news is that kids - specifically those living in Montrose and Delta Counties - are lucky, as new opportunities to help them experience outdoor activities are continuing to emerge. Efforts to expand access to the outdoors have been growing over the past few years in Colorado, and outdoor equity groups have been finding new sources of funding. Inclusiveness and equity are two of the main components of the Colorado Outdoor Equity Grant Program (COEGP) created in 2021 when Governor Polis signed House Bill 21-1318, funding over $2 million of awards each year to organizations dedicated to getting underserved and underrepresented youth connected to outdoor activities. Colorado Parks and Wildlife sponsor the COEGP, managed by a board who has developed guidelines allowing each community flexibility in identifying their community values, priorities, and resources needed to achieve their goals for “leveling the playing field.” Whatever each community develops as their strategy, one of the focus areas of the COEGP is creating opportunities that instill a sense of wonder, excitement, and responsibility for the environment in Colorado youth and families. The COEGP aims to increase the inclusivity of underserved youth and families in the outdoors. What does “underserved” mean? As defined by the COEGP board, underserved youth participants are “youth and their families who face racial and environmental inequities, are low-income, are from the LGBTQ+ community, are disabled, or are members of a Federally recognized Tribe.” Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN) has been awarded funding in 2023 from this Program to provide the needed assistance for connecting our youth to the outdoors through our partnership with youth groups comprising the Together for Resilient Youth coalition (TRY). Our award of $67,180 has enabled us to reduce the barriers for our TRY youth coalition members to get outdoors. This hard-working group of youth services providers in Delta and Montrose Counties has come together for three years now to offer outdoor experiences to our youth most in need. These youth are receiving vital services through participating organizations including Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club, CASA7JD, Families Plus, Haven House for the Homeless, Partners West, Outer Range, and Montrose Recreation District. The Colorado Outdoor Equity Grand award has given FOYAN the opportunity to offer five outdoor events from 2023-24. This has allowed us to build up a mountain bike fleet managed by Montrose Recreation District that is available to these groups free of charge at events or for group checkouts. This bike fleet will be available long after the end of this grant award. In addition, personnel of these organizations receive a stipend to recruit, organize, and transport youth to the event venues. FOYAN also provides food for all participants, and has helped establish an additional free gear library managed by Partners West of Montrose and Ridgway State Park. Since our grant award in March of 2023, FOYAN has offered several events for these youth and their families. In April of 2023 Ridgway State Park hosted over 120 participants who learned archery, fishing, fish printing, and birding skills. In June, the TRY youth participated in one of two raft trips on the Gunnison River, and our inaugural bike rodeo at Cerise Park in Montrose. We also had another trip to Ridgway State Park where youth and their families learned to paddleboard, bike, swim, and fish. In October, we shared the Outer Range Campus in Montrose to learn about outdoor careers from representatives of the United States Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Canyons Association, and Montrose Recreation District. In 2024 we will again offer most of these amazing outings, as well as have a fun day in the snow on Grand Mesa learning to cross-country ski, snowshoe, sled, build snow sculptures – and hopefully ice fish! We are grateful to the Colorado Outdoor Equity Board for the support needed for helping us to break down the barriers to outdoor recreation for our Western Slope youth participants. Be sure to learn more about this invaluable program at: https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/Outdoor-Equity-Fund.aspx.  Students build blue bird nesting boxes as part of a Public Land Day celebration on the Grand Mesa, Uncomaphgre and Gunnison National Forest. This effort is to help kids learn about our local natural resources on public lands and engage in actions that teach them how to become stewards of our environment As the end of the year approaches, many households are starting to consider where to direct year-end giving dollars. There are many crucial needs in our community that deserve support; in a perfect world, we would be able to fund every cause, but in the real world you’ll need to make choices about where to contribute your year-end donations in a way that aligns with your values and your hopes for the future. If youth mental health, resiliency, and public lands are important to you, then supporting programs to get western slope kids into outdoor educational and recreational programs provides a long-term solution for those issues facing our youth, and our community at large. What impact does an early introduction to the outdoors have on who a child will become as an adult, and how are they affected physically, mentally, and emotionally as they grow up? As it turns out, childhood exposure to outdoor activities can be directly connected to positive long-term outcomes in these areas. Physical Wellness Children are increasingly neglecting outdoor play in favor of the digital world—reducing kids’ screen time is often a major struggle for parents. Computers, mobile devices, and video games are passive forms of entertainment, and they don’t call for physical coordination, strength, endurance, or any of the other attributes necessary for a healthy body. Outdoor play, on the other hand, promotes all of these things, and is a natural method of encouraging physical activity in young people. A 2015 metanalysis of studies regarding the effects of time spent outdoors on children found, “outdoor time is positively related to physical activity and negatively related to sedentary behavior in children aged 3–12 years'' (https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/6/6455). The more outdoor time children have, the more physical activity they take part in and, conversely, the less sedentary behavior they display. Mental Health & Resiliency Many people spend time outdoors because it brings them a sense of happiness and well-being. If adults need to get away to nature every now and then to stay happy, surely children must benefit from these quieter natural spaces as well. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a 2018 study showed that the more time children spend in nature and the greater sense of connection they personally feel with nature, the less likely they are to experience psychosomatic symptoms such as irritability, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, headache, stomach ache, backache, and other maladies. The benefits start with as little as 30 minutes of outdoor activity per week (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29679604/). As we consider ways to address the increasing prevalence of mental health challenges in young people, including a disproportionately high suicide rate in our area, outdoor activities can play a crucial role in building resiliency and promoting mental well-being in our youth. Stewardship of Public Lands Physical activity, cognitive development, and emotional well-being are relatively easy to quantify in research. But what about something like the desire to preserve our natural areas, or an understanding of the importance of good stewardship practices for our public lands—can we quantify these outcomes? Though it’s more difficult to show a correlation between time spent outdoors during childhood and an individual’s likelihood to become a good environmental steward, it has been shown that the amount of time spent outdoors has a direct correlation with a child’s feelings of connection with nature. This sense of connection with the natural world then has a direct influence on behaviors related to environmental stewardship in children such as, “conserving water, turning out lights, recycling, talking about the environment, and picking up litter” (https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=nerr). The more time young people spend in the outdoors, the more likely they will become involved with environmental stewardship and preservation of our public lands. As you consider how to distribute year-end donations in our community in a way that most aligns with your values, know that when you donate to organizations that provide opportunities for local kids to get outdoors for science education and recreational field trips, you’re not only directly contributing to their physical and mental well-being—you’re also helping to raise a generation that will value our natural environment and ensure the preservation of public lands for years to come. |
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