This week, some adventurous 4-H’ers are taking part in an exciting program. Building off the success of last year, we have again teamed with the Denver County Extension Office to offer a great youth development opportunity.
4-H D2D (Durango to Denver) is an exchange opportunity for young people to learn about the kids and cultures of different places in Colorado that are different (and sometimes similar) from their own community.
During the exchange, participants will be exposed to cultural differences, learn about area history and learn to work with their peers. Another goal of this exchange is for these young Coloradans to see and appreciate the natural beauty of their state in a unique, youth-centered way.
During this five-day adventure, youth participants will learn about life in Southwest Colorado and the Denver metro area. They will get to see the landscape using a myriad of different transportation modes, and they will tour places most youths don’t see on their own. All of the cities 4-H’ers will visit have a “downtown,” parks and culturally important features where they can ask questions, take notes and engage.
This year’s educational component will focus on mapmaking. Teams will be using handheld GPS units to track waypoints of all the unique places they visit. They will transfer their data onto computers with GIS software to produce a map of their trip. Teams will give a presentation explaining their maps and the lessons they learned throughout the trip.
Today, we are riding the train from Durango to Silverton and back. We should all be wearing 4-H T-shirts, so stop us and say “Hi” if you happen to cross our path.
HHH
This Saturday is the 15th annual Old Fort Jackpot – Steer, Lamb and Goat Classic. It will be held under the big tent at the Old Fort in Hesperus. There will be a free showmanship class and lunch for all participants (4-H and FFA).
Entries will be accepted the morning of the show. There are no washing facilities available but water tanks are available for animals. Please bring lawn chairs for viewing. For more information, call Beth at 385-4574.
Again this year, there will be a special Summer Salad at lunch. The lettuce greens used in the salad are produced at the Old Fort by the 4-H Giving Back Garden Project. There also will be bags of lettuce for people who would like to take some home. You really can’t get more local than that.
felsengh@co.laplata.co.us or 382-6463. Greg Felsen is the La Plata County 4-H youth development agent.
