Outdoor education for more kids, more places


​One of the most powerful lessons of this pandemic was the needed connection to the outdoors. As many kids across the country were forced indoors and on screens, many local students do not have the resources or opportunities to access open lands to recharge, refresh, and reconnect with nature. 

More than ever, outdoor space for learning is revealing itself as a must for our children. Through all the challenges of the past year, the need to protect space for learning, recreation, and simply being has been magnified. ​Mental and physical health, critical thinking, leadership, perseverance, and happiness are all linked to kids’ time spent outdoors. It is prevention and therapy, and it is especially important during times of stress, extra technology, and excess time indoors.
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Thanks to donors like you, Aspen Valley Land Trust has already forever protected Chapin Wright Marble Basecamp. Your support also helped expand access to six new schools over the last three years - for free. Programs now include school retreats, teacher trainings, volunteer stewardship, and ecological tours. Experiencing the impact Basecamp has on students inspired us to expand our outdoor education partnerships and we need you to help create more opportunities for kids in our valleys. 

Your support for AVLT's Community Education Fund will help connect more kids to more protected places for outdoor education. 

You can help create welcoming spaces for kids to learn, play, and be inspired in nature. You can help build more equitable and inclusive programs so as many students as possible can have these life-changing experiences. You can show up for your community and help address the new challenges all kids face today, while saving special places to serve future generations.


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​Connect your school


​If you represent a local school, nonprofit, or youth group and are interested in using the property for outdoor education, please use this form to contact Brian Hightower, AVLT's Outdoor Education Coordinator, for more information.

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Support the Community Education Fund


​You can help forever maintain and improve the Chapin Wright Marble Basecamp facility and welcome more students to experience this unique wilderness. AVLT's Community Education Fund will expand outdoor education to more protected places so more kids can connect to nature and one another. For more information about this fund, contact Jeff Davlyn.
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