This Fall Break, SPREE campers embarked on a wild adventure exploring Colorado’s incredible Cat and Canine residents! Over two action-packed days, we discovered the unique traits, behaviors, and adaptations of these amazing animals while connecting with the South Platte River ecosystem.
Day 1: Cats of Colorado 🐾
Our first day was all about the majestic big cats of Colorado—mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx! Campers dove into the world of these stealthy predators by examining real pelts from bobcats and mountain lions, identifying tracks, and learning how these cats survive and thrive in the wild.
The fun didn’t stop there! Campers took on physical challenges to see if they could match the incredible abilities of these felines. Could they jump as far as a mountain lion? Run as swiftly as a bobcat? Climb with the agility of a lynx? It was a blast watching everyone channel their inner wildcat! And of course, in true SPREE fashion we finished at the river, exploring our waterway and catching crawdads, leeches, clams, and more!
Day 2: Canines of Colorado 🐕
Day two brought the spotlight to the canines of Colorado, including coyotes and wolves. We started by breaking down what makes an animal a canine, examining their teeth and learning how those sharp canines help them eat and hunt. Then campers investigated how some animals can have Canine teeth, but not be considered a Canine animal. Campers compared the traits of bears and wild dogs, gaining a better understanding of the food chain and predator roles in Colorado’s ecosystems, as well as what distinguishes animals from each other. SPREE campers made crafts, learned about the wild dogs we have in our state, and even guessed what Canines are using the river near our camp building.
Both days, campers got hands-on with one of SPREE’s favorite activities—our Critter Crawl in the South Platte River! Searching for macroinvertebrates, and aquatic critters; getting a closer look never gets old and always deepens our appreciation for the life our river supports. Now I bet you’re thinking, getting in the river in November?! Nothing, not even cold temperatures, can stop our Campers from exploring our waterways!
We also want to make sure to shout out Colorado Parks and Wildlife for providing us with the pelts, tracks, and other educational resources that we used for our camps this week! Being able to explore real pelts, and replicas of skulls and tracks made the learning and enthusiasm of our campers go up ten fold!
This Fall Break, campers didn’t just learn about wildlife; they got active, engaged, and inspired to care for Colorado’s amazing ecosystems. We can’t wait to see these young stewards back at camp soon!
This fall break camp wraps up our 2024 season of SPREE camp, and we are so proud of all we accomplished this year. We know that things looked very different for us than in the past, and we are so grateful to have a community that supports us with the work we love to do!
Stay tuned for more upcoming SPREE camps and events by visiting our website. 🌿
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