CLTL Fall

This Fall, besides extremely busy, was more than i expected out of a graduate school program. I was especially impressed with our field trips to various protected areas, including overnight at Rocky Mountain National park and two nights at Pingree Park, as well as visiting Soap Stone, Barr Lake State Park,  a Solar and a Wind farm,  the place where the Hayman Fire and High Park fire took place, Biking around Fort Collins and visiting various City agencies, New Belgium (how could i forget the brewery tour, our sustainable field trip!), Grant Family Farm, Soldias Farm, Phantom Canyon,  The Nature Conservancy in Boulder... It was really busy and wonderful to learn so much about this part of Colorado. I feel that i have learned a great deal and am very happy. Now that it is break and I am able to digress the crazy semester I realize how amazing it was. At times i was very pushed challenged with group projects, presentations and the 7 am to 4pm field trips on fridays. Yet, was it worth it? YES!
The assignments themselves were innovative. I really enjoyed our Made to Stick Presentation. We had to present how to convince Brewers in Fort Collins, to pay for watershed services. We only had five minutes to explain how important it was to invest in the watershed through props, skits, etc. I also enjoyed our video assignment on explaining the anthropocene. Also our debates were extremely fun. We had to take on the side of the argument (on a conservation issue) that we do not agree with. We were encourage to act. Also our public communique which we had to communicate to farmers why they should provide a wetland habitat on their farm for migratory birds. Our classes included:

• Water Resources (NR 540A)
• Ecosystem Services (NR 540D)
• Conservation in a Complex and Dynamic World (NR 540 B/C)
• Conservation Policy, Finance and Governance (NR 541)
• Conflict and Conservation (NR 543 A)
• Conservation Leadership and Systems Thinking (NR 549)