Two outdoor schools in Summit County, Colo., are
feeling the pinch of development in their high country
domains.
For the past 20 years, Keystone Science
School has used the outdoors as a teaching tool. But the school’s
backcountry assets are threatened by Keystone Ski Area’s real
estate expansion on the fringes of the school’s 23-acre property.
As a result, the school is looking for a new
location.
“Due to the increasing development in
the area around campus, the school’s present location no longer
offers a true wilderness experience,” says Chris Chopyak-Minor, the
school’s director.
The science school is now
bordered by a new golf course, a paved bike path and homes large
enough to be described as mansions.
“We still use
the forest as a living lab, but the reality is that we’re having to
go farther to do it,” she says. “Increasingly, we are relying on
special-use permits, and on vans to take us to the backcountry.”
The science school is looking for alternative
sites in Summit County. In the meantime, the school’s staff uses
the encroaching development to discuss growth management in their
educational programs.
The Breckenridge Outdoor
Education Center, located on 40 acres next to the Breckenridge Ski
Area, faces a similar problem. Paved roads and condos crowd what
was once secluded property. But unlike the Keystone Science School,
the Breckenridge center is staying put.
“We are
using this as an educational resource for both the public and our
clients,” says director Rich Cook. “As the area gets more use, we
feel that as an education center, our role is to help people
understand the issues.”
* Renee
Aragon
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Outdoor schools get squeezed.
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