Interview with a SIWI teacher

October 22, 2020
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SIWI (the Students in Wilderness Initiative) is a year-long program that combines classroom sessions with field experiences to teach students about public lands, particularly wilderness. In this course, students connect a wide variety of topics in relationship to wilderness: the structure of public land management, the history of federal lands, how the experience of native…

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“That Was Really Peaceful”

October 1, 2020
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“That was really peaceful” I got up Friday morning and prepared to do what I hadn’t done in months: work outside with teens. I had the usual nervous thoughts: “Do I have everything in my daypack? Do I have a good backup plan in case it’s needed? Have I given myself enough time this morning?”…

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Partnerships that Meet Community Needs

August 2, 2020
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Partnerships That Meet Community Needs July 2020 is the quietest July our Base Camp has seen in decades–no summer treks, no Rendezvous, no school groups–but we’ve kept ourselves plenty busy. In addition to several infrastructure projects (see the base camp updates article for more details) and many discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion, we have…

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Miller Moth Madness!

May 28, 2020
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Army Cutworm aka Miller Moth Euxoa Auxiliaris Here in the high desert of the Southwestern US, May brings with it not only strong winds but as you seek shelter from the wind you may find you are not the only creature seeking respite inside your home, or cabin or tent. Numerous armies of “Miller Moths”…

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Cottonwood Gulch Creature Feature: The Reptiles of Base Camp

May 14, 2020
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A couple weeks ago, I found myself taking a break under a large piñon tree at Base Camp. With summer treks cancelled due to the pandemic, a lot of our time has been spent working hard on infrastructure projects such as tilling the farm or preparing lumber. At 10:30 AM, I already needed a breather…

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Gratitude and Reciprocity

May 5, 2020
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The day before Albuquerque closed all schools, Monica and I were at South Valley Prep teaching the eighth graders “how to pack a backcountry backpack” in preparation for their upcoming five-day Wilderness expedition. As part of the Students in Wilderness Initiative (SIWI), these students and hundreds of others had been preparing for this trek since…

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Arch McCallum is Birding and So Can You!

April 29, 2020
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I first met Arch McCallum in an RV campground in the center of Las Vegas, Nevada. Camille Torfs-Leibman and I had driven from Albuquerque the previous day, picking up Lee Farnham in Gallup after he had recreated his first trip to the Gulch, hopping off the train and staying the night at the historic El…

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COVID-19 Updates

March 27, 2020
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Cottonwood Gulch continues to evolve and update our programs to adhere to local and national COVID guidelines. Below is a summary of our programs, and a link to our current COVID guidelines. Please note: our Basecamp and Albuquerque office are currently closed to the public, and most staff are working from home. For general information,…

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We’ve assigned Jordan Stone to Executive Director detail!

March 2, 2020
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We are thrilled to announce Jordan Stone has accepted the Executive Director Position at Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions! Jordan will be starting full time work on April 2, 2020, however, he will be working a little beforehand to meet staff and participate in the upcoming board meetings and strategic planning session the weekend of March 20th.…

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