Sustainability and Sunflowers

This week at NOLS Rocky Mountain the construction and implementation of a rainwater catchment system and two garden beds has begun. Our experimental garden will sprout multicolored sunflowers as well as provide nutritious organic leaf lettuce, sprouts and cabbage for The Noble kitchen. The rainwater catchment system will provide NOLS with an alternate water supply, a reduction in energy costs and most importantly an efficient way to water and nourish our new leafy friends.

The new arrangement to harvest H20 was possible thanks to the NOLS RM Facilities Manager, Latane Frank. His uncanny ability to create new purposes for old materials allowed us to reuse wood, barrels, downspouts, and gutters making it truly sustainable and FREE! His wife Emily was generous enough to offer a hand with the actual planting process; she was also very charitable providing the new gardens with over 85% of its plants.

Check back soon to see our produce in full bloom and the final installation of the rainwater collection barrels.

Connecting with the mountains and the sea . . .

During their in-town preparations, NOLS Scandinavia students and staff take time to ruminate on their new surroundings.

  

View from the dining area.

Photo by: Howie Nordström

Scandinavia Combo Courses are off!

NOLS Scandinavia combo courses (SCA) 1 & 2 left yesterday for their first section- hiking and sea kayaking respectively.  The courses will be gone for two weeks, only to return to the NOLS Scandinavia base for a quick switch and head out for another two weeks!

SCA #2 group shot: ready to depart!

. 

SCA #2 gearing up for their paddling expedition along the Norwegian coastline.

 

SCA #1 group shot: heading to the Norwegian & Swedish mountains. 

SCA #1 onward to the "fjord head"!

Carbon In The Life of a NOLS Student

Since 1965 NOLS has been teaching minimum impact/low maintenance camping and traveling techniques.  Students travel into the backcountry with the essentials to thrive and after coming out of the field, no student has seriously recommended adding paper towels to their gear list.  Comparing the classic Wind River Wilderness student with their front country counterpart, you can easily see a remarkable difference between consumption in the field and consumption in the front country.  After checking out this data, you may decide to forgo the paper towel for a re-useable cloth next time a drink spills on the counter. 

Water:
The average U.S. Citizen uses 250 liters of water a day
The average NOLS Student uses 5 liters of water per day
Most people in the front country use 50 times more water than a NOLS student does in the field.

Energy:
The average U.S. Citizen uses 33 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
The average NOLS student uses .02 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
Most people in the front country use 1650 times more energy than a NOLS student does in the field.

Trash:
The average U.S. Citizen produces 4lbs of trash per day
The average NOLS student produces 1/10th of a lb of trash per day.
People in the front country produce 40 times more trash than a NOLS student does in the field.

CO2:
The average U.S. Citizen produces 20lbs of CO2 every day through vehicle emissions.
The average NOLS student produces a 1/2 pound of CO2 every day through stove emissions.
People in the front country produce 40 times more CO2 than a NOLS student does in the field.

photo courtesy of Amy Rathke

The NALE Arrives Back to Lander!

The Naval Academy Leadership Expedition course, 5/26/09, arrived at NOLS Rocky Mountain yesterday, back from 24 adventurous days in the South-Eastern Wind River Mountains.

The NALE course was designed through NOLS Professional Training, which organizes custom courses for various businesses and organizations.  NOLS Pro is proud to work in conjunction with the Naval Academy to help provide this successful leadership expedition.

The course consisted of hiking in the Wind River Range, learning backcountry skills, and leadership training.    Most of the travel was above 10,000 feet, and students experienced diverse terrain including boulder fields, steep slopes, steep snow, and river crossings.  Students practiced tolerance for adversity and uncertainty as the South-Eastern Winds accumulated up to 40 inches of snow during their expedition!

The expedition provided excellent opportunities for leadership training and team building.  The students worked together and reached the summit of Wind River Peak at 13,192 feet!  Students also practiced responsibility and tested their skills during their independent student expeditions.

The course was a huge success as the students experienced amazing backcountry views and even more amazing weather throughout their 24-day expedition.

Congratulations to the NALE students and instructors for yet another successful trip to the Winds!

Hello To All and To All a Hello!

Greetings from the newest staff members at NOLS Rocky Mountain! Mitch from Fall Semester in the Rockies ‘08, Meredith the nomad back after eleven years, and myself (Ally) hailing from Long Island, NY are already energized by our surroundings and have hit the ground running with our Internship plans.

Within the next ten weeks we will be organizing a community outreach program, along with various projects that will without a doubt keep our summer here action packed.

NOLS "Caps Off" Cole Gude's H.S. Years, Launches College Career

	East Lansing High School's Cole Gude showed his Gap Year intentions recently when he displayed his NOLS colors at graduation.
Congratulations, Cole. See you in September for your Fall Semester in the Rockies.

A Farewell to RM

“I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done.”  These words, the last line of the AmeriCorps pledge, echo like a heartbeat throughout NOLS RM.  The pledge was only meant to be performed once at the beginning of the internship, however, we felt as if the message was so profound, so moving, that it was as essential as an early morning cup of coffee.  Director Gary Cukjati has been known to show up as early as 7:58:45 just to hear the pledge spoken.

As the end of the internship neared, we set out to come up with a way to quantify how well we got things done.  After numerous minutes of bewildered discussions, we failed, miserably.  We then decided to do what any good interns would do and go straight to our vastly more knowledgeable supervisors.

At the RM, the intern desks are located in a precarious spot.  Ten feet behind us, three portals act like viewing windows at a zoo for our bosses.  But this ain’t Sea World and we decided the best way to judge how we’ve been doing is to ask.  Here is what Asst. Director Kevin Bergstrom, RM Director Gary Cukjati , and our boss, Special Projects Manager Lara McCluskey, had to say.

In your mind, what is our greatest accomplishment?
Kevin:  The productivity meter.
Gary:  Uhm… Well… (long pause) you’ve been remarkably quiet.
Lara:  You two worked well together… almost too well. 

If the interns were to run the RM, would you invest in the RM’s future?
Kevin: Oh yes.  Invest in it like a short seller.
Gary: Well, what does it mean to run the RM?  Do I? You sat outside my office for ten weeks.  Do I run it?  Let’s be serious.  Yeah sure, I’d invest.  Of course.
Lara:  Next question.

Describe what you think when you look out your doorway?
Kevin:  What a fine group of gentleman.  Gives me faith in the youth of America.
Gary:  Proud, from the eight o’clock pledge to the closing minute.  Flashes of the Fourth of July, fireworks, and the maestro Lee Greenwood all come to mind. 
Lara:  I really like working with those guys.

The Spring 2009 RM Internship has been a truly worthwhile experience!  Thanks to everyone and we will miss all our friends at the Rocky Mountain. 

SSR 3 Heads to the Needles and Devils Tower!

Howdy Y'all!

The Spring Semester - Rockies 3 (SSR  3) has just left the building.  They are headed out to The Needles, South Dakota and then off to Devil's Tower, Wyoming for some amazing climbing.  The students and instructors were super excited to get outside and enjoy some spring climbing.

While in town, SSR 3 made sure to have some fun between sections. Students tried on NOLS apparel and played frisbee. SSR 3 efficiently and rapidly rationed their food and geared up for the 3 week climbing adventure. The group was all smiles during their brief stopover in Lander. Have fun climbing out there y'all!

The Brotherhood of the Wrench

What do Yale and NOLS Rocky Mountain have in common?  Yes, they are both storied educational institutions.   Yes, students at both institutions graduate as more intelligent, aware and well-rounded individuals.  But the similarities run even deeper.  Like Yale’s Skull and Bones secret society, NOLS Rocky Mountain has the Brotherhood of the Wrench. 

On paper they are called the Transportation Department.  However, after one step into the hallowed bays of the garage, the aura consumes you and it is obvious you’re not in Kansas anymore.  As you make your way to the Great Chamber (office), ancient brotherhood contrivances surround you.  Shortly you will be in the presence of Grand Master Steve Matson (Transportation Manager).

The members of the Brotherhood are the last people students see when they leave for the field, and the first people they see when they return.  If Lander is the heart of NOLS RM, then Transportation is its veins and arteries.  In a rare opportunity, the Rocky Mountain Interns had the privilege of an interview with Grand Master Matson.

Q:  Exactly what is it you do here?
A:  You know, after 31 years I’m still trying to figure that out.  Most people wonder if they will even live that long.

Q:  What can students do that you really appreciate?
A:  When eating on the bus, make sure the food hits the target.  Don’t spill milk.  Practice great Expedition Behavior. 

Q:  Does the Brotherhood have a secret handshake?
A:  We don’t.  We try desperately not to touch each other. 

Q:  How would you describe what students smell like when you pick them up?
A:  An overwhelming olfactory adventure.

Q:  If the Brotherhood were a Nascar Pit Crew, who would hold what position?
A:  Mark=Driver, Rob=Under the hood, Tom=Tires and lug nuts, Steve=Pit Boss

Q:  There is a rumor that Bob Vila calls you for advice?  Any comment?
A:  Bob Vila needs advice. 

Q:  Do you have any nicknames for the fleet vehicles? 
A:  No names. Just numbers. All business.

Q:  On belay?
A:  Its true.

Belay off.