Michelle Hartel's Page

Eagle County University students partnered with the Eagle River Watershed Council last year for river restoration projects along the Eagle and Piney Rivers. Students re-vegetated the river banks with transplanted trees and willow shoots. Plans are in the works for another large-scale service partnership with the Council this year. For more information on last years project, check out the student-directed video documentary at http://… Continue

This morning, we had the opportunity to see off nearly 45 wilderness trip participants in three programs for our final week-long backpacking trips of the season. Youth and chaperones joined us from Eagle County, Colorado Springs, Chicago, San Antonio, Miami, Hawaii, Atlanta, Las Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Columbus, and New York. We're looking forward to picking them up on Friday for a final reflection.

Our first base camp program of the summer kicked off this morning, serving 17 youth from Summit County, Colorado. Activities will include rock climbing, a peak ascent, fishing, and camping. Students will also explore the history of the Camp Hale valley, and enjoy dinner and a presentation with world class skier Chris Anthony. Thank you for everyone who is making this experience possible!

We are gearing up for a busy week of staff trainings for our summer program instructors. We begin tomorrow with a rock climbing training at Camp Hale, moving into a teambuilding training Sunday at Maloit Park in Minturn, and then off for a wilderness trip training Sunday through Thursday in the Tarryalls. We're looking forward to an incredible summer season!

June Creek Elementary School fourth graders are currently enjoying their 4-day SOS experiential education course at Colorado National Monument in Fruita. Today, seventeen students participated in a rock climbing session and hiked the history Monument Canyon trail, while the rest of the group visited Cross Orchards, the Math and Science Museum, and the Fruita Recreation Center. Spellbinders storytellers will join the group tonight at the campsite.
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