The number and variety of outdoor education programs has
increased dramatically in the last 25 years.
Magazine
June 10, 1996
A special issue celebrates the thousands of educators who are working to teach people about the West. But it also raises some questions: Who are they reaching and where should the lessons be learned?
Feature
A state-by-state directory describes some of the many
outdoor education programs in the West.
Controversial "wilderness therapy programs" such as Utah's
North Star, intended for troubled kids, come under critical
scrutiny - and lawsuits - after several teenagers die while in
their care.
Sidebar
A program called Volunteer-led Investigations of
Neighborhood Ecology (VINE) introduces urban children to nature, as
demonstrated by Denver's Garden Place Academy.
River guide, author and activist Roderick Nash describes a
method of outdoor education he calls "unguiding" - letting the
river teach its own lessons.
The Student Conservation Association has been sending
thousands of young volunteers to help maintain national parks since
1957.
A Northwest conservation and outdoor recreation group, The
Mountaineers, educates children by sending actors such as Loren
Foss into schools, who teach by assuming character roles such as
"Old John."
The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Outward
Bound are the biggest outdoor education schools in the
West.
Utah native Steve Cartisano, the controversial "godfather"
of wilderness therapy, has left a trail of lawsuits behind him,
including one for negligent homicide in the death of a Florida
teenage girl.
Essays
The writer describes a tough and educational time spent
working in the inner city with the San Francisco League of Urban
Gardeners.
A former professional outdoor educator traces his slow
disillusionment with wilderness programs that live off the urban
high-tech society and teach nothing about truly living simply on
the land.
Writer and Wyoming native C.L. Rawlins considers the good
and bad inherent in trying to provide an outdoor
education.
Writer and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams lauds the
lessons she learned from the Teton Science School.
Heard Around the West
Strange bedfellows in the West: Wal-Mart and Main Street,
sheep and range restoration, javelinas in Washington state,
cartoonist John Callahan runs for Oregon state Legislature, Cheetos
in space, cowboys and California.
Dear Friends
Special issue, board meeting in Grand Junction, drop-ins,
odds and ends.
News
The Colorado Air National Guard's plan to increase
fighter-jet training over southeastern Colorado raises opposition
from environmentalists, ranchers and residents - and from Colorado
Springs' booming airport.
The Colorado Air National Guard's plan to increase
training flights over the Sangre de Cristo and Wet Mountains and
the San Luis Valley upsets locals, including contemplative monks in
Crestone.
A GOP memo to this year's Republican candidates urges them
to start looking green.
Two Chelan County commissioners defy Washington state's
Growth Management Act, claiming freedom from state and federal
controls.
Former U.S. Senator Dan Evans, who once supported
Washington state's Growth Management Act, now seeks to change the
law after finding it will prevent him from building a house where
he wants.
An irrigation district's water diversion from the Rio
Grande in New Mexico wipes out an estimated 70 percent of the
endangered silvery minnow population.
The Colorado Legislature passes a bill allowing the state
Corrections Department to ignore local zoning when it wants to
build or expand prisons.
Under the salvage logging rider, thousands of acres of
habitat of the endangered marbled murrelet may be cut in coastal
Washington and Oregon.
To improve trampled vegetation and watershed in
California's Ishi Wilderness, Forest Service officials remove 13
tranquilized bulls by helicopter.
Republican Gov. Tony Knowles of Alaska joins an
environmental lawsuit fighting Columbia and Snake River dams in the
Northwest to save endangered salmon.
Letters
Featured stories
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SOUTHWEST CONSERVATION ADVOCATE WildEarth Guardians is seeking a full-time advocate in our Wild Places Program to advance a new paradigm of forest management and protection based on the...
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REGIONAL CONSERVATION DIRECTOR FOR THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION (RCTC) The Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) is conducting a national search, seeking a dynamic leader and effective manager to be the next Regional Conservation Director....
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WYOMING CONSERVATION COORDINATOR The Wyoming Conservation Coordinator (WCC) is a senior-level position that provides strategic leadership for GYC's efforts to protect lands, waters, and wildlife within the Wyoming...
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NEW AGRARIAN PROGRAM SOUTHWEST COORDINATOR The New Agrarian Program Southwest Coordinator is responsible, in partnership with the NAP Director and Colorado Manager, for implementation of Quivira's apprenticeship program in New...
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NEW AGRARIAN PROGRAM ALUMNI AND OUTREACH MANAGER The New Agrarian Alumni & Outreach Manager is a passionate community builder who enjoys identifying opportunities to develop new programming, supporting beginning agrarians and land...
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ANIMAS RIVERKEEPER San Juan Citizens Alliance seeks a passionate, experienced, and motivated Animas Riverkeeper to lead campaigns to protect water quality and flows in the Animas River...
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CO & NM COALITION TO ENHANCE WORKING LANDS MANAGER Land stewards are more effective when they work as a team and have strong relationships. Our goals are to acknowledge and support the good work...
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PATAGONIA SONOITA-CREEK PRESERVE MANAGER The Patagonia Sonoita Creek Preserve Manager performs and participates in preserve operations including the maintenance, management, development and coordination of conservation programs. On-site housing provided...
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VERDE RIVER PROJECTS TECHNICIAN The Verde River Projects Technician (VRPT) provides technical assistance to Verde River Program staff in implementation of the Verde River Streamflow Monitoring Protocol. This consists...
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HEALTHY CITIES PROGRAM MANAGER The Healthy Cities Program Manager works directly with the business unit's Healthy Cities Program Director to advance the Healthy Cities Program's long-term vision and innovative,...
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MAJOR GIFTS MANAGER - MOUNTAIN WEST, THE CONSERVATION FUND 
Cultivate, solicit and steward a portfolio of 75-125 donors.
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CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER WITH RURAL COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE CORPORATION
RCAC in West Sacramento, CA seeks a strategic CFO to oversee and safeguard RCAC's finances.
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PRECIOUS WATER IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK Hardcover and eBook available now. Contact your local bookstore or the author at 970.371.7339 [email protected]
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DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote stewardship of our public lands by engaging our community in education,...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Sierra Forest Legacy (www.sierraforestlegacy.org) is seeking an executive director to lead our effort to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada. We seek a...
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NATURE'S BEST IN ARAVAIPA CANYON 10 acre private oasis in one of Arizona's beautiful canyons. Fully furnished, 2123 sq ft architectural custom-built contemporary home with spectacular views and many extras....
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HEALTH FOOD STORE IN NW MONTANA
Turn-key business includes 2500 sq ft commercial building in main business district of Libby, Montana. 406.293.6771 /or [email protected]
