Last Friday, the 2020 summer River Rangers presented on their summer experience to our Board of Directors, and they inspired us all! TGF was honored to have these six wonderful and talented teens – Katie, Arlin, Destiny, Camila, Ivan, & Tori – taking on the uncertainty of this year with passion! Although their positions as River Rangers were different from their original expectations (pre-pandemic), the Rangers continuously brought new ideas, perspectives, and positivity to every day. Not a day went by without belly laughs and not a week without all out water game wars.
Throughout our summer together, our Ranger team worked on professional development, stewardship projects along the South Platte River, environmental education workshops, community science, and more. They even helped write SPREE camp curriculum that we can’t wait for Denver kids to learn! Our SPREE educators were so impressed all summer with the heart and creativity that the River Rangers brought to the table, and TGF is stronger from it!
Are the River Rangers similar to the outdoor classroom that led school aged children down the river many years ago started by Carl Crookham?
They are! Our school-year River Rangers actually teach on our SPREE field trips, which are a direct evolution of the trips Carl Crookham started many years ago. We still mention him and all he did at the river at our annual training 🙂