tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22342539010406524672024-03-05T23:03:19.506-08:00Boulder Valley Inner City OutingsProviding free nature outings and adventures to youth who would other wise not have such opportunities, Boulder Valley ICO is entirely volunteer run.Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-42910895413691004992014-07-06T21:12:00.001-07:002014-07-06T21:12:05.837-07:00We're now blogging at www.boulderico.orgOur new website is at www.boulderico.org.
There you will find:
A calendar of upcoming trips and events.
Information about volunteering with Boulder ICO.
Information for agency recruiters and parents.
And of course, our blog!!Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-19941710048162689942013-09-17T15:10:00.003-07:002013-09-17T15:10:38.658-07:00Our Trip to Mission: WolfWoohoo! This is what we do! Thanks to Izzy and Daniel for making this video for us. And thanks to Andrea, Caroline, and Faith for being the unsung heroes who helped make this trip happen. Thanks is also due the national Sierra Club Directorate for helping to fund this outing. And thanks for the Family Resource Center for helping to fund the outing and for sending us Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-58561004517754746262013-06-17T13:19:00.001-07:002013-06-17T13:19:25.056-07:00Heartfelt ThanksGroups like ours sometimes ask participants to write thank you letters for use in fundraising. But we were lucky to receive a thank you card from several of our participants, totally unprompted. I though this was really cool and wanted to share it with everyone.
Michael
Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-46356372733836056932013-05-22T09:40:00.001-07:002013-05-22T09:40:03.011-07:00Students at our May Outdoor Leadership Class.Thanks to all who attended. And thanks to Carter for his expert instruction.
Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-9525837354340914802012-08-04T21:23:00.001-07:002012-08-09T18:23:02.094-07:00Mission: Wolf Service OutingMission: Wolf is an all-volunteer organization that cares for 37 wolves who have been rescued from homes where they could not be cared for properly. Boulder Valley ICO led a 3-day, 2-night service outing to the Mission: Wolf sanctuary near Gardner, Colorado. The kids (from the recently revived Project YES!) helped in the butchering of a massive draft horse that had been donated to the facility.Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-83403220797986703372011-09-29T12:20:00.000-07:002011-10-06T08:42:28.235-07:00Trinity Alps Service OutingThis summer, Erik Gainey and three of our youth leaders participated in a week-long service trip in the Trinity Alps region of California's Sierra Nevada. The pulled up their sleeves to some serious trail maintenance but there was also time to hang out with the horses and enjoy the alpine lakes and Sierra summer.
This outing was paid for by our national directorate as part of a collaboration Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-23125367576237569232011-09-19T20:33:00.001-07:002011-09-19T20:36:36.209-07:009/17 Chautauqua Day HikeOn September 17th, BVICO provided a day hiking trip for Pioneer Elementary School kids. The kids did a day hike at Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO. After the day hike, the kids also got to visit the Chautauqua Park Museum and learn the types of wildlife present at the park. Along with the great weather, the trip was fun for everyone! Irenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281940999053779163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-66125073038466498642011-06-30T12:17:00.000-07:002011-06-30T12:17:18.160-07:00Bull Snake on 5/6 Water Sentinels OutingOn our 5/6 Water Sentinels outing, the kids spotted a lovely bull snake in the grass. Bull snakes mimic rattle snakes as a defensive mechanism even though they are not venomous -- they have similar patterning, will coil, will flatten and broaden their heads to look like a viper, and will shake their tail. But they have no rattle so they make their rattling sound by forcing air through a small Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-31706594199961190662011-05-14T13:25:00.000-07:002011-05-14T13:25:14.123-07:00Pioneer Elementary Braves the Cold for Some Awesome Birding on International Migratory Bird DayIt was chilly. It was grey. It was absolutely awesome! After a short introduction to birds, birding, and binoculars, we set about to find some birds. And almost right away, we saw two bald eagles though our spotting scope. Then we saw some other pretty things: yellow warbler, yellow-headed blackbird, killdeer, red-winged blackbirds, great blue heron, lesser egret, green heron, osprey, and, Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-57665329154724235412011-03-29T13:48:00.000-07:002011-03-29T13:48:10.144-07:00Fruita Mountain Biking Trip: Big & GloriousThe 2011 edition of the Fruita mountain biking trip was big (15 kids, 2 youth leaders, and 9 adults) and glorious, owing to skilled support from Scot Colburn (BVICO), Catherine Powers (Casey Middle School), Andy Brannon (Trips for Kids), Andy Stephens (BVICO), and a small army of parents. Special thanks is owed Catherine for having planned many of the outing details even though she was not able Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-19755105341225168972011-03-18T16:40:00.000-07:002011-03-18T18:40:15.151-07:00Snowshoeing with Pioneer ElementaryBoulder Valley ICO led a single-day snowshoeing trip near in the Indian Peaks wilderness for kids from Pioneer Elementary School. Thanks to Mary Claire Collins, Ira Star, Andy Stephens, Caroline Hogue, and Michael Le Desma for organizing and leading this trip.
Here's a short video from the outing:
And here is a story book version of the outing, courtesy of Lukas Le Desma (age 5):
Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-42354850059159401402011-03-10T19:24:00.000-08:002011-03-10T19:24:07.432-08:00Our First Camera-Trapping Outing Was A Huge Success!Boulder Valley ICO's first-ever outing to combine camera-trapping with water sampling was a huge success. We took 12 kids from Casey Middle School (on the school's Science Day) water sampling, where they measured pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen, and took samples for nitrates and phosphates. Then we met Christian Nunes of the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks agency who guided us to Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-64148470045621088722011-03-09T09:11:00.000-08:002011-03-09T09:53:29.781-08:00Boulder Valley ICO & Place Bridge Academy at Dinosaur RidgeOur recent trip to Dinosaur Ridge with kids from Place Bridge Academy was great. We had excellent weather and the dinosaur footprints were really cool. Thanks for Margaret Rohan, Carmen Kuri-Moeller, and Andrea Barriga, and Michael Le Desma for putting this trip together.
Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-49701683203693530492011-02-17T12:50:00.000-08:002011-02-17T13:01:32.445-08:00President Obama on the America's Great Outdoors Project
The President commissioned a study of how better to promote conservation, outdoor recreation, and healthy lifestyles. The President describes this report and this project in this speech.
The Report, itself, is here.
http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/
ICO is mentioned on page 152. So, in case you are wondering, we really are part of a national movement to get kids outdoors and Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-12016806125792353442011-01-23T19:58:00.001-08:002011-01-23T20:05:56.491-08:00Hessie Scary Night HikeOn Oct 22, Volunteers from BVICO brought along 12 youngsters from several Boulder area middle schools on a great night hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. We shuttled the group to the Hessie Trailhead after gearing everyone up in warm winter clothes. When we arrived, it was dark and misty which made it perfect our adventure to the haunted abandoned cabins 1 mile up the trail. Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-60882148431047419712010-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:002010-09-15T10:36:08.983-07:00Mt. Zirkel Video: The Funniest BVICO Outing Video EverWe had the pleasure of having Evan Geary, the national Sierra Club video intern, join us on our trip to the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness this summer, and he produced the following, absolutely hilarious, video. In addition to being hilarious, I think the video does a great job of capturing the BVICO experience. Thanks to Linda Muscatell for assembling and leading this zany outing. And thanks to Evan Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-28563465934379178672010-09-13T09:12:00.000-07:002010-09-14T21:12:52.988-07:00Gorgeous weekend to encourage youth to explore, enjoy and protect the great outdoors at Lake Pueblo
Our group gets ready to roll.
ICO Youth Leader Moises bags trash collected by Chris.
Boulder Valley Inner City Outings organized a weekend trip to the shores of Lake Pueblo in south-central Colorado. The area lived up to its reputation of great weather to enjoy a myriad of outdoor activities. Our outing focused on learning the basics of mountain biking and low-impact camping, and included a Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-12663071309220401892010-04-30T22:59:00.000-07:002010-04-30T23:12:56.705-07:00Fruita Trip - March 2010ICO ran a 4-day camping and mountain biking trip to Fruita with kids from the C-A-S-E-Y spells CASEY Bike Club and two brave kids from Centaurus High School. The mountain bikes and ride leading were provided by Trips For Kids Denver/Boulder. We were treated to clear weather and dry trails at the beginning of the season. No crowds! We rode 5 or 6 different trails, took a sunset hike one evening, Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09901577642438706491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-18983871120508820402010-02-21T14:42:00.000-08:002010-02-21T14:53:55.687-08:00Snowcave trip - January, 2010On a sunny and relatively warm winter day, we built a snowcave in the Caribou area. The trip also involved belly sledding on a magic carpet, followed by destruction of the snowcave. That was a shame because we could have easily rented out our amazing snowcave to one of the skiers passing by!Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09901577642438706491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-20602513507161424492010-01-08T10:15:00.000-08:002010-01-08T14:40:06.466-08:00Scary Fish 2009It took a while to get this video together but here it is: footage from our "Scary Fish" backpacking trip in 2009. This trip is so-named because the fish in the lakes we visit on this outing are so big they're scary. Thanks to Kera Tafoya and Melissa Pierce for making this trip a success. It was, indeed, a lot of fun.Note: This video makes fair use of copyrighted material by Lyle Lovett.Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-8692680156660732010-01-07T09:49:00.000-08:002010-01-07T10:20:12.173-08:00Congratulations, After-the-Holidays Party, & 2009 StatisticsCongratulations!Congratulations to all of the volunteers who make Boulder Valley ICO so successful! We have been awarded the Special Achievement Award from the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club for our outstanding work over the last year and a half.Congratulations are also due to Linda Muscatell, our treasurer, who has been awarded a Certification of Appreciation for her contributions toBoulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-12337603167227949732009-12-06T12:52:00.000-08:002009-12-26T08:06:38.434-08:00Canyonlands 2009We had another great trip to Canyonlands National Park just before Thanksgiving. The group comprised 19 youth from at least 7 different schools and 10 adults including 8 BVICO volunteers and 2 Colorado Youth Program staff. The trip was a FULL 4 days with 1 night of car camping and 2 nights backpacking in smaller groups. The weather was cold but very sunny - at least for a precious few hours each Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09901577642438706491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-53934656901511305522009-10-22T00:25:00.000-07:002010-03-04T07:41:09.151-08:00Night HikeOur friends from I Have A Dream ... had a nightmare!Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-82061411967992830292009-10-21T10:49:00.000-07:002010-03-04T07:41:42.244-08:00Re-Posting of Video from Mt. Zirkel Backpacking Trip!Once again, Linda Muscatell knocks it out of the park with a great 4-day backpacking trip in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. Special thanks to Shawn Bratt and Andrea Villa for providing expert angling instruction. It was an amazing trip, one of the best Boulder Valley ICO has ever run.NOTE: This re-posting includes the audio stripped from the earlier posting.Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-25259333263766795512009-10-07T19:39:00.000-07:002009-10-07T19:50:22.037-07:00Fulford Cave & Hut TripNobody has written an entry in a while. We must be busy here at Boulder Valley ICO!We had a wonderful early October weekend exploring Fulford Cave and staying overnight at the Peter Estin hut. It was a beautiful weekend and, as the trip description predicted, there were great fall colors and a little bit of snow.We had an adventurous 2.25 hours inside the cave and explored parts of the cave Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09901577642438706491noreply@blogger.com2