Old Spanish Trail Adventure

The BLM-Utah recently completed an incredibly successful and innovative social media project--the Old Spanish Trail Adventure--designed to engage and connect the next generation with Utah's amazing lands.

Members of the Old Spanish Trail Adventure near Moab, UT.

Members of the Old Spanish Trail Adventure talk with SUU Alumna Jen Evans.

Engaging more than a quarter of a million viewers LIVE online, we created and documented an adventure that boosted the BLM's online reach and connected meaningfully with an audience that is often overlooked--all for less than the cost of a round trip ticket from Salt Lake to D.C.

If you follow the BLM or BLM-Utah online, we encourage you to share the external version with your friends and family. Together, we can get people excited and out enjoying the incredible lands we manage!

"I am proud of the creativity and youthful spirit infuse in this project and look forward to seeing more products that reach out to those in search of adventure in America's great outdoors." - Juan Palma

Celebrating 10 Years of the Outdoors and SUU

TEN YEARS OF OUTDOORS AT SUU

You are invited to attend the

SUU Outdoor Recreation

10th Anniversary Celebration!

“Connect, Cultivate, Celebrate”

When: SUU Homecoming Week - October 10-12, 2013

Where: Cedar City, Utah

All current and former SUU students, professionals, and community members involved or interested in anything outdoors at SUU are welcome. Why should you come?

·      Connect with old friends

·      Cultivate new friendships and build the future of SUU and the Outdoors

·      Celebrate SUU and the amazing outdoors

Thursday Oct. 10

•   11:30 a.m. - Special Outdoor Education Series “Hike Down Memory Lane…Remembering 10 Years of Outdoors at SUU”

·      Join SUU alumni, students, faculty, staff and community in swapping memories and stories over the last 10 years of outdoor life at SUU

·      Sharwan Smith Student Center Living Room (see No. 42 at http://www.suu.edu/campmap/campus.html)

Friday Oct. 11

·      (Check specific times listed below)

·      Reservations required.

o   Deadline Wednesday, October 9, 2013

o   Reservations can be made by calling SUU Outdoors at 435.865.8704  (10 am – 5 pm, M-F) or by email at suuoutdoors@gmail.com

·      Your choice of three recreation opportunities

·      Trips leave from SUU Outdoors

·      All activities are free

·      National Parks Adventure

·      Zion National Park, Kolob Canyons

·      National Park Geology expert and SUU Dean of Science, Dr. Robert Eves will join us

·      All ages welcome

·      10 am – 2 pm

·      20 person limit 

·      Reservation required

·      Bring a lunch and water, dress for the weather (layers)

·                     Canyoneering Adventure

·      Kolob Terrace area

·      Ages 8 and up

·      9 am – 4 pm

·      20 person limit

·      Reservation required

·      Bring a lunch and water, dress for weather (layers) inc. jacket)

·                     Family Adventure  
                       Kayaking, Rock Climbing, and outdoor games/activities on SUU campus 

·      All ages welcome

·      Reservation required

•  6 p.m.        Dutch Oven Dinner and Fundraising Event for Scholarships

·      Join us for a wonderful evening of sharing memories with good friends and good food

·      Willow Glen Inn (See http://www.willowgleninn.com for directions)

·      Dinner, auction, camp songs, music, displays, memories

·      Dutch Oven Dinner Menu: Mesquite Roasted Chicken, BBQ Roast Beef, Dutch Oven Potatoes, Sourdough Bread, Vegetable

·      Cost $15 for adults, and $10 for SUU students and children under 12.

·      Reservation required

o   Payment and Reservation Deadline: Friday, October 4, 2013

o   Reservations can be made by calling SUU Outdoors at 435.865.8704  (10 am – 5 pm) or by email at suuoutdoors@gmail.com

•  9 p.m.        SUU Observatory

                              Scopes will be set up for viewing – come join us for stargazing

Saturday Oct. 12

•  7:30 a.m.  ROTC 5K Fun Run  

•  9:30 a.m. Alumni Pancake Breakfast at the Alumni House

•  11 a.m.      Parade

·      Join the OR Reunion Float

·      Decorate at 10 am at parking lot in front of SUU Outdoors

•  12 p.m.      Tailgate Party

·      Food and fun  (slackline, climbing wall, games, campfire)

·      Field west of stadium

•  2 p.m.        SUU Homecoming Football Game

WE HOPE YOU’LL JOIN US FOR ANY OR ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES!

FOR TRIP OR DINNER RESERVATIONS, OR TO MAKE A DONATION,

CONTACT SUU OUTDOORS

CALL               435.865.8704 (Hours 10 am – 5 pm M-F)

EMAIL            suuoutdoors@gmail.com

IN PERSON     SUU Outdoors, Sharwan Smith Student Center, Southern Utah University

DEADLINES:

            DUTCH OVEN DINNER                              FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2013

            TRIPS                                                             WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 9, 2013

            DONATIONS                                                FOREVER, BUT THE SOONER THE BETTER!

PLEASE CONSIDER “PAYING IT FORWARD” AND HELPING FUTURE STUDENTS BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO BE TRAINED AS OUTDOOR PROFESSIONALS. A donation of any size would be appreciated. All donations will go towards scholarships for current and future students in the Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism program.

            10 Year Anniversary T-shirt for 10 bucks                                          $10.00

            Cash Donations

                        Mt. Everest Level                                                                  $501 and up

                        Mt. McKinley Level                                                               $101 - $500

                        Kings Peak Level                                                                    $1 - $100

                       

For more information and updates contact SUU Outdoors at suuoutdoors@gmail.com or 435.865.8704

Sponsored by Southern Utah University, Harry Reid Outdoor Engagement Center,

SUU Outdoors, and the SUU Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism Program 

Southern Utah University Students Earn Wilderness First Responder Certification

Cedar City, UT - Sixteen students from Southern Utah University recently completed a nine day intensive course in wilderness medicine to become certified as Wilderness First Responders (WFR). From May 6 to 14 student’s spent a minimum of ten hours a day both in the classroom and in the wild covering everything from basic pharmacology and patient assessment to environmental hazards and medical simulations. After the day’s instruction had concluded, the students were expected to complete assigned homework, which consisted of reading, quizzes, and case studies. The Wilderness Medicine Training Center describes the course as mentally, physically, and emotionally demanding. 

 

The WFR certification is a graduate requirement for the Southern Utah University’s Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism (ORPT) program. In partnership with Bryce Canyon National Park, the Wilderness Medicine Training Center and SUU’s ORPT program, WFR certification is offered only once a year during the first of May.

 

One of the students enrolled in the WFR course, Kevin Koontz, used this opportunity to fulfill multiple requirements towards his graduation from SUU. “The WFR certification is a basic program requisite, but SUU also requires all graduates to complete an additional curriculum of experiential learning, known as the Education Designed to Give Experience program (EDGE),” said Koontz.

 

Through the EDGE program, each student must design, propose and complete a hands-on project in the hopes of giving their graduates an advantage as they apply their education beyond the walls of the classroom. Koontz recognized early on that the WFR field experience would give him an extra benefit and decided to apply this course towards his EDGE project. 

 

“It was a very challenging nine days, but I felt incredibly accomplished when I was handed my certification,” said Koontz. “Not only did I form life-long bonds with the other fifteen students, I also learned a lot about myself as a leader and outdoor enthusiast. I hope future SUU students interested in the outdoors use the WFR course for their EDGE project because I know they’ll grow as an individual and leave SUU with a great hands-on experience.”  

 

To learn more about the Wilderness Medicine Training Center visit www.wildmedcenter.com.

 

To learn more about the SUU EDGE program visit www.suu.edu/uc/ee/overview.html.

International Students Go Camping

Seven international students, a biology major and an outdoor recreation in parks and tourism major journeyed to Toroweap in Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend.

Tyler Rogacki, a senior outdoor recreation in parks and tourism major from Boston, led the weekend camping trip with help from his roommate Doug Hafen, a junior biology major from Salt Lake City. Rogacki said the trip was part of his senior seminar class and also a way to help get some of the international students outside, since most do not have a vehicle or a way to leave Cedar City.

Rogacki said he wanted to take international students last semester simply as a Pacesetters trip, but it got too cold and international students lost interest. This semester he said it worked out in his favor, fulfilling an assignment in his senior seminar class.

“The best part of the trip, to me, was watching the international students when we got to ... the Grand Canyon,” Rogacki said. “Cameras flew out of bags.”

Luzzy Peters, a sociology major from Emden, Germany, said the trip was helpful to her because it allowed her to see some of the unique landscapes Utah has to offer. She said she wanted to see the outdoor sites here, and that is one reason she chose to come to SUU from Germany.

“There should be more trips like this offered to international students here because we are so dependent on other people to get around,” Peters said. “If you study at SUU, then you should see these unique landscapes. Many international students have never hiked or camped before and these trips make it so we can experience it.”

Peters also said blame for the lack of trips does not fall entirely on SUU, but international students should come into the Harry Reid Outdoor Engagement Center or SUU Outdoors to see what trips are heading out.

The students left Cedar City on Friday at 1 p.m. and arrived at the Toroweap group campsite around 5:30 p.m. Rogacki said there was an issue with getting vehicles, and one of the cars they ended up taking could not make it all the way to the campsite. He said they had to shuttle the rest of the people from where the car had to stop.

Friday night, the group watched the sunset and sat around the fire talking about the plans for the next few days. Rogacki said it was great to sit there with so many cultures in one place, away from technology.

Yu Yuan Fuh, a graphic design major from Taipei, Taiwan, said the natural beauty of the area was beyond what he had expected to see. He said there were a few challenges to camping he wasn’t expecting.

“It was great to see all the natural beauty, but I woke each morning with sand everywhere,” Yu said. “I think this was part of the special experience for me.”

Primitive Survival Skills (ORPT 2000)

Spring 2013 semester, the inaugural class of ORPT 2000 Primitive Survival Skills and the Ten Essentials kicked off. Students spent two weeks learning about the Ten Essentials and developing basic skills using modern methods to take care of themselves in the outdoors. This last weekend, they had an opportunity to tie in primitive skills to add to their knowledge base with a campout and skill building workshops.

http://youtu.be/rGCDx5eHFko

Read the story at suunews.com

SUU Geology trip through Labyrinth Canyon

During Spring Break, the Geology Club partnered with the Harry Reid Outdoor Engagement Center to take 12 students on an educational field trip to the San Rafael Swell area.
Every semester, two field trips are scheduled as a part of the class, Selected Field Trips, an upper division geology course.

Originally printed/posted by suunews.com

Go Outside SUU Photo Competition

The Harry Reid Outdoor Engagement Center wants to see what you are doing OUTSIDE and we want to award you for it!

Chelsea Howells at Angels Landing, Zion NP.