Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship Awarded Forester’s Honor

March 20, 2018
At the Regional Forester’s Honor Award ceremony: Nathan L. Stewart, Program Director and Associate Prof of Sustainability Studies; Autumn Grennier, Rocky Mountain Land Management Fellow serving White River National Forest; Brian Ferebee, Regional Forester for the Rocky Mountain Region; Eric Ganshert, Rocky Mountain Land Management Fellow serving Routt National Forest.

Awarded for Innovation The Rocky Mountain Land Management Internship (RMLMI), Colorado Mountain College’s U.S. Forest Service internship program, has been recognized for its innovation. The USDA/U.S. Forest Service awarded the RMLMI Program the Regional Forester’s Honor Award for its innovative work in creating and implementing the CMC-Forest Service program and partnership on March 14, 2018. This summer, interns will embark on 960 hours of field work, research, and training, in service to the White River and Routt National Forests.

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CMC, Monarch Ski Patrol Provide Avalanche Safety Scholarships for Local High School Students

February 22, 2018

CMC and Friends of Monarch Ski Patrol partner to promote avalanche education for high school students. Thanks to a successful collaboration between Colorado Mountain College and Friends of Monarch Ski Patrol, two Chaffee County high school students were able to expand their backcountry skills and avalanche safety knowledge this winter. Keagon Cox (Salida High School) and Andy Limoncelli (Buena Vista High School) benefited from this unique partnership as CMC scholarship recipients. The scholarship, provided by Friends of Monarch Ski Patrol, allowed Keagon and Andy to enroll in CMC’s OUT-168 Level 1 Avalanche Safety Course that was conducted in Salida and on Monarch Pass over three days in late January. “The students had to submit a short application,” says Zach Moore, Director of Ski Patrol at Monarch Mountain, “with either an essay, drawing, or multi-media piece on why they want to learn more about avalanches and what they hope to do with that information. From those applicants, we chose the two award winners, Keagon and Andy.” Friends of Monarch Ski Patrol paid for the student’s tuition, Colorado Mountain College covered the course fees, and Salida Mountain Sports generously provided touring gear for the students. “It’s wonderful to provide new (and some experienced) backcountry users some real information that they can use,” says Roger Coit, avalanche faculty at Colorado Mountain College, “We provide a great model for recreational safety practices and trip planning that students can use for the rest of their backcountry travel career.” With more and more people seeking solitude and powder turns, avalanche education is becoming a critical resource for backcountry users. Colorado Mountain College provides a variety of avalanche safety courses, for recreational and professional applications. Courses typically cost between $200 – $600, and provide vital information to allow someone to travel and explore the backcountry in a safer… Read more: CMC, Monarch Ski Patrol Provide Avalanche Safety Scholarships for Local High School Students

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Sustainability Studies: Bringing gross national happiness home

January 5, 2018

By Carrie Click Imagine a country that’s governed based on the happiness of its people rather than measuring its success on its gross national product. Such a place exists in the Himalayas in southern Asia. The Kingdom of Bhutan is east of Nepal and surrounded by India, Tibet and China. With 800,000 citizens, it’s just under 15,000 square miles – a bit smaller than Switzerland. The Centre for Bhutan Studies & Gross National Happiness invited nearly 400 government leaders, academics, sociologists and scientists from 26 countries to attend the seventh international conference on gross national happiness, “GNH of Business.” in November. The interactive conference explored ways that businesses around the world currently achieve GNH, as well as ways to further promote the concept. According to Investopedia.com, gross national happiness “attempts to measure the sum total not only of economic output, but also of net environmental impacts, the spiritual and cultural growth of citizens, mental and physical health and the strength of the corporate and political systems.” Representatives from two Western Slope entities – the Aspen International Mountain Foundation and Colorado Mountain College – traveled over 7,500 miles to take part in the conference. The Colorado delegation Founded in 2001, the Aspen International Mountain Foundation evolved from Aspen community leaders working with the United Nations’ Environment Program, the City of Aspen, the Aspen Institute and Aspen Sister Cities, among others. The nonprofit corporation promotes sustainable development in the world’s mountain communities. Karinjo Devore, president of the foundation, initially received an invitation for the November conference though was unable to attend because of a prior commitment. AIMF board member and City of Aspen attorney Jim True, and his wife Vicky, made the trip. “The invitation came to us, and we invited CMC to join us,” said True. Lorraine Miller, a Colorado Mountain… Read more: Sustainability Studies: Bringing gross national happiness home

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