tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22342539010406524672011-11-19T22:15:13.697-08:00Providing 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.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-83403220797986703372011-09-29T12:20:00.000-07:002011-10-06T08:42:28.235-07:00

This 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-23125367576237569232011-09-19T20:33:00.001-07:002011-09-19T20:36:36.209-07:00

On 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-66125073038466498642011-06-30T12:17:00.000-07:002011-06-30T12:17:18.160-07:00

On 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-31706594199961190662011-05-14T13:25:00.000-07:002011-05-14T13:25:14.123-07:00

It 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-57665329154724235412011-03-29T13:48:00.000-07:002011-03-29T13:48:10.144-07:00

The 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-19755105341225168972011-03-18T16:40:00.000-07:002011-03-18T18:40:15.151-07:00

Boulder 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-42354850059159401402011-03-10T19:24:00.000-08:002011-03-10T19:24:07.432-08:00

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-64148470045621088722011-03-09T09:11:00.000-08:002011-03-09T09:53:29.781-08:00

Our 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-49701683203693530492011-02-17T12:50:00.000-08:002011-02-17T13:01:32.445-08:00

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 reconnected to

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-12016806125792353442011-01-23T19:58:00.001-08:002011-01-23T20:05:56.491-08:00

On 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. Hiking buddies in

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-60882148431047419712010-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:002010-09-15T10:36:08.983-07:00

We 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-28563465934379178672010-09-13T09:12:00.000-07:002010-09-14T21:12:52.988-07:00

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-12663071309220401892010-04-30T22:59:00.000-07:002010-04-30T23:12:56.705-07:00

ICO 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-18983871120508820402010-02-21T14:42:00.000-08:002010-02-21T14:53:55.687-08:00

On 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-20602513507161424492010-01-08T10:15:00.000-08:002010-01-08T14:40:06.466-08:00

It 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-8692680156660732010-01-07T09:49:00.000-08:002010-01-07T10:20:12.173-08:00

Congratulations!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 to

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-12337603167227949732009-12-06T12:52:00.000-08:002009-12-26T08:06:38.434-08:00

We 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-53934656901511305522009-10-22T00:25:00.000-07:002010-03-04T07:41:09.151-08:00

Our 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-82061411967992830292009-10-21T10:49:00.000-07:002010-03-04T07:41:42.244-08:00

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-25259333263766795512009-10-07T19:39:00.000-07:002009-10-07T19:50:22.037-07:00

Nobody 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.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-50697337273709831582009-08-10T20:29:00.000-07:002009-08-10T21:10:00.650-07:00

Here are our current permission slips:

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-65664442150124703132009-08-04T10:59:00.002-07:002009-08-08T12:13:34.848-07:00

Boulder Valley ICO mourns the loss of Efrain Castaneda, a former program participant and student at Casey Middle School. An article on his death can be found here:http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/aug/03/boulder-boy-killed-mexico-car-efrain-castaneda/The viewing will be held at Crist Mortuary, 3395 Penrose Place, Boulder, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, August 4th. The rosary will also be

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-24642012971301468202009-04-11T23:20:00.000-07:002009-04-13T23:38:36.144-07:00

Boulder Valley ICO led a 5-day backpacking trip in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah in late March. A group of 9 kids from Manhattan and Angevine middle school toured this amazing place. Thanks to Linda Muscatell (principal organizer) and volunteers Michael Le Desma and Kera Tafoya for making this far-flung adventure so much fun.

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-18588515308120602322009-03-11T22:21:00.000-07:002009-08-10T23:22:27.277-07:00

100% Volunteer-powered!How do I find out more about BVICO and apply to volunteer?A: Send and email to boulderico@gmail.comWhat is the time commitment?A: Although everyone's situation is different, we generally ask for volunteers to serve at least 5 volunteer-days per year. A long trip like the Canyonlands backpacking trip would count for virtually all of this quota, or you could participate in

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-23884693323109681552009-02-27T13:16:00.000-08:002009-03-03T22:27:08.075-08:00

Boulder Valley ICO led a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park on 2/21/09. We started at the Bear Lake Trailhead and headed toward Dream Lake. We didn't quite make it to the lake, though, because ... well ... I think the video says it all. Thanks to volunteers Hannah Harman, Luz Helena Florez, and Simon de Szoeke for making this trip a success.

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-52014599791648194912009-02-07T21:02:00.000-08:002009-02-07T21:08:44.236-08:00

We had fun!

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-30017403930008951012008-12-29T21:04:00.000-08:002008-12-29T21:21:38.048-08:00

A humble request to check out how our new and secure online donation page works. Try the link out or click the Donate Now button above. Even a small donation of $25. or so can go a long ways. ICO is an all volunteer-run organization, so donations go directly to fund outings, not overhead or salary. To run our outings, we need to pay for gear, food, fuel, and permits. Your donation is 100%

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-71450225043278960832008-12-13T16:13:00.000-08:002008-12-27T21:51:04.050-08:00

Just before Thanksgiving, sixteen youth and eight adults from Boulder Valley ICO and the Colorado Youth Program (thanks, CYP!) had a 4-day adventure in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. We took full advantage of the school break and the fine late fall weather in Colorado and Utah. We left Boulder around 8AM, traveling in CYP's van and private vehicles. We stopped for lunch

Davehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09901577642438706491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-66375029711313687542008-12-08T00:07:00.000-08:002008-12-13T18:26:10.797-08:00

Boulder Valley ICO partners with the Water Sentinels program, the City of Boulder, and Trout Unlimited to run monthly water sampling/fly fishing outings in Boulder County. Water Sentinels is a national surface water sampling program of the Sierra Club which supplies our sampling equipment and primary funding for these outings. The City of Boulder supports these outings by paying for laboratory

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-39103833751771390452008-10-21T19:35:00.000-07:002009-08-10T22:32:07.835-07:00

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-7415922491824746142008-10-18T21:40:00.000-07:002008-12-13T19:04:04.290-08:00

Boulder Valley ICO Gear GuideThe Boulder Group of the Sierra Club’s Inner City Outings program takes participants on real wilderness adventures where proper clothing and equipment is important for safety. With each outings permission slip, we provide an information sheet that lists what gear participants should bring on the outing. This guide explains those listed items in greater detail.Guía de

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-12432266263288798752008-06-28T21:54:00.000-07:002009-03-25T19:22:21.051-07:00

Around Colorado : "A Photographic Diary of Colorado Adventure," this site is beautiful and informative. Incredible pictures, great trip reports, and links to other resources. Worth a look, even though it seems not to have been updated since 2006.CoTrip : Current statewide road conditions from state officialsWeather service: National weather service has the most straightforward

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-41124729477099677532008-06-22T21:58:00.000-07:002008-06-22T22:49:30.248-07:00

ICO NEEDS GEAR!We lend our participants all the equipment they need for our outings. This trip served 19 youth backpacking in Canyonlands National Park, requiring scrounging around for lots of gear! If you have gear in functioning condition just taking up space in your closet, please consider donating that gear to ICO.The REI Store in Boulder will collect used gear for Boulder Valley ICO during

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-67812199010089174052008-06-22T01:00:00.000-07:002008-06-22T12:56:38.958-07:00

Our partner agency Angevine Middle School has been attracting lots of new kids for our outings with videos like this one, which are aired on the school's closed-circuit TV. And of course, these videos are posted to YouTube.What are your ideas for recruitment?

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234253901040652467.post-72461481627621538492008-06-21T23:28:00.000-07:002008-12-27T21:52:59.306-08:00

WHO WE ARE:Boulder Valley Inner City Outings (ICO) is a community outreach program of the Sierra Club that provides free nature outings to children (and adults) who would not otherwise have these opportunities. We take participants backpacking, hiking, fishing, snowshoeing, camping, mountain biking, skiing, canoeing, etc. We also run a water sampling and fly fishing program in partnership with

Boulder Valley ICOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15546871031443557879noreply@blogger.com