Catamount Institute

Catamount Institute Summer Camp fun is in full swing! Last Friday we finished up a terrific week of Front Range Playground and this week we kicked off a camp week of Rocky Mountain Highlights! We love giving kids hands-on, experiential opportunities to learn in nature and have fun! Shout out to our terrific staff for their hard work to connect kids to the outdoors.

Special thanks to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for awarding us a SOLE (Schools and Outdoor Learning Environments) grant which allowed Catamount Institute to host a free week of summer day camp for eight Peak Education scholars at our beautiful Mountain Campus in Woodland Park.

The week was filled with diverse opportunities that allowed the students to have hands-on, experiential opportunities to connect with the outdoors. Just a sample of activities included:
• Team building activities
• Nature journaling
• Fishing
• Shelter building
• Leave No Trace Essentials
• Hiking
• Nature photography
• Landscape painting
• Hammocking
• Slacklining
• Birding
• Macros
• Eating s’more
• Seeing a moose at the lake!
A great time was had by all!

What a week we had with students from Atlas Schools last week!
Rising 9th grade students spent the week connecting with the outdoors through hands-on adventures, including archery with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, birding hikes, nature photography, and even making s’mores in solar ovens. We loved seeing their curiosity, teamwork, and excitement grow with each new activity.
Thank you to Atlas Schools and CPW for helping create such a fun and memorable outdoor learning experience and to Catamount Institute Board Member Niki Amidei () for her support to get this new partnership established.

What fun! Yesterday we kicked off our Catamount Institute Front Range Playground Camp, and the kids had a blast! Throughout the week, campers will be exploring and sampling different outdoor recreation activities and outdoor hobbies that can be done on the Front Range. We love providing opportunities for the kids to have hands-on experiences in nature.

What an honor it was for Catamount Institute to take part in Aiden's Adventure 5K Fun Run on Saturday at Fountain Creek Regional Park. The event was held in honor of Aiden Clark Branford, a beautiful 5-year-old who left this earth way too soon in a tragic accident. Aiden had a major impact on his community and anybody he came in contact with. Aiden had taken part in Catamount Institute programs so part of the proceeds from the event will be donated to us to allow other kids to connect to the outdoors.

We’re recruiting an AmeriCorps member!

Catamount Institute is recruiting a 2026–2027 Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education AmeriCorps Environmental Educator to help connect kids to the outdoors through hands-on environmental education, outdoor exploration, and meaningful community programs.

This is a great opportunity for someone who loves working with youth, enjoys being outside, and wants to gain real-world experience in environmental education, nonprofit programming, and community engagement.

As part of our team, this AmeriCorps member will help support school programs, homeschool programs, field trips, camps, and outreach experiences that inspire curiosity, confidence, and connection to the natural world.

Know someone who would be a great fit? Please share this opportunity!

Learn more and apply here: https://tinyurl.com/eeCorpsApply26-27

As we kick off another fabulous season of Catamount Institute summer camps, we are delighted to report that our team and campers will be riding in style on their outings this summer. Thanks to our many wonderful supporters, we were able to secure two gently used 15-passenger Ford Transit vans. We look forward to many miles of adventures as we meet our mission to connect kids to the outdoors.

Come join our awesome Catamount Institute team and help us connect more kids to the outdoors! We're hiring a Part-Time Development and Communications Coordinator. Please spread the word and for more information, please visit: catamountinstitute.org