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Learning in Our Watershed

Oct 20
Love2

New Program: Study Outdoors, Learn Outdoors (SOLO) Field Trips

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The PHA’s new “Study Outdoors, Learn Outdoors” (SOLO) field trips provide students with the opportunity for a self-guided learning adventure within the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Local educators have developed active, engaging curriculum routes in Greeley and Fort Collins, providing students with a safe, educational experience by biking or walking routes on the Poudre Trail while answering place-based learning questions related to the Poudre River. Plus, the route curriculums align with Colorado academic standards. Current routes include:

We believe that the Cache la Poudre River is an engaging and inspirational learning environment. Together, we can continue to build our next generation of river stewards, even during a pandemic!

Calling all educators! Interested in learning more about SOLO field trips for your classes? Follow the link below or email Linden at programs@poudreheritage.org.

Jul 01
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Learning in Our Watershed Solo Field Trips – Call for Educators!

By News
To Our Local Educators:

Even if classrooms or buses are closed this school year due to the pandemic, the Poudre Heritage Alliance still wants local students to have the opportunity to explore the history and environment of the Cache la Poudre River Heritage Area, but we need your help!

We are looking to hire four educators to develop curriculum for self-guided field trips along the Poudre Trail. Any K-12 educators in Weld and Larimer Counties are welcome to apply. Each educator will receive a stipend of $1,000.

Please see the attached flyer or visit the Learning in Our Watershed page for more information about the solo field trip program and how to apply. Applications are due on Friday, July 10. Feel free to share this opportunity with any other educators who you think might be interested.
If you have any questions, please contact Vanessa Selwyn at admin@poudreheritage.org.

 

Jan 09
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Field Trip Scholarships Still Available for K-12 Classes to Visit CALA

By News

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA) and the nonprofit managing entity—the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA)—received a $9,000 Open Outdoors for Kids grant for the 2019-2020 school year from the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. The NPF grant supports PHA’s Learning in Our Watershed™ program, which provides scholarships to schools in Larimer and Weld county to visit various locations throughout the CALA.

This grant from NPF is part of their Open OutDoors for Kids program, which creates pathways for kids to explore and connect with national park experiences. It is made possible through generous support of partners including Union Pacific Railroad and donors across the country.

Through this partnership with NPF, PHA will be able to provide scholarships that defray transportation and admission costs for approximately 25 schools and 3,000 children during the 2019-2020 school year. The field trip grants are still available on a first come, first served basis through PHA’s website: https://poudreheritage.org/field-trip-grants/.

Scholarship priority is given to 4th grade classrooms and Title I schools. Popular destinations within the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area include the Poudre Learning Center, Children’s Water Festivals in Greeley and Fort Collins, Centennial Village in Greeley, and the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. The Poudre Heritage Alliance also offers guided wellness walks as a way to explore the heritage area through this program.

A 4th grade teacher from Bauder Elementary had this to say about the Learning in Our Watershed program: “Your donation to fund this trip made it possible for our kids to only pay half the admission. As a Title I school, getting these kids real life experience is so important. Because of you we made that possible. Thank you.”

These initiatives are coordinated alongside the Department of the Interior’s Every Kid Outdoors program. The ​Every Kid Outdoors​ annual pass provides fourth grade students, along with their families, friends and classmates, free access to National Park sites​, along with more than 2,000 other federal recreation areas for a year. The Every Kid Outdoors Program encourages fourth graders to explore, learn, and recreate in spectacular settings, including national parks, wildlife refuges, marine sanctuaries, and forests.

To obtain the free pass, fourth grade students visit the ​Every Kid Outdoors website​, participate in a short educational activity, and download a voucher. The voucher is valid for multiple use between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020 to correspond to the traditional school year. The voucher may be exchanged for a plastic keepsake pass at participating federal lands.

The Every Kid Outdoors Program was established by Congress in 2019. It replaces the Every Kid in a Park Program which was launched in 2015. It is an interagency collaboration between the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation,  Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Forest Service.

Sep 03
Love0
Learning in Our Watershed

Learning in Our Watershed Field Trip Grant Application Now Open!

By News

The Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA) is now accepting applications for its 2019-2020 field trip grant program, Learning in Our Watershed! With funding partners like the National Park Foundation, PHA is very excited to expand this program and provide additional resources to program participants.

Interested parties will need to submit their application online: https://poudreheritage.org/field-trip-grants/. Priority is still based on first come-first serve requests, so make sure to apply at least three weeks in advance of your trip. However, because of grant requirements, Title I schools and fourth grade classes will be considered first for funding.

Popular field trip locations include the Poudre Learning Center, Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Children’s Water Festivals, and Centennial Village. Check out out the program page online for more information, including guided tour options along the Poudre Trail that highlight the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area itself.

PHA looks forward to partnering with your school while promoting programs that introduce local youth to the river and the area’s heritage. Contact Jordan Williams at programs@poudreheritage.org if you have further questions, or call 970-295-4851.

Jun 19
Love0

Learning in Our Watershed Program Reaches & Inspires Thousands of Students in 2019

By News

Learning in Our Watershed 2019 Impact

Many questions arise as to what happens when a generation grows up disconnected from its historical, natural and cultural heritage – such as, who will be the future stewards of our national parks and heritage areas? Who will be the keepers of “America’s story?”

Learning in Our Watershed™ has been designed with these questions in mind. The Poudre Heritage Alliance provides grant funds and curriculum support to K-12 teachers in Larimer and Weld Counties for student field trips to the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Our mission is simple – to help youth understand and value the Poudre River and their water heritage, ensuring a next generation of river stewards. Learning in Our Watershed™ covers a range of topics from water quality and management, to invasive species, agriculture, wildlife, Native American history, early European settlers, healthy ecosystems, and much more.

Thank you to Rotary Club of Fort Collins, the National Park Service, and the National Park Foundation for supporting the Learning in Our Watershed program. During the 2018-2019 school year, these program partners help fund 36 field trips to the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage and its partner sites, which had a total impact on over 3,000 students!

We encourage field trips that foster the study of water law history and water development and develop an understanding of place, the natural and human resources that we use and conserve.

 

Stay tuned for information regarding grants for the 2019/2020 school year! We will make an announcement when funding becomes available. To learn more about the Learning in Our Watershed program click here.

Oct 11
Love2

Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Receives Field Trip Grant From National Park Foundation

By News

Fort Collins, CO (October 11, 2018) – The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA) and the nonprofit managing entity—the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA)—will receive a $5,000 field trip grant for the 2018-2019 school year from the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. The NPF grant will go towards PHA’s Learning in Our Watershed™ program, which provides scholarships to schools in Larimer and Weld county to visit various locations throughout CALA.

This grant is part of the Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids program which creates pathways for kids to explore and connect with national park experiences.

“Trekking along trails, observing our natural ecosystems and engaging with our shared history are experiences that benefit all children,” said National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth. “Making it possible for America’s youth to explore our national parks is an investment in their future and the future of the national parks community.”

Through this partnership with NPF, PHA will be able to provide scholarships that defray transportation and admission costs for at least 17 schools and 1,500 children grades 3rd-6th. The Field Trip grants are available on a first come, first served basis through PHA’s website: https://poudreheritage.org/field-trip-grants/. Priority is given to new schools who have not already applied for a scholarship this year, but there are many different locations to visit. Popular destinations within the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area include the Poudre Learning Center, Children’s Water Festivals in Greeley and Fort Collins, Centennial Village in Greeley, and the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. The Poudre Heritage Alliance also offers guided wellness walks as a way to explore the heritage area through this program.

“Many children and community members do not realize that they have a National Park-quality natural resource right in their backyard with the Cache la Poudre River,” said Poudre Heritage Alliance Executive Director Kathleen Benedict. “The Learning in Our Watershed program allows the PHA to partner with many great organizations throughout Larimer and Weld County to bring local youth to the National Heritage Area. Once they arrive at one of our pre-approved field trip sites, they receive structured educational sessions on numerous topics, from riparian eco-systems to local historical reenactments.”

This past summer, PHA also received a $4,000 grant from the Rotary Club to help fund Larimer County field trip scholarships. There are still some funds left from that grant to support grade levels in Larimer County outside of the 3rd-6th range that is part of the NPF’s grant award for PHA’s Learning in Our Watershed program.

“Dos Rios elementary greatly appreciates the Poudre Heritage Alliance and the opportunities they provide us to have such wonderful learning experiences on our field trips. We always enjoy the Poudre Learning Center and the opportunity it provides us to get out in nature and do inquiry-based learning. Each aspect of our field trip was fantastic!” – 5th grade teacher at Dos Rios.

For the full list of grantees and their projects, click here.

ABOUT THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA) tells the story of the river where Western Water Law began and still informs the use of water throughout the arid West today.  CALA shares the long struggle to sustain a viable agricultural economy, and meet the growing needs of a diverse and expanding population, while conserving the Poudre River’s health.

CALA’s 501(c)3 nonprofit managing entity – the Poudre Heritage Alliance – PROMOTES a variety of historical and cultural opportunities; ENGAGES people in their river corridor; and INSPIRES learning, preservation, and stewardship. Find out more at:  https://poudreheritage.org/

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

Celebrating 50 years, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and ENGAGE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, a comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next hundred years.  Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Poudre Heritage Alliance

Jordan Williams

970-295-4851

programs@poudreheritage.org

 

National Park Foundation

Alanna Sobel

202-796-2538

asobel@nationalparks.org

 

(Featured picture: Resurrection Christian students on their Learning in Our Watershed field trip to the Poudre Learning Center in September 2018)

Jul 27
Love1

NEWS RELEASE: Rotary Club awards $4,000 grant to Poudre Heritage Alliance

By News

Rotary Club of Fort Collins Supports Learning in Our Watershed™

FORT COLLINS (July 30, 2018) – Students really do learn on field trips, yet they are in danger of disappearing from American schools, particularly for disadvantaged students. Figures show that field trips have dropped nationwide an estimated 30 to 50% since 2002.With skyrocketing bus costs, school budgets decreasing, and the expectation that educators present as much standards-related content in the school day as possible, many schools are viewing field trips as an unattainable luxury.

However, thanks to a $4,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Fort Collins awarded to the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA), students in Larimer County will be able to learn outside the walls of the classroom.

Through its Learning in Our Watershed™ program, the Poudre Heritage Alliance provides funding for field trips to K-12 school teachers in Larimer and Weld County that bring students to the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. The mission is simple – to help youth understand and value the Poudre River and their water heritage, ensuring a next generation of river stewards.

As part of this new grant from the Rotary Club, PHA will be able to provide more volunteer support from its Heritage Culturalists in teaching these program participants about the Heritage Area. Also, educational videos and other materials will be available to enhance the experience before the field trip even begins.

Studies have shown that field trips and hands-on learning make concepts more memorable, and enhance students’ critical thinking skills, historical empathy, tolerance and appreciation for museums and natural areas.

One teacher from Irish Elementary expressed these thoughts about their Learning in Our Watershed™ field trip:

“Students learned about the water cycle, water conservation, and river systems this year in 3rd grade. The field trip helped the students further understand the importance of the Poudre river in Fort Collins and all the ways we use it. They also learned how to keep rivers clean and how to conserve water on a daily basis. They also learned about the ecology of the Poudre river.

Thank you very much for the scholarship! If not for you our students would not be able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.”

Thanks to support from the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, the Poudre Heritage Alliance will be able to expand opportunities for youth to directly experience and come to appreciate the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. To receive a scholarship award for 2018-2019, applicants need to apply online: https://poudreheritage.org/field-trip-grants/

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ABOUT THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA AND THE POUDRE HERITAGE ALLIANCE

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA) tells the story of the river where Western Water Law began and still informs the use of water throughout the arid West today.  CALA shares the long struggle to sustain a viable agricultural economy, and meet the growing needs of a diverse and expanding population, while conserving the Poudre River’s health.

CALA’s 501(c)3 nonprofit managing entity – the Poudre Heritage Alliance – PROMOTES a variety of historical and cultural opportunities; ENGAGES people in their river corridor; and INSPIRES learning, preservation, and stewardship. Find out more at:  https://poudreheritage.org/

ABOUT THE ROTARY CLUB OF FORT COLLINS

The mission of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins is to provide direct service to others in our city, to promote high ethical standards throughout our community, and to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

The vision of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins is to be known for our service to the members of this city and for our commitment to Service Above Self helping disenfranchised children and others throughout the local and global community. Find out more at: https://www.rotarycluboffortcollins.org/

Picture above: PHA Chairman Bob Overbeck and PHA Executive Director Kathleen Benedict receive $4,000 grant from Fort Collins Rotary Club at July 11 luncheon

 

MEDIA CONTACT:

Poudre Heritage Alliance

Jordan Williams

970-295-4851

programs@poudreheritage.org

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