BLM AZ Strip Take it Outside - Washington County School District

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Project Objective: The Washington County School District of southwestern Utah offers two outdoor programs for high school and middle school students, partnering with local Federal and state agencies, cities, tribes, and individuals. The Color Country Natural Resource Camp (CCNRC) is a week-long outdoor natural and cultural resources camp that helps high school students in Iron, Garfield, and Washington counties, Utah gain a greater awareness of natural and cultural resources on public lands and the issues surrounding them; encourages students to explore the interactions and connections between people and the land; and helps students gain a greater awareness of career opportunities in natural and cultural resources with an understanding of the requirements needed to pursue a career in this area. The CCNRC is an interagency partnership led by the Washington County School District (see website information at http://ccnrcamp.org/ and http://www.handsontheland.org/). The CCNRC provides students with the opportunity to meet and work directly with land managers and professional staff. This natural and cultural resources camp provides youth a positive work experience in natural and cultural resource fields, development of work skills, a sense of personal responsibility, and encouragement for a college education and career in a natural or cultural resource field. In addition to the natural and cultural resource investigations the students are able to experiment with various methods of recreating on public lands, including kayaking, fishing, shooting, hiking, mountain biking, and photography. Students are responsible for completing and are graded on a field journal. Many of the camp graduates have gone on to college and some have worked for the various land management agencies as a direct result of participating in this educational experience. The camp also provides many students with their first opportunity to camp outdoors while studying and recreating surrounded by the resources they are investigating. In cooperation with the National Park Service, US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the City of St. George, Utah Division of Wildlife Services and Washington County Red Cliffs Reserve offers student intern summer jobs to some camp participants after the camp. The Washington County School District also offers a feeder program to CCNRC for 6-7th graders called Day in the Desert. Day in the Desert is also an interagency program designed to get students outside and studying natural and cultural resource topics tied to their school curriculum. Dixie State University professors and students assist the land management agencies in putting together 5-6 outdoor venues in Arizona and Utah each fall (6th graders) and spring (7th graders) to get them outside for hands-on experiences with desert plants, animals, soils, water, geology, insects, reptiles, solar energy, astronomy and artifacts. This grant will also provide some funds for Day in the Desert. Teachers and parent chaperones also participate in activities and become aware of public land opportunities near their communities of which they had not previously been aware.

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