Hard to believe it, but it’s that time of year again where we start thinking about fall, and for us at Audubon Rockies, that means thinking about Four Mile Ranch programs. Known to many as “Hershey Ranch” (and previously owned by the Hershey family), it’s a special spot where students connect with the landscape at a place that, in some cases, their parents visited many years ago on their own field trips. Though we’re only able to host students in the fall for a single visit, it tends to be a formative classroom experience outside at the beginning of the school year. It’s our intention that students walk away with a deeper connection and respect for the San Juan Mountains.
It is the commitment of volunteers that has made this program a success from its inception. Each year, volunteers lead groups of students through the forests and bottomlands at the ranch, collectively hosting more than 800 regional students.
We’re in need of volunteers! Can you spare a few days to make a difference in the life of a child? Join our team of volunteer educators in helping to foster an appreciation of the natural world in area youth. An established program of ecology-focused lessons designed for elementary students, we provide field trips for regional schools and home-schooled groups.
Audubon Rockies and San Juan Mountains Association staff will provide a 3-day training. We’ll meet at the Community Center East Conference Room from 9am-12noon on Monday, August 25, for a program orientation and from 9am-3pm each day onsite at the Four Mile Ranch from August 26-28 to learn the activities and trails.
Programs run from early September through mid-October. Contact keith.bruno@audubon.org for more information.