A River Runs Through Us All: Over 300 Delta County 9th Graders Experienced Rafting on the Lower Gunnison this Fall

This past September, virtually every ninth grader in the Delta County School District attended a full-day river trip on the Gunnison River. The Nature Connection (TNC) expanded their successful GOCO-funded high school outdoor program this fall thanks to a community grant from the Western Colorado Community Foundation (WCCF). Students rafted from Pleasure Park to the BLM Orchard Site guided by educators from the Colorado Canyons Association (CCA), including an interpretive hike at the Eagle Rock Shelter within the BLM Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area. 

“The river trip was a very fun experience. We learned a lot about the native life around the river. We also learned some history, specifically how the river has been used by previous generations and how it's grown over time,” says one of the participating students, Delta High School freshman Benjamin Nortnik.  

Over 300 students were educated on river ecology and Ute History, and were introduced to outdoor careers, thanks to these organizations.  

The goal of the grant from the WCCF was to provide outdoor experiences that focus on promoting socio-emotional wellbeing. Recent psychological research has shown that access to outdoor experiences like this not only connect children with rich environmental educational experiences and local history, but also promotes positive relationships with peers, reduced stress and aggression.

“So many students in Delta County have never experienced the thrill of pushing off in a raft and seeing the lush cottonwood groves and canyon walls of the Lower Gunnison. Our goal is to make sure no student grows up in Delta County without experiencing the opportunities right in our own backyard,” says Ben Graves, former Delta High School science teacher and TNC director of strategic programs. 

Each river trip was guided by the CCA and included educators and representatives from the BLM Uncompahgre Field Office. 

CCA’s river program director, Dawn Cooper, shares the importance of providing outdoor opportunities during the pandemic: “With COVID restrictions limiting so many things for our young people, it is even more important that students get to make meaningful memories and hands-on science and career connections outdoors.”  

Photos courtesy The Nature Connection