NOLS SW Celebrates Earth Day

On April 22, 1970, thousands in the United States rallied to celebrate the inaugural Earth Day, a chance to show and garner support for environmental action. Today, nearly 200 countries celebrate all over the world.

Here at the NOLS Southwest, we celebrated by joining the movers and the shakers of Tucson to connect with our community. Alongside Tucson Clean and Beautiful, 4H, Bicas, Southwest Conservation Corps, and many other inspiring organizations, we set out to spend a fun-filled day with local kids in the sun!

It certainly was fun-filled. At the event, our partner organizations taught us to bake sun-oven mesquite-flower cookies, make flowers out of old bike spokes and tires, and string together old components into wind chimes. Folks got good and dirty in the mud pit and flew high on the ropes course.

Fearless Intern Matt McArdle dynoing on the ropes course!

We spent the day teaching orienteering and bracelet making. With some p-cord, old cordelette, and webbing “beads,” we strung together wearable art.

Duck Murphy offering up his best fashion advice.

After teaching our navigation enthusiasts how to use compasses*, we set out on one of our three orienteering courses to practice navigation. The children became instant experts and guided us around all of the Earth Day happenings.

Another truly wonderful day in the desert!

 

*Fun Fact! The plural of compass is compasses not compi! The things you learn as an intern!

 

 

Permalink | Posted by Casey Dean on May 8, 2013 in the following categories: Southwest

You Grab the Shovel, I'll Grab the Buffel!

Permalink | Posted by Sarah Murphy on Mar 20, 2013 in the following categories: Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability, Southwest

NOLS SW SOE: Digging for Bighorns

Howdy from NOLS Southwest! Staff members recently joined a Southwest Outdoor Educator (SOE) course for volunteer work. Since I did not attend due to sushi plate complications, Kathryn Sall represented interns at this event. Luckily between splitting wood and cleaning groovers after her adventure, she was able to give a quick interview. Here's how it went:

Welcome back, Kathryn! Do you mind telling me a little about where you have been the past couple of days?

Hi, Sarah. Thanks for having me on. Great to be here. What would you like to know?

What was the purpose of your volunteer project?

Protecting the Bighorn sheep is one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's objectives in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. A while ago, a dam was built to create a watering tank for the sheep. The dam created a pool that filled with gravel over years, which prohibited access to drinkable water. Also, the dam was seeping and needed to be patched.

NOLS Southwest staff and SOE students met in the Kofa for the service project, which involved digging gravel so water could collect in the dam again; a fair amount had accumulated. The last time the gravel had been cleared was 1985! We also laid out .7 miles of hose from the road head to the dam to refill the tank.

Tell me a little about Bighorn sheep in the Kofa.

A decade ago there were about 800 Bighorn sheep in the Kofa. Over the course of two or three years, the population shrank to less than half of that for no clear reason. However, during the past few years there has been a steady incline in population. It now hovers over 400. The current SOE has seen one Bighorn sheep on their course and they are hoping to see more!

Sounds like a worthy cause, Kathryn. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to talk to me about this.

You're most welcome. Check out these pictures from the trip!

SOE students enjoy a campfire with representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the night before the volunteer project. This offered good eats, many laughs, and learning about the purpose of this project - protecting a water source for the Bighorn sheep in the Kofa.

SOE students help carry a fire hose up to the base of the dam, which will help provide water for Bighorn sheep during desert droughts.

In-town staff Sydney Hartsock and Kathyrn Sall shovel gravel as instructor Andy Altepeter collects the stones and passes them to students to assist in emptying the tank.

 

Permalink | Posted by Sarah Murphy on Jan 29, 2013 in the following categories: Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability, Leadership, Southwest

NOLS SW Staff at BEYOND Tucson

NOLS Southwest interns and assistant director Nick Cross represented NOLS on the 5th of January at BEYOND Tucson, a memorial event started by the family of Gabe Zimmerman who was killed during the shootings at Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' "Congress on Your Corner" two years ago. In remembrance of those lost, the BEYOND event hopes to remind community members to keep those we love close, challenge ourselves, and embrace life and the outdoors.

NOLS SW Staff tabled at the Sabino Canyon grounds where they taught knot-tying to young outdoor enthusiasts. This event marked the opening of Children's Forest, an initiative to get families out in nature, educate children about wildlife, and ignite an interest in outdoor adventure. 

Matt McArdle was our knot expert! Many Tucsonans big and small were interested in expanding their knot repertoire.

NOLS SW drew a crowd at BEYOND Tucson by sharing information with parents and recruiting future students.

NOLS SW Spring intern squad!

Permalink | Posted by Sarah Murphy on Jan 22, 2013 in the following categories: Southwest

Proctor Pool Challenge Photo Bomb - For the Win!

NOLS Southwest has a tradition known as the Proctor Pool Challenge. All proctors (instructors who work all sections of a semester, providing continuity and community for those students) are challenged to submerge themselves in the pool everyday they are at the branch and on contract.

So, after three months of adventures - hiking in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico, climbing in Joshua Tree National Park in California, canoeing the Rio Grande in Texas and traveling independently in the Galiuro Mountains of Arizona - FSW1 gathered for their final group photo at the graduation cookout. Little did they know that their proctor Kevin Sadler waited in the wings, finding the perfect moment to complete his pool challenge with a literal splash, and to soak his freshly showered students anew.

Congrats to all our newest grads!

Permalink | Posted by Jessica Fuller on Nov 30, 2012 in the following categories: Southwest

Rock On at NOLS Southwest

It is hard to believe that the NOLS Southwest fall season will be ending in a few short weeks. In the last two day,s we have sent our Semesters in the Southwest out on their Independent Student Backpacking Expedition. Before returning to the backcountry, students spent a day volunteering with the Ironwood Tree Experience here in Tucson. Ironwood strives to connect local teens with their community through nature, and NOLS students spent the day preparing green spaces for future programming.

Permalink | Posted by Jessica Fuller on Nov 14, 2012 in the following categories: Southwest

Golden Apple Scholarship winner taking NOLS course in 2013

Angela Rosenberg, a math teacher at Edgewood HS, of Edgewood, Md. received the first annual Golden Apple scholarship from Freedom Federal Credit Union. Rosenberg was always interested in the outdoors and became more interested when her friends took her rock climbing and hiking.  She enjoys rock climbing best, and wants to continue to improve.

Golden Apple Scholarship applicants must document how they use the $1,000 towards furthering their own continuing education. Rosenberg plans to take a year off for Project Adventure and a NOLS course. She then plans to incorporate the skills developed through the programs to make math teaching more meaningful and fun to her students and incorporate experiential learning. Demonstrating to her students that even an outdoor leader uses math will show them that math is used everywhere.

Rosenberg taught high school math for three years and feels that, “traditional classroom teaching isn't for me at this time in my life.” She resigned from teaching to continue her master's degree full time. She is studying at Plymouth University with a self-designed focus on adventure learning, and she hopes to finish by next summer and set a specific career goal.

“Adventure learning can take me anywhere from challenge ropes courses to programs like NOLS or Outward Bound, to experiential education schools, to adventure based counseling, and beyond... I can take things pretty much wherever I want, and I can see myself in many different jobs,” explained Rosenberg.

Rosenberg plans to take the NOLS Southwest Outdoor Educator course in Tucson, Ariz.  She had always wanted to take a NOLS course. Her advisor at Plymouth State told her that a NOLS course could count towards her master’s program.  

Rosenberg recalls, “I was so excited because I have heard that the NOLS instructors are the best of the best, and the courses are surely an amazing opportunity.”  

Since her master’s program is self-designed, she hopes the NOLS course will help her to see her strengths and spark an interest to move in a focused direction.  

Rosenberg is currently on a U.S. road trip.  Her planned stops include Baltimore, Chicago, Nebraska, Denver, Buena Vista, Durango, Telluride, Grand Teton/Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon, Bend, Klamath Falls, Mt. Shasta/Weed, Grass Valley, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, LA, Long Beach, San Diego, and the plan for the way back is Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Nashville, Asheville, and back to Baltimore.

“For now, I'm just learning and exploring as much as I can.”

 

 

Permalink | Posted by Casey Dean on Jul 31, 2012 in the following categories: In The News, Instructor News, Southwest

Check your map for Earth Day events

The mission of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has always been to be the source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment. On Earth Day, NOLS locations will bring these backcountry practices to the frontcountry by taking part in events in their respective communities.

The staff of NOLS Alaska will be hitting the road this Earth Day, literally. The crew is planning to tackle their annual cleanup of Farm Loop road—a three-mile stretch of road that leads up to the Palmer headquarters.

The cleanup, which is a part of the annual staff orientation day, happens each spring once the snowmelt has progressed enough to allow for it. This year, the orientation day has been scheduled to coordinate with Earth Day.

“After our long winters, the receding snows offer any number of roadside ‘treasures,’” said Don Ford, NOLS Alaska director. “It is a great time to show our new staff what is able to be recycled at the Valley Recycling Center, to show our neighbors that we care, and to have a good time. The most unusual find of the day always gets a laugh!”

The NOLS Southwest staff will also be supporting Earth Day by getting involved in Let’s G.O! (Get Outside) on Saturday, April 21. Supported by other organizations such as 4-H, Sierra Club, and Parks in Focus, the event will have different outdoor activity stations (play-stations), for children and adults that focus on getting active in the outdoors and creating healthy communities.

The entire NOLS Southwest staff will participate in the event and will host several play-stations, including include learning to make bracelets and key chains using old webbing and cordelette and an orienteering/treasure hunt station, as well as assisting with set-up and breakdown of the event and serving lunch.

“NOLS Southwest is excited to be working with the other sponsors of this event to provide an opportunity for kids and families to get outside and celebrate Earth Day,” wrote Nick Cross, assistant director at NOLS Southwest. “We as a branch have been making an effort to get more involved in the Tucson community, finding ways to volunteer and make positive contributions to events/organizations that we identify with.”

NOLS Headquarters and NOLS Rocky Mountain, both located in Lander, Wyo., are teaming up and joining a number of invaluable community partners to make two projects happen over the weekend. NOLS is co-sponsoring a riverbank stabilization project in Red Canyon on April 20 and a community garden build at two locations on the Wind River Reservation on April 27. At both events, volunteers will be working with students from local schools in an effort to educate attendees about the environment while building stronger community ties.

 On April 20 in Red Canyon, students and organizers will plant willow cuttings along the banks of the little Popo Agie with a group of students from Lander Middle School. Working with the Popo Agie Anglers, Trout Unlimited, Wyoming Game and Fish and the Popo Agie Conservation District the group not only be preventing erosion but also teaching a Red Canyon place-based curriculum. For more on this event, check out our recent blog post about the first step.

 

After students harvested willows early this month and soaked them for a few weeks, they are now ready to be planted along Wyoming river banks. Lindsay D'Addato photo.

On April 27, Lander NOLS folks and partners are fully psyched to get their hands dirty alongside students from the Fort Washakie Charter School to build raised beds and fencing for two new community gardens in Ft. Washakie. The project is the brainchild of Fred Groenke, an avid farmer, teacher, and director of the Wind River Native Science Field Center. The project was designed to create public awareness of the importance of preserving our natural environment and developing and maintaining sustainable growing practices that promote healthy lifestyles and connect us with the natural world. We at NOLS are providing volunteer support and organizing a nutritious lunch for volunteers. And on that note, we should give thanks where they are due to BOCES Green Construction, and the Wind River Diabetes Program for their support as well as Apple Valley Market and Mr. D’s Grocery for answering the food donation call.

So come on out to one of these amazing events in celebration and support of your local NOLS community and the larger, global community that you are a part of!

Permalink | Posted by Casey Dean on Apr 17, 2012 in the following categories: Alaska, Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Wyss Wilderness Medicine Campus

Notes from the Field: Phil Henderson’s first weeks at Everest Base Camp

NOLS senior field instructor and Rocky Mountain River Base Manager Phil Henderson has reached Everest Base Camp and continues to report back from his expedition on Mount Everest. The following are his first notes from Everest Base Camp:

Phil Henderson

March 30: We are now in the high alpine environment. Hiking over the shoulder of the terminal moraine on the Khumbu Glacier, we passed an area where Chortens have been built to honor some of those who have lost their lives in the Himalayas—a reminder of the dangers we face, and the risks we take to travel and climb here. 

As I passed a series of Chortens, I recognized a name forever etched in the big granite stone: Scott Fischer, 1996. The stone is painted white, and the letters are painted black. The stone is covered with fresh prayer flags, a sign that he is remembered each year.  As I walk past this spot I am reminded of the people who have been, or could be, in my shoes.

The fact that I am here is a result of time spent working, skiing, climbing, watching, or just listening to people with much more experience than me, people who took the time to help me gain the skills and experience to make this journey.

Everest Base Camp

April 3: Third day in Everest Base Camp (EBC): Spent yesterday getting installed (our base camp crew is amazing).  We are actually camping on the glacier, so the rocks and ice need to be moved to make flat spots.  Our Nepali crew makes everything possible. The Khumbu Icefall is fixed, so we will be ready to climb after the Puja [prayer ceremony] in a few days. Lots of serac falls again last night, I think this will be a nightly occurrence.

Clockwise: Panuru Sherpa (our Sidar) from Phortse, AnKaji Sherpa from Makalu, Tendi Sherpa from Solukhumbu, Phil Henderson and Mingma Sherpa from Taksindu. 

April 7: Last night was a rough night. It snowed a few inches and I had a headache, but was better in the morning.  Another acclimation day spent hiking around EBC. Met with Luanne at the medical clinic, and chatted with David Brashears for a brief moment. 

We made more adjustments to our establishment, and enjoyed the warm morning weather.  Since we are camped on an active glacier things move. Slowly, but they do move.  I hear rocks moving on the glacier at night, as well as big seracs falling and avalanches that wake me from sleeping. 

We often have discussions about why we climb mountains, or go on expeditions. Camaraderie is built within the group—in our case this also means our Nepali staff. But the sharing of stories, emotions, in sickness and in health is truly the bigger reason.  Standing on the summit will be but a few glorious minutes within months of time spent with the group, eating laughing, and being cold.  Yeah, sound like a NOLS course?  Similar, but we get to drink scotch and watch movies in base camp at night.

April 10: The average daytime temp is around 47 degrees; however, with the solar gain it can get up to 80 degrees in my tent during the day, and the nighttime temps are dropping to about 21 degrees and below.  Base camp life consists of getting up around 6:30 (cold!), breakfast around 8, and then group discussion for the day. Sometimes we need to scrape rock from the south-facing slope of ice that feeds our water pool to keep it full. Daily maintenance of personal tents—they melt out as well, lunch around noon, and maybe go bouldering on the ice-fall or hike around Manhattan (base camp central).

Permalink | Posted by Mike Hepler on Apr 16, 2012 in the following categories: In The News, Instructor News, Leadership, Southwest

NOLS Southwest Makes a Splash for Campaign NOLS

NOLS Southwest participated in an unusual fundraiser for the NOLS Annual Fund two weeks ago

Every year at Summit Hut’s outdoor “Sidewalk Sale,” Southwest branch staff hosts a booth and mingle with customers and other local non-profits. This year the Tucson, Ariz. gear shop rented a dunk tank. Representatives from the non-profits sat above the tank and raised funds for their organization at $1 per chance to drop them into the pool.

Decked out in a woman’s bathing suite, bathing cap and wig, NOLS Southwest’s Special Project Manager Andrew Megas-Russell took to the tank for the benefit of NOLS. Andrew heckled the crowd, took several dunks, and managed to raise $88 for the NOLS Annual Fund during his hour in the tank.

NOLS SW Special Project Manager Andrew Megas-Russell prepares for his next dunk.

Last week, while the branch directors were in town for their bi-annual meeting, NOLS Southwest Director Lindsay Nohl hand delivered the money to the development office in Lander, Wyo.

Thanks Andrew, Lindsay, and everyone down at NOLS Southwest for their support of the NOLS Annual Fund and Campaign NOLS!

Permalink | Posted by Larkin Flora on Apr 12, 2012 in the following categories: Campaign NOLS, Southwest