Resources
Reading Suggestions
The Colorado Trail Foundation. The Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook. The Colorado Mountain Club Press: Golden, CO. 2002.
Huber, Thomas & Robert Larkin. The San Luis Valley of Colorado: A Geographical Sketch. The Hulbert Center for Southwestern Studies, Colorado College: Colorado Springs, CO. 1996.
Jenkins, Myra Ellen & Albert H. Schroeder. A Brief History of New Mexico. The University of New Mexico Press: Albuquerque, NM. 1974.
Lavender, David. The Southwest. Harper & Row: New York, NY. 1980.
Nichols, John. The Milagro Beanfield War. Ballantine Books: Toronto, Canada. 1976.
Useful sites
Anansi Day School
The Anansi Schools serve children 3-8 years old. The Day School includes the preschool and afterschool, while the Anansi Charter School is Kindergarten through Second Grade.
Carson National Forest
The Carson National Forest is one of five National Forests in New Mexico. Some of the finest mountain scenery in the Southwest is found in the 1.5 million acres covered by the Carson National Forest. Elevations rise from 6,000 feet to 13,161 feet at Wheeler Peak, the highest in New Mexico. Our objective is to maintain that natural beauty, through conservation projects including trail maintenance and erosion control.
Center for Contemporary Arts
The Center for Contemporary Arts is dedicated to representing the arts of our time as a critical component of social, political, economic, and educational discourse. Because the arts stem from all facets of human nature and interaction, they should be perceived as an active participant in the greater course of human events. The arts should be equally capable of questioning, answering, following, leading, running interference, causing distraction and illuminating.
CCA pursues this course by making available to the community the widest possible selection of media produced by new and inquisitive voices and by attempting to broadcast the insights and impulses of our community out toward the world. CCA believes that the artist's voice is intrinsically tied to the community at large and attempts to magnify that voice within that context. Reaching people not by marketing to differences or societal polarities, but by providing a means of communication - the arts - that transcends the strata of stereotypes and otherness in a responsive and dedicated environment.
CCA represents current art endeavors because art informs people about one another and about the directions in which we move.
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife
Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center is certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is the only certified public wildlife sanctuary in the state of Colorado. The AZA is America's leading accrediting organization that sets rigorous, professional standards for zoos and aquariums.
"Our Mission…Educate, Preserve, Protect. Whether it is because we desire to have a piece of the wild next to us, own them for a status symbol, or think we can domesticate a wild spirit, we believe it is wrong."
Comanche National Grassland
http://www.vipgrafx.com/misc/cng.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/coma/
http://www.trailsandgrasslands.org/comanche.html
Historic trails, dinosaur tracks, Indian rock art - the Comanche National Grassland has it, and more. This 435,000 acre treasure in southeastern Colorado will appeal to anyone interested in history, botany, zoology, ornithology and just about any other "ology" you can think of. Or if you simply prefer to look at beautiful sights, this is the place to come.
Crestone Charter School
The mission of the Crestone Charter School is to provide a stimulating experiential program that, in a creatively structured atmosphere, nurtures each student's sense of wonder and natural desire to learn.
Emphasizing academic excellence and uniqueness of character, the Crestone Charter School strives to inspire healthy responsibility in relationships with self, community and environment, both locally and globally.
DreamTree Project
The DreamTree Project exists to provide a respectful, loving, safe place for growth and potential to become independent, involved members of the community.
Easter Seals Camp
Regarded as one of the top Easter Seals camps in the country, Rocky Mountain Village is fully accessible and used by more than 500 children and adults with disabilities for summer camp sessions. The remainder of the year, campers enjoy respite weekends, providing a brief get-away while giving their families a rest from constant care-giving. At Rocky Mountain Village, campers enjoy horseback riding, fishing, arts and crafts, outdoor camping, hiking, and other group activities.
Explora Science
Explora: creating opportunities for inspirational discovery and the joy of lifelong learning through interactive experiences in science, technology and art. Explora features 250 interactive science, technology, and art exhibits.
Great Sand Dunes
This geologic wonderland, containing over 30 square miles of massive dunes, became a national monument in 1932. With the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act, resources now also include alpine lakes and tundra, six peaks over 13,000' in elevation, ancient spruce and pine forests, large stands of aspen and cottonwood, grasslands, and wetlands--all habitat for diverse wildlife and plant species.
Koshare Indian Museum
Through the preservation and interpretation of Southwest and Plains tribal art and artifacts, the Koshare Indian Museum provides a practical educational experience to visitors and residents of all ages and offers a Scouting program aimed at enhancing the lives of youth through an appreciation for and interpretation of the arts, cultures, and dances of Native Americans.
The Koshare Indian Museum is patterned after the Pueblo architecture found throughout the southwest, featuring the world's largest self supporting log roof and housing a magnificent collection of Native American art and artifacts.
The museum is also unique in that it was built through the efforts of and is home to the Koshare Indian Dancers - Troop 232 and Venturing Crew 2230 of the Rocky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America.
KW Farm
KW Farm is family owed and run by John and Trudi Kretsinger and their son Bothe, who is a college student and works on the farm part-time. John and Trudi have been growing in Alamosa for 14 years. They grow certified organic potatoes and many different grades of organic forage, including alfalfa, oat, oat hay, winter rye, triticale and wheat. KW Farm also raises grass-finished beef.
La Puente
La Puente Home is a 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation that serves Colorado's San Luis Valley by providing emergency shelter, food services, advocacy, and transitional assistance for the homeless and community members in crisis.
Founded in 1982, the initial purpose of La Puente was to serve as an overnight facility. However, after the emergency shelter program was established, it became more apparent that the needs of the homeless were more complex than a simple overnight facility could provide. With time and dedicated staff and volunteers, the services of La Puente Home have expanded gradually to include many subsidiary services and programs.
Larga Vista Ranch
Nestled on the bluffs overlooking the Huerfano River, near its confluence with the Arkansas, te owners of Larga Vista Ranch have farmed and cared for this land for over eighty years. During the past twenty years they have eliminated the need for pesticides on their farm through the use of crop rotation, intensively managed irrigated pasture development, and sound animal nutrition practices.
Lathrop State Park
http://www.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaname=Lathrop%20State%20Park
Lathrop State Park features two reservoirs with a combined surface acreage of 320 acres. These reservoirs are fed by the Coler Ditch from the Cucharas River and named Martin and Horseshoe Lakes. Recreation opportunities in the park are focus around these two bodies of water. The park is open year-round and provides camping facilities for the warmer months.
Mesa Winds Farm
Mesa Winds is predominantly an organic apple and peach orchard run by Wink and Max, two of the nicest people you may ever meet. Wink is a former environmental lawyer who focused on Land Trusts for a good long time and Max is a former artist. Now they are living their dream and trying their hand in the precarious art of farming organic produce--the craze that is sweeping the nation and the only sector of the food industry which is actually growing at the moment--and learning from mistakes and the awesome organic community that surrounds them in that area.
Mission: Wolf
Mission:Wolf is a peaceful wolf sanctuary located in the remote mountains of Colorado. Many people who visit the sanctuary are astounded by how far removed we are from civilization. This comes from the desire to provide our resident wolves with the most peaceful life as possible. We have large fenced-in areas for the wolves to call home. We experience the tragedy that results when wolves are confined to captivity; therefore we discourage the keeping of wolves as pets.
To ensure the wolf's survival in the wild lands of the United States, we educate the public about wolves and the importance of habitat protection.
Orient Land Trust
Orient Land Trust is a nonprofit land trust dedicated to the preservation of natural resources, wildlife habitat, open space, and historic and geologic features of the northern San Luis Valley for the enjoyment of current and future generations. This is a clothing optional facility, but it is The Center for Service & Learning's protocol that CC students wear clothing.
San Juan National Forest
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan/visitors_center/sjma/interp1.htm
San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance personal and community stewardship of natural, cultural, and heritage resources on public and other lands in Southwest Colorado through interpretation, information, education and participation. In addition to the clearinghouse we offer a variety of volunteer educational programs. As a volunteer or member you will receive satisfaction from knowing you are helping protect and care for the beautiful public lands in our area.
San Luis Valley Boys and Girls Club
The Boys and Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley strive to ensure that all children and youth, especially those who need it most, are offered opportunities to realize their full potential as responsible, caring and productive citizens of a richly diverse world. These clubs provide support to young people; a place to discover their needs, pursue their interests, nurture their talents, broaden their viewpoints, dissolve their prejudices, and resolve their conflicts.
Santa Cruz Farms
A family farm run by Don Bustos. Don is the former President of the Santa Fe Farmer's Market & will teach you a lot about organic and sustainable farming in New Mexico.
St. Elizabeth's Shelter
St. Elizabeth Shelter serves homeless individuals and families in Santa Fe and in the surrounding rural New Mexico counties. The Shelter is dedicated to helping homeless individuals to live more productive, stable and satisfying lives, without discrimination of any kind.
St. Elizabeth Shelter's goal is to move all guests into permanent housing. The Shelter realizes that this is a difficult goal to achieve as there are many factors that might impede the homeless. Such factors may include: lack of affordable housing; low paying jobs; substance abuse; mental illness; and poverty. The success rate of placing the homeless into permanent housing is difficult at best to measure; still, based on data gathered by our staff, 6% to 8% of our guests say they have found permanent housing upon leaving the shelter.
Santa Fe Children's Museum
The Santa Fe Children's Museum is a place for families to learn and play together. The interactive exhibits, beauty of the outdoor garden, diversity of programs, and professional staff make for a special museum visit.
Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity
Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity promotes home ownership by building houses in partnership with Santa Fe County residents in need of adequate housing, and with community volunteers.
Santa Fe Habitat does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, age, handicap, religion, marital status, or because any portion of an applicant's income is derived from public assistance programs.
Santa Fe Mountain Center
The Santa Fe Mountain Center is dedicated to promoting personal discovery and social change among youth, families, and groups through the use of creative learning experiences in wilderness, community, and cultural environments.
Santa Fe Rape Crisis Center
The Santa Fe Rape Crisis Center's Mission is comprehensive. We seek to build and maintain a community free of sexual violence by:
- Providing education and training to promote the prevention of sexual violence.
- Maintaining crisis response services for those affected by sexual violence
- Assisting survivors and their families to overcome the trauma associated with sexual violence
- Treating and rehabilitating people affected by sexual violence in our community and northern New Mexico.
- Providing therapeutic services to sexually aggressive children to stop the cycle of sexual violence
- Working with other groups, agencies, and organizations to inform, educate, respond, and heal the communities of Santa Fe and northern New Mexico
- Providing a presence in the court to better ensure justice for all parties involved in sexual violence
Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years.
Tapetes de Lana
Vocational training program that demonstrates that the cottage weaving industry offers a fulfilling, empowering and economically-sustaining option, particularly for individuals who wish to remain in their rural communities.
The Horse Shelter
First and foremost, the Shelter is dedicated to providing a safe, healthy, and loving environment for rescued horses. They follow up on each and every report received of horse abuse or neglect. In addition, they provide information on proper horse care for horse owners. The Horse Shelter makes every attempt to assist individuals in the care of their horses. They also pursue legal action in abuse cases when it becomes necessary.
Trinidad State Nursing Home
The Trinidad State Nursing Home, located in southeastern Colorado, is a 158-bed skilled nursing facility open to all eligible Colorado residents. Trinidad's beautiful scenery and rich cultural history makes this rural community a very unique place to live.
The staff are committed to promoting the health, growth, and rehabilitation of the residents, while enabling residents and their families to maintain self-sufficiency, dignity, and peace of mind. This commitment is reflected in the operation of the facility. For example, both the rehabilitation program and the housekeeping services program have been recognized nationally for providing superior service.
The facility features a diversified schedule of programming and entertainment. Local outings and onsite shopping are available to residents. In addition, the facility operates an adult day care program.
Watermelon Mountain Ranch
A no-kill animal facility in New Mexico was the dream of Sophia and Lee Di Clemente in early 1996, shortly after they moved to the area. There were thousands of lost, abandoned, and stray animals being euthanized every year in New Mexico. Watermelon Mountain Ranch was conceived several years later, and a group of like-minded volunteers began to rescue and find homes for animals in Sandoval county and Albuquerque.
Wildlife Guardians
http://www.socorro-nm.com/lajencia.htm
Wildlife Guardians has four programs focusing on wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and climate and energy. Its mission is to protect and restore wildlife, wild places and wild rivers in the American West.