A-OK at the KOA

On Sunday, after completing a very successful, 18-day hike expedition in the Gila Wilderness, Sonoran Year students transitioned to climbing camp at Cochise Stronghold.  Spirits are high at Cochise, as well as along the Rio Grande and deep within a remote cave, where Fall Semester students continue to hone their leadership skills.   

Down here at the NOLS Southwest, course transitions are sometimes referred to as a “road show.”  We accomplish the gear swapping, equipment cleaning, laundry washing, and first-showers-in-weeks at a host location.  As you can well imagine, said location will inevitably be graced with the presence of a very special blend of dirt, odor, and, of course, energetic students.

For several years now, we have been grateful guests of the Silver City KOA, where we regularly manage such "road show" transitions.  Jackie Blurton, who owns and runs the campground with her husband, Jim, truly rolls out the red carpet for us.  We consistently arrive to smiles from campground staff and even a signboard that reads “Welcome NOLS.” Jackie has become famous with both instructors and students for her stuffed French toast and her above and beyond hospitality.  Jackie, herself an avid backcountry traveler, has become an important part of a Southwest course. 

On behalf of all of us:  Thank you Jackie (above, left) and everyone at the Silver City KOA! 

Share |

Louisville Alumni Hit a Home Run

Thanks to the hard-charging efforts NOLS Wind River Wilderness grad Ford Barr, a group of Louisville, Kentucky alumni recently got together for refreshments, snacks, a re-connection to NOLS and a brainstorm on future alumni activities.

This type of volunteer-motivated networking and alumni activity is inspiring for all of our far-flung graduates. Everyone doesn't have access to the the Louisville Slugger Museum pictured left, but no matter where you are, there are sure to be a group of interesting and energetic NOLS alumni near you. Please contact us (alumni@nols.edu) if you'd like to foment some NOLS activity and networking in your area.

Thanks, Ford and the entire Louisville crew for hitting a home run in Kentucky!

Share |

Transpo sings a new tune . . .

It stuns us as much as it must stun our loyal blog readers. . . The brotherhood of the wrench has gone rogue.  Perhaps the unpredictable weather is contributing to their unpredictable behavior.  Nevertheless, in a unanimous decision, they decided to re-name their entire fleet of vehicles.  

"No longer will our fleet have names like like G-47X.  We will name them as they should be,"  declared Steve at the recent manager's meeting.

"Cupcake, Periwinkle, Muffin, and Barney are the first names we came up with," asserts Tom.  "Soon, we will name all of our fleet of over 20 vehicles" pipes in Mark.

"I never thought I'd see this day come to fruition" sighs Rob, "but I'm as happy as a clam that we've finally taken this bold move forward.  I truly believe this is a step in the right direction for student and staff happiness".

Steve's smile couldn't be wider these days and we now understand why.

Below is a temporary sign for Cupcake, formerly named G-52X.  The brotherhood is in the process of designing and eventually installing the new signs.  Keep an eye out!  In the meantime, leave your vehicle name suggestions in the comment area.  

Share |

Day 1 of NOLS Risk Management Training

I always look forward to teaching the NOLS Risk Management Training curriculum! It's very useful for organizations that operate across a broad spectrum. The training provides actionable opportunities for a wide variety of programs. Participants range from executive directors to program staff, small private companies to large universities, and environmental education organizations to outdoor adventure groups, any of which could be domestic or international in scope.

This group is sharp—among the 15 of them they bring varying levels of experience and needs. Tomorrow we are getting ready to do our emergency response activity which concludes with the class having the opportunity to review an incident and to ask one of the instructors (who is role-playing as the director of the program) questions. I have a feeling they are going to keep me on my toes!

- Dave Yacubian, Instructor of the NOLS Risk Management Training, a pre-conference workshop to the Wilderness Risk Management Conference on 10/13/09

Share |

Setting a NOLS Record

    Meet Kevin. Although he looks like an average NOLS student, many of us knew he was an extraordinary student the from the first time he laid foot at NOLS Rocky Mountain. Kevin is currently a student on a Fall Semester in the Rockies spending a gap year between high school and college. Originally from Wilton, CT, Kevin has been backpacking and making his way through canyons for the past few months- all while constantly wearing an orange safety vest. Fellow students comment that he wears it sleeping and taking showers, and it isn't rare to spot him walking through Lander showing off his look. It's a record in the making.

 

    Kevin is currently signed up for two more NOLS courses after completion of his semester this December. He will be taking a Backcountry Snowboarding course in January at our Teton Valley base, followed by a Semester on the Borders starting in February. 

 

    If Kevin chooses to accept, I challenge him to continue to wear the vest for the remainder of his time at NOLS. It won't be easy - it will take self-awareness, tolerance for adversity, and true vision and action. 

Share |

NOLS Alumni Service Award - Yoshie Kumagae

Each year NOLS recognizes an outstanding graduate for their volunteer service to the school as we pursue our broad educational mission. This year's Alumni Service Award winner is Yoshie Kumagae of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.

Yoshie, Yukon College's International Education Coordinator, is a 2006 graduate of a NOLS Yukon paddling expedition on the Bonnet Plume River. She saw an opportunity to connect a NOLS field education with Japanese university students' interested in wilderness values, leadership and practical experience with English as a second language. Her brainchild culminated as a very successful 7-day NOLS backpacking expedition in the Yukon with students from Tokyo's Waseda University. The course was so successful that Waseda repeated it in the summer of 2009. A university administrator summed up Yoshie's work quite nicely: "This is exactly what young Japense students need!"

For her creativity, energy, vision, dedication and fearless belief in the value of a NOLS education, please join us in recognizing Yoshie Kumagae as this year’s NOLS Alumni Service Award winner.

(photo courtesy of Rich Brame)

Share |

Students Become Wilderness First Responders

The third section for the Fall Semester in the Rockies (FSR) groups is happening at Three Peaks Ranch. The students of FSR 5 & 6 are just a couple of days away from finishing up their Wilderness First Responder course. The completion of their WFR comes at a perfect time for these students, as their next section will be a month of hiking in the canyon country of southern Utah.

The WFR not only allows students to respond confidently to illness or injury, the knowledge also helps them understand the need to prevent illness and injuries while traveling in the wilderness. Tomorrow night sees the students of FSR 5 & 6 out on their night rescue scenario.

Post & Photo by Marco Johnson

Share |

2009 Employee Awards

At the annual State of the School celebration in Lander, Wyoming, NOLS Executive Director John Gans presented employee awards to John Hovey, John Stoddard, Jen Sall, Katie Baum, Clemente Diaz, Cindy Carey and Claudia Pearson. Copied below is John's presentation:



Faculty Awards

John Hovey - WMI Instructor / Field Instructor
Our first instructor award recipient came to NOLS as a Wilderness EMT student in 2004. In 2005, he took his WMI instructor course and field instructor course.  Since then he has accumulated 79 weeks working for WMI in addition to 42 weeks as a field instructor.

While in 2009, the majority of his teaching was focused on WMI classroom based courses, he also taught one course for NOLS Professional Training (Medicine in the Wild) and one field course for NOLS Rocky Mountain (Outdoor Educator course).

As a WMI instructor, he has mentored a large number of instructors. Whether someone was teaching their first WFA, or getting ready to lead their first WFR he consistently strikes the right balance of creating both challenge and a comfortable learning environment for the instructor. He will continue to play this important mentorship role by being an instructor on the upcoming WMI WFR Instructor Training Course.

Beyond instructor mentorship, students love him. One student wrote from his Med in the Wild Course: "He is one of the best and most engaging teachers I've had in medical school." For his exemplary work as a WMI instructor for NOLS, we are pleased to recognize John Hovey!

John Stoddard - Field Instructor
Our second recipient started his career in 1998 as a student on a summer Instructors Course.  He has worked at NOLS Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Alaska, Patagonia, and courses for NOLS Professional Training and Alumni courses.

He is not one to grab the spotlight or to monopolize the attention of others; he is humble, reserved, and introspective. Those qualities combined with his technical expertise and thorough knowledge of all aspects of the NOLS curriculum make him one of the finest field instructors that NOLS is privileged to employ.

He instructs as a course leader in the hiking, climbing, mountaineering, and winter programs, and he has accumulated over 175 weeks in the field since his Rocky Mountain Instructor Course in 1998. He has received Merit Recognition multiple times from multiple NOLS locations. His students have described him as a “hero,” and his coworkers cannot “thank him enough” for all of his support, guidance, and energy. Please join me in congratulating one of our Instructor Award winners for 2009, John Stoddard!

Combo Award

Jen Sall - NOLS Three Peaks Ranch Manager / Field Instructor
This instructor and in-town employee was a student on a fall semester in Kenya in 1999 and took her instructors course in 2002. She has accrued 97 weeks in the field, primarily out of NOLS Rocky Mountain.

She wrote on her instructor course application “the easiest part of the course will be forming relationships with others.  My general curiosity, in the motivations and interest of others, combined with my fairly easy going personality, enables me to get along with most individuals.”

Consistent themes on her student evaluations are that she is very approachable, an excellent mentor, energetic, respectful, professional, and has a great ability to teach at all levels. Instructors and in-town staff note that she strikes a great balance between providing structure and ideas about what has worked for her in the past while enabling them to create and run with their own vision.

She is also commended by staff and students for her concern and care for our 4-legged employees. She is a great role model for those interested in entering into the horse program. It is not unusual to find her out cold-hosing a horse at 10:00pm or coaching ranch staff on how to give a vaccination.

For her excellent performance as both an instructor and in-town employee, we are pleased to recognize Three Peaks Ranch Manager, Jen Sall.

Katie Baum - Alaska Program Supervisor / Field Instructor
This instructor took her instructor course in 2003 and has 105 field weeks. She has worked courses in the Southwest, Teton Valley, Rocky Mountain, Alaska and Patagonia.

As a program supervisor she receives praise from instructors for providing some of the most well-focused briefings that they have received. Instructors appreciate her creativity in team building and her practical suggestions in route planning and managing field risks. She is valued in the program office for her organizational skills and willingness to take on projects that help all of the program supervisors. She is an excellent model in "office" expedition behavior, problem solving and in demonstrating vision and action in the program office.

On the courses she works, she is focused on both students and co-instructors. She relentlessly works to improve her teaching, leadership and course management. She is an inspiring role model in her efforts to expand her abilities by learning new skills.

Students and instructors note that she is a clear, concise and effective communicator, good at incorporating different learning styles, very effective coach, connects well with students and cares about building relationships. Our recipient is unable to accept her award tonight as she is working the hiking section of the Patagonia Year course, but please join me in congratulating this Alaska Program Supervisor and field instructor on her employee of the year award. Katie Baum!

In-town Staff Award

Clemente Diaz - Manager of the NOLS Mexico kayak fleet
This employee started working for us in the early 1990s but his history with the school extends back 20 years to when the school purchased a plot of land from his father.

He takes tremendous pride in his work and his excellent expedition behavior sets high standards for others. While his primary job is maintaining the kayak fleet in top notch condition, he is always willing to jump in and help in other areas – assembling fishing gear, loading and off-loading sailboats, doing water re-rations, training new issue room staff or teaching fishing classes to staff and students.

One staff member noted, that "he personally taught me something everyday I worked in Baja. It might have been something about the culture, fishing, kayak equipment, the Spanish language…Literally I learned something new every day."

This past spring at the end of the year celebration, he organized, produced and acted in the Story of Tap Tapley’s Life. It was a wonderfully animated production complete with a baby actor to portray Tap in his youngest years, and a cardboard sailboat replica of La Tigresa on which Tap sailed into Coyote Bay.

Our recipient is not able to be with us this evening as he is presently working at NOLS Mexico, but please join me in congratulating, the Manager of the NOLS Mexico kayak fleet on his employee of the year award, Clemente Diaz.

Cindy Carey - Research and Stewardship Coordinator
“Vision and action” is key to describing this award recipients work ethic and performance at NOLS. She started her employment in 2000 as an administrative assistant.

In her current role, it’s her job to help keep our supporters informed about how their support has helped NOLS, and to support the Development Officers while they are on the road. This past year, she teamed up with the IT folks and helped out testing several of the new software projects that are critical for the completion of the database merge. Every year, she’s an integral player in the scholarship process, ensuring that donors get connected to students they help support.

When someone in the department wants to know how or when something is supposed to be done, she’s the right person to ask. If a new employee needs to learn the ropes, you’ll see her step in to help them out. If it looks like a detail might get skipped on a department project, it’s often her that points it out or more often than not, she just steps in and does it.

Something especially noteworthy in her exemplary performance happened this year while she set a lifelong vision into action by returning to Central Wyoming College to work towards completing her degree. Please join me in congratulating our Research and Stewardship Coordinator, Cindy Carey!

Claudia Pearson - Rocky Mountain Rations Manager
This employee is a graduate of a Wind River Wilderness course (1974) and a Yellowstone Park Expedition (1979).  In addition, she worked as a seasonal staff person for two summers before she started her full time employment in 1979. 

Students note that her department is “fast, efficient, educational, fun, friendly and plays great music!" She and her employees are famous for their spirit and humor on issue days.

Over the years, her department has developed a reputation for selling high quality, reasonably priced, hard to find foods that are not available elsewhere in Fremont County. The number of local people who visit and buy from the Gulch has steadily grown over the years.

She is working with Jen Lamb to support our sustainability initiative by looking for more organic food sources and using more “green products” in the Gulch. Over the years, she has reduced shipping costs and our carbon footprint by changing the way products are ordered and shipped.

She has been the editor of 4 editions of the NOLS Cookery, advised on the nutritional field guide and helped edit the weekend Menu Planner.  As an accomplished horsewoman, she has instructed riding classes to horse seminar students. As a supervisor, she role models great leadership and passes our curriculum on to her employees. 

Please join me in congratulating our Rocky Mountain Rations Manager on her in-town employee award, Claudia Pearson!

Share |

Reflections on the Moon Landing, Spice Kits

There is only one word capable of accurately describing what, exactly, is happening here at the NOLS Southwest:  renaissance. 

The historical significance of this unique period is difficult to grasp; we’ve thus assembled a team (me) to begin documenting everything (pictures, really), which will be analyzed, researched, and sent to institutions adorned with thick ivy walls where scholars, aided with microscopes and full encyclopedia sets, will sift through each written word, each pixel of visual information, and make something really important, like a DVD.

In short, we’ve held long, heated debates in the grand hall (kitchen) regarding the historical integrity of the moon landing (and this was prior to NASA blowing up part of it this week).  We’ve studied ‘noodlin’ – a method of removing catfish from a river with your bare hands – by way of laptop video.  We even welcomed in a new student, Saxon Boswell, who is an actual noodler (an appreciative moment of silence, please).    

Most importantly, we’ve sent off this fall’s Sonoran Year course.  Twelve students entered the Gila Wilderness on October 6^th, along with instructors Nick Storm and Lisa Bauer. 

After a busy day sifting through gear and preparing hundreds of pounds of field rations, the course arrived at two conclusions: 

1.     Every ounce counts.  NOLS Southwest continues teaching students the finer points of lightweight backcountry travel.  Cutting weight while maintaining essentials pays off in the field, as students are by now fully aware.

2.  How do you define a spice?  Solving this riddle, student Claire Kane Boychuk declared:  “it depends on the weight to performance ratio.”  Essentially, if a very small amount of any given food item delivers an impressive punch to the pallet, you’ve got a spice.  Well said.

As Sonoran Year students began their adventure into the Gila last Tuesday, Fall Semester students transitioned to a climb camp at Cochise Stronghold.  Another Fall Semester course continues its caving section, and hot weather has again pressed itself across the arid landscapes here in the southwest.  

Share |

Fall Outdoor Educator Semester Students practice their wilderness first aid skills.

Wilderness first aid skills are an important part of being an Outdoor Educator. One of the sections on the NOLS Outdoor Educator Semester (OES) is a WMI Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course. During the WFR students learn how to act in situations when injury or illness have occurred. While classroom time gives students a foundation in the different subjects of wilderness medicine, practical scenarios are where the skills are honed.

To the right, WFR students work through their patient assessment, the tool by which they will gather the information from which to then treat their patient.

As NOLS student groups will travel independent from their instructors at times these WFR skills allow students to respond to situations they might encounter during their course. These WFR skills also transfer over when students are on personal trips or working for other organizations in the Outdoor Education field.

Late September saw the 2009 Fall Outdoor Educator Semesters arrive at NOLS’ Three Peaks Ranch for their WFR training. On October 8, 2009 those students leave for their climbing sections having successfully completed their WFR training. Congratulations to the students of OESF 1 & 2.

(Entry & Photo courtesy of Marco Johnson)

Share |