The Forests & Fire Field Research Experience is a residential field course for teens, collaboratively led by CU Science Discovery and Cal-Wood Education Center, in partnership with Nature Kids / Las Jóvenes de la Naturaleza Lafayette (NKJN).
Each summer, teens participating in the 5-day field course work alongside scientists, using a variety of field research techniques and technologies to learn about Cal-Wood’s forest and the impacts of the 2020 Cal-Wood Wildfire, which burned for several weeks on the Cal-Wood property. Field research activities include: taking and examining tree core samples to learn how tree rings are used to help reconstruct climate histories; using drones to collect images of the fire’s impact on Cal-Wood’s forest; running vegetation transects to ground-truth vegetation data collected by drone; exploring the impacts of fire on the property's streams and ponds and aquatic creatures; and spending time performing restoration activities to regrow the burned areas. Throughout the week, teens interact with visiting scientists-- ecologists and geologists from CU Boulder and Colorado State University, restoration experts from The Nature Conservancy and Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, etc.), other guest speakers such as the Wildland Fire Operations Specialist for Boulder County, and near-peer mentors who provide diverse perspectives on wildfire in the Boulder County region. Campers will stay in dorms and eat in the Lodge. We'll balance mornings in the field doing science with afternoons and evenings spent recreating outdoors, trying new activities, doing arts and crafts, playing games and having a fun camp experience.
Our next Forests & Fire Field Research Experience at Cal-Wood is scheduled for July 24-28, 2023.
Field Course Highlights
