Education and Conservation on the River

The Museum's Unique Approach to Teacher Professional Development 

Day two of the trip, participants paddle in awe past Rattlesnake Monocline, a giant fold in the Earth’s crust accessible to observers within Horsethief Canyon. (Photo/ Teo Miu)

Over the past summer, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science hosted a professional development course for teachers called “Native Plants, Animals, People and Sky.” During this time, participant teachers immersed themselves for three days in the wild and secluded beauty of Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. Accompanied by a teacher-trainer and naturalist from the Museum, participants explored how human activity, past and present, has continuously impacted our natural world. Educators gained important background knowledge about topics in their science and social studies curricula including resource management, ecology, geology, western history and astronomy.  

Below, Catalyst contributor and Teacher Programs Consultant, Tamera Sakotas, reflects on the experience: 

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Educators and their "plus ones," along with guides from Centennial Canoe and teacher trainers from the Museum, gather together for one final shot before pushing off at the Loma Boat Ramp and embarking on a three-day, two night canoe trip down the Colorado River. (Photo courtesy of Teo Miu)

Last summer, I participated in one of the most unique professional learning experiences of my life. Together with a crew of adventurous K-12 educators, I floated down the Colorado River, through ancient river bends and past massive canyon high walls. There is nothing like the omnipresent sound of rushing water echoing through miles and miles of sandstone to inspire awe. It was humbling and silencing. Along the way we stayed at shared campgrounds and we slept under the stars. Our group hiked through narrow passages and over railroad bridges into McGinnis Canyon National Conservation area where we were the only visitors paying reverence to a petroglyph panel from the Fremont culture created more than 1,000 years ago. This field course was like no other that I am aware of. It was evident that teachers left feeling inspired to welcome the richness of the natural world more intentionally into their classrooms. 

On the river, along the 30-mile float between Colorado and Utah, we were introduced to the Ruby Horsethief Canyon, which takes its name after the epic sandstone cliffs that line the canyon walls. Together we learned to “read the rock,” to observe sedimentary features and changes in color due to oxidation over time. We tested the health of the water, we discovered fossils on the shoreline, and we imagined for just three days what living in the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras might have been like. 

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Carissa Gasperetti waves hello after she and other participants tied their canoes up to establish camp on the first night at the Cottonwood Campsite in Ruby Canyon on the Colorado River. (Photo/ Tamera Sakotas)

Every summer the Museum invites educators and their plus-ones on rare adventures like this. Each year, the excursions alternate between land and water. The Museum always partners with local outfitters who care for and support participants along the way. In 2024, outfitters Centennial Canoe served as our guide; they not only kept our group informed about the ways of the water and how to navigate ebbs and flows of its velocity, but they also happen to be exceptional chefs. The guides provided canoes, safety gear, dry bags and wholesome, well-planned and prepared food for more than 20 people. It was an impressive feat indeed! 

In addition to local guides, the Museum educator and program facilitator, Tim Blesse, was remarkably knowledgeable about ecology, geology and Colorado’s history. Beyond logistics, such as recommended packing lists and the frequently asked questions on canoe travel, the orientation held a few weeks before the trip itself was packed full of resources and hands-on experiences.  

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Tim Blesse, a Teacher Programs Consultant and lead Naturalist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, shares a smile after leading the group on a nature walk through Mee Canyon in Western Colorado. (Photo/ Teo Miu)

To prepare participants for the experience, the Museum partnered with experts within the community. The Colorado Department of Natural Resources facilitated a session on the invasive species that threaten our native flora and fauna. CSU Spur’s Water Education Coordinator led an introductory session on the history of the Colorado River with particular emphasis on conservation. Museum staff shared rare artifacts from their education collection that included taxidermy mounts of animals native to the region, such as a kangaroo rat, a great blue heron and a porcupine.  

Along the river, friendships were forged, ideas were shared and people disconnected from the pressures of their normal lives. It is true that one canoe tipped and that the passengers had to swim to shore. But the dunk cooled them off in the hot summer sun, and we later raised cups of wine in reflection and laughter. Many teachers who participated in the field course told me that the experience, including the orientation, was the most fun and meaningful professional learning they have encountered.  

The trip, for me, was a highlight of my summer. I feel deep gratitude for the opportunity to gain valuable experience alongside experts in the field of environmental education. For next summer, I look forward taking part in another trip and cultivating my own naturalist sensibilities with colleagues and educators in my community. I hope other teachers passionate about understanding and preserving nature will join me.  

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Program participants hiked through and to McDonald Canyon to investigate rock art created by the Fremont people, a pre-Columbian archeological culture, dating back to approximately 2,000-700 years ago. (Photo/ Tamera Sakotas)

About Summer Field Courses for Educators at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science 

Field courses of this kind have been a staple of the Museum’s teacher professional development programming for nearly a decade. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is proud to offer teachers with this unique accredited professional development opportunity. We look forward to venturing to new locations and to exploring new wonders in the summers to come. We also intend to expand program offerings to include single day, outdoor learning retreats.

This summer, we're planning an outdoor learning retreat for elementary educators to urban sanctuary at Bluff Lake Nature Center, and a three-day field course experience for K-12 educators will bring participants in and around the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  Interested in learning more? Please visit our website to explore our upcoming Museum-Sponsored Workshops & Courses.  

About the author:  

Tamera Sakotas joined the ExciteEd team as a Teacher Programs Consultant at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in the fall of 2023. Prior to the Museum, she worked in a variety of teaching and learning environments, often directly with youth and always in partnership with other educators. However, until the summer of 2024 her experiences had never included a multiday professional development course in the wilds of nature. In June of 2024, she participated in and supported a Museum-sponsored field course which brought 20 participants, mostly educators, down the Colorado River. Tamera was inspired by the experience and hopes that this account of that journey encourages other educators to inquire about similar opportunities with the Museum in the future.     

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