2014 Annual Report

Connecting Children to the Colorado Mountains Since 1982

P.O. Box 347 Jamestown, CO 80455

CAL-WOOD STAFFRafael Salgado, Executive Director

Diana Zucco, Development & Communications Director

Angie Busby, Natural Resources Manager

John Bleil, Food Service Manager

Jed Burnham, Maintenance Manager

Nancy Farmer, Administrative Assistant

Stephanie Carlson, Cook

Karen DeVincenzo, Cook

Pat Kutscher, Cleaning

Dave Carlson, Kitchen Helper

Steve “Miles”, Kitchen Helper

PROGRAMSJohn W. Amschler, Program Director

Jamie Preira, Program Coodinator

Rachel Brooks, Curriculum Manager

Erik Jaanimagi, Senior Field Instructor

Leah Weisman, Senior Field Instructor

Marni Brown, Senior Field Instructor

Abby Anderson, Field Instructor

Alissa Rubin, Field Instructor

Kyle Roddy, Field Instructor

Rick Holladay, Field Instructor

Rubén Omar Suárez Hernández, Intern

(303) 449-0603 www.calwood.org

Mission and Goals Cal-Wood’s mission is to offer a unique outdoor educational experience to youth and adults in a manner that will carry on the vision of its founders, Roger and Oral Calvert. Cal-Wood’s goals are:

• To help all who come to Cal-Wood develop a greater appreciation for the natural world. • To offer environmental education to those who would not otherwise experience it; and • To provide unique educational opportunities in a special mountain setting.

For more than 30 years, Cal-Wood has connected children to the Colorado mountains and the environment.

The Cal-Wood Story Roger and Oral Calvert loved their Boulder County foothills ranch, but they had a vision of something more. They were passionate about sharing their love of nature with others, particularly children. In the 1970s, they donated their spectacular mountain property to be used for environmental education.

With their friend Larry Wood (Calvert+Wood=Cal-Wood), they set up an endowment with The Pilot Trust. In 1982, the Pilot Trust established Cal-Wood Education Center. In 2006, Cal-Wood became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Cal-Wood Education Center

Cal-Wood’s 1,200-acre outdoor classroom is uniquely equipped to provide hands-on learning experiences to students. The property includes acres of forested

Today

land, numerous species of wildlife and plants, nine miles of trails, meadows, peaks, ponds, streams, a waterfall, a 1901 homestead, a once-active mica mine, camping areas, cabins, and a lodge. We reach 4,000+ children annually.

Foothills Elementary students get their hands dirty.

July 1, 2015

Dear Cal-Wood Friends and Supporters, 

2014 was a defining year for Cal-Wood. After the September 2013 flood that devastated the Jamestown area, we were finally able to return home.

The flood had us questioning when and how we would be able to run our programs again. Ultimately, we decided that our mission was too valuable for us to give up. During months of extraordinary effort by our staff and significant community support, we succeeded at keeping the Cal-Wood experience true to its roots even on unfamiliar ground at Camp Tahosa.  February 2014 marked our first program back at Cal-Wood after the flood. 

Getting to return to our home base and teach at Cal-Wood again was a thrilling moment for our instructors. All of us on staff felt a remarkable sense of achievement at our perseverance during a challenging time as an organization. 

Our 2014 programs justified all the effort, as we continued our tradition of providing excellent science education and summer camps in the field while serving the most youth in a year that we ever have at Cal-Wood— 4,130! We also started a new summer program for Latino families with the support of the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County and other donors.

We are so grateful to all of our friends and supporters who helped us make this extraordinary recovery. Thanks to your support, we are able to provide thousands of young people access to a dynamic environmental education experience in the mountains that inspires them to enjoy science and respect Colorado’s natural resources and landscape.

Many thanks to each and every one of you.

Sincerely, 

Rafael Salgado Executive Director Cal-Wood Education Center

Letter from the Lodge

Programs and AccomplishmentsEnvironmental Education Programs for K-8 Schools: In 2014, we served 3,706 students. We provided $41,600 in educational assistance for 886 low-income students. Students from schools along Colorado’s Front Range and beyond spend three days and two nights at Cal-Wood studying local ecology, weather patterns, forestry, geology, homestead life, orienteering, and more. Instruction is specifically tailored to each school’s academic requests. We focus on teaching science standards, but can also emphasize math, arts, history, or literacy according to school preference. For low-income schools we offer financial assistance to participate in this life-changing experience.

Summer Camps for Youth Ages 8-18: 293 youth participated in our summer camps, 133 of whom received financial assistance. Young people ages 8-18 participate in Cal-Wood’s week-long summer camps. At our unique summer camps, we teach youth lifelong outdoor skills. Campers may learn survival skills, mountain biking, fishing, camping skills, or archery. They often work on service projects, perform skits, and sing around the campfire. In addition to our Cal-Wood summer camps, we host summer programs for groups from throughout Colorado and the U.S., as well as international camps.

Latino Family Camps: 57 families (110 people total) enjoyed an outdoor camping weekend.We work with partner organizations to welcome Latino families to spend a weekend camping at our center. This program helps encourage low-income, under-resourced youth and their families to experience the many natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities available in Colorado. For many families, this program is their first experience in the outdoors.

Ecosystem Conservation and Fire Mitigation: We worked with 700+ volunteers and students who worked 3,606.5 total volunteer hours on land management projects and research. Cal-Wood is a proud steward of its natural resources and works with the Colorado Forest Service to protect the local ecosystem and follow best practices for forest fire prevention. Cal-Wood staff, volunteers, and students took part in land projects to better understand the local ecology and how it is changing. We thinned 20 acres of forest for fire mitigation.

A camper practices his archery skills.

Students from Escuela de Guadalupe

90%

7%

3%

Youth Participants by Program

School Programs

Summer Camp

Other Programs

The Year in Numbers

25% of all youth who participated in Cal-Wood programs in 2014

came from low-income families.

2014 Financials

Income1"

1"

Expense

Earned/Program Income: $837,094

Total Income: $1,035,324

Grants, Donations & Inkind: $198,230

Scholarships (Program Expense): $107,417

Land Management: $75,094

Administrative Expenses: $43,729

Fundraising Expenses: $21,653

Program Expenses: $778,035

Total Expense: $1,025,928

Staff NewsWe are proud to celebrate with Rafael, our fearless leader and Executive Director, as he was awarded with several major awards in 2014.

2014 Awards

Rafael with his Pacesetters 2014 award.

In his remarks at the Pacesetters Award Ceremony, Rafael thanked the Daily Camera “for giving me award for doing what I really love to do!”

Rafael was honored with the 2014 Rosa Parks and Grace Lee Boggs Award for Outstanding Service from the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). He also received the 2014 Daily Camera Pacesetters Award for the Environment.

Staff Spotlight: Angie BusbyMeet Angie Busby, Cal-Wood’s Natural Resources Manager extraordinaire. Not only does Angie keep our forests at Cal-Wood healthy and our trails safe, but she is our main volunteer coordinator and worked long hours to organize the 700+ volunteers who came to help us with flood recovery in 2014. Angie, who started at Cal-Wood in 2008 as a Field Instructor, has been our Natural Resources Manager for five years. Thanks so much for everything you do, Angie. You’re a rock star!

Our team at Cal-Wood is one of a kind. Everyone plays an important role in ensuring that we meet our mission. This year we have four new Field Instructors and joining the team, along with our new international intern Ruben, who joins us from Guadalajara, Mexico. One of our senior instructors, Rachel, will now be focusing on curriculum so that we can continue to customize our programs and meet the specialized needs of the schools with serve. Our Program Coordinator Jamie oversees these efforts and works with the staff to ensure that all who come to Cal-Wood have an unforgettable experience. We’ve hired a new Development Director,

Diana Zucco, who brings 8 years of fundraising experience to Cal-Wood. She’ll be focusing on increasing donations so that we can provide more scholarships to low-income students.

Angie at work.

New Staff for a New Season

Some of our Field Instructors and Ruben by the lodge.

Our SponsorsCal-Wood relies on the support of our community in order for us to stay true to our mission

of providing access to meaningful outdoor experiences like our school environmental education programs and summer camps to all children, regardless of family income.

Many thanks to all our sponsors!

Corporate Sponsors

Many thanks also to:• The AEC Trust • The April Fund • Benson-Price Commercial • Bobolink Foundation • Boulder Bird Club • Boulder Rotary Club • Brett Family Foundation • Cielo Fund • City of Boulder • Charles E. and Carol J. Miller Family Fund • Colorado Parks and Wildlife • Colorado State Forest Service • Community Foundation Serving Boulder County • Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County • Community Shares Colorado • Foothills United Way • Gurney Foundation • Heart of Longmont

• Howard and Mary Allen Fund • Israel Family Foundation • Jamestown Community Church • Lefthand Fire Protection District • Littler Youth Fund • Longmont Community Foundation • Longmont Education Taskforce • McCarty Charitable Trust • Mile High United Way • Mosberger-Tang Foundation • Nathan B. and Florence R. Burt Foundation • Rose Community Foundation • S.A. Gardner Fund • Schwab Charitable Fund • The Pilot Trust • U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service • Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado • Wiener Family Future Foundation

Individual ContributorsThese individuals, by making a choice to give to Cal-Wood in 2013 and 2014, directly

contributed to the future of our land and our children. Thank you so much.

$1000+ Michelle Barnes, Doug Birdsall, Paul Franke, Roger Greene, Mark Harrison, David Hiesel, Joshua Horwitz, Amory Host, Fritz and Deborah Koch, Dick and Donna Meckley, Donald Meckley, Gordon Revey, Lee and Mary Ellen Rhinemiller, Jan and Dave Robertson, Bob Wood, Anonymous.

$500+ Alice Baracani, Andre Bollaert, Dan & Tammy Calvert, Greg & Michelle Calvert, Paula and Jon Chu, Caroline Coggan, Kim and Demetrios Coupounas, Holly and Ken Gawley, Joanna Grasson, Peter and Shawn Henry, Steven Johnson, Millicent Kang, Kevin Malloy, Peter McMillan, Ruth and Pedro McMillan, Paul and Lorraine Prata, Jason and Sophie Rasmus, Janet Robertson, Susan Ryan, Jim Sears, Don Smith, Ali and Jason Sweeney, Mark Thrun, Jud Valeski, Ruth Wharton, Jeffrey and Amy Wong.

$250+ Stephen Cecil, Janet Chu, Nancy Commins, Hope Crifo, Kelly Davis, Gerald Gibbons, R.W. Holmes, Mike Hoswell, Robert Jackson, Kyle Kuczun, Nicholas Lenssen, Evan and Mollie McCaig, Pam and Joe Piombino, Elise and Rick Preira, Jennifer Simms, Eric Stade, David Sutherland, Sandra Svoboda, Harv Teitelbaum, Rafael Salgado, Anonymous.

$100+ Allison and David Angulo, Chad and Melissa Arnold, Christopher Barge, David Batts, Anna and Gregory Bensen, Niels Brunsgaard, Daniel R Calvert, Maureen Cameron, Carl and Maureen Carlson, Linda Clement, Shawna Crocker, Gregg Cruger, Tessa and Alan Davis, Benjamin and Megan Delaney, Rick and Michelle Dyson, Shelley Emerick, Cathy and Patrick Emery, The Floods, Scott Fowle, Natasha Garfield, Mary Gaylord, Greta Gibbens, David Giltner, Annette and Joe Gruba, Gary Grundy, Meghan Guerin, Penelope and David Hannegan, Jeff and Alice Hartman, Jennifer Havlick Platt, Valerie Havlick, Elaine Hill, Eric Hintsa, Craig Jones, Jason and Jennifer Jones, Susan Jones, Mary Kaiser, Ricky Killpatrick, Daniel Kowal, Beth Lahman, Torbjorn and Jennifer Larsson, Sandra Lawson, Charles Lazansky, Adriana Lita, Corey Lohman, Jill Lowry, Henry Magowan, George Mah, Paula Mannell, Sue Masterson, Laura Mays, Michael McConnell, Anita Nebel, Alexis Neely, Lisa and Dwayne Nesmith, Jilene Norman, Margaret Oakes, Francesca Painter, Sarah and Marc Peruzzi, Annie Powell, Diane Rieck, Rafael Salgado, David Scholtz, Helena Shirai, Erica Simon, Robert Smink, James Smith, Rodney Smith, Sarah Snow, Ariel Steele, Margot Summers, Thomas Sunderland, Patricia Toole, Yen Touysinhthiphonexay, Erik and Blair Tyse, The Van Wetter/Brew Family, William Walker, Jenny Weich, Marik and Annelie Wetterrings, Susan White Associates P.C., Rick Zenn, Angie Busby, Anonymous.

Individual Contributors, con’tThese individuals, by making a choice to give to Cal-Wood in 2013 and 2014, directly

contributed to the future of the Earth and our children. Thank you so much.

Up to $100 Nina Amabile, Mary Balzer, John Barr, Paul Berger, Nicole Bickford, Nancy Blackwood, Tiphaine Bonetti, Nikki Boye, Anna Carter, Xiaojun Chen, Amy Chu, Ethan Chutkow, Cathy Comstock, David Cook, Chris Corbin, Lawrence Crowley, Kira Cunningham, Ruth and Glenn Cushman, Angie Doyle, Alyson Duffey, Brian Egaas, Dawn Erickson, Lisa Fatovic, Sara Fell, Mary Fitzpatrick, Amy Fontenot, Tiffany Fourment, Jennifer Fowler, Leora Frankel, Vicki Gambon, Deb Gardner, Karen George, The Gerecht Family, Susan Hall, Cynthia Hall, Susan Harris, Walter Harrison, Shannon Hawley, Alysia Hayas, Michael Hayes, Josephine Heath, Carrie Herbstreit, Erik Jaanimagi, Beverly Jacobson, Brian Jamison, Wanda Janik, Debra Johnson, Tim and Jan Kardatzke, Lori Kashman, Nancy Kellogg, AnneMarie Kemp, Jennifer Klee, Greta Knievel, Rebecca Knight, Sarak Kozlowski, Steve Krest, Jennifer Kullgren, Todd Landin, Michael Levy, Chrystal Leyva, Kerry Lightenburger, Patrick Marti, Terra McKinnish, Diana Meckley, Laura Menhennett, Vicki Meyer, Anne Murray-Kurzban, Katie Navin, Paul Nigro, Blair Norman, Londa Nowak, Laura Olson, Maia Penuel, Deanna Peters, Nancy Peterson, Carmen Ramirez, Erin Saunders, Jaimie Scheibler, Darrel Schultz, Kimberly Shankle, Adam Shepler, Laura Shove, Thomas Simonson, Sandra Singer, Gerald Sloat, Lesley Smith, Tiffany Stamas, Allen Stenstrup, Michelle Stephens, Bernard Sudikoff, Lynne Sullivan, Dee Timm, Amanda Trosten-Bloom, John Vickery, Rachelle Weigold, Camila Weise, Anthony Westlake, Gwen Wharton, Cathie Williamson, Sharon Wood, Diana Wood, Carolyn Young, Anonymous.

Many thanks to these schools for choosing to financially support Cal-Wood with

flood recovery funding!

Foothill Elementary School Jarrow School

King Murphy Elementary School Niwot High School

Oil City Magnet School (Louisiana) Stanley British Primary School Superior Elementary SchoolElkhart Elementary School

You Can HelpCal-Wood Education Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Your donations truly matter. By

giving, you help us achieve our mission! If you have the means, please consider a financial donation to one of our funds:

Scholarship Fund It’s important to us that no student, camper, or family misses out on the Cal-Wood experience due to lack of funding. We were able to provide $41,600 to low-income participants in 2014. Your donation can help us bring children and adults who can least afford outdoor adventure experiences to Cal-Wood.

Build-a-Cabin Fund Cal-Wood does not have the capacity to meet the demand for all the school groups that wish to come here. An additional cabin will allow us to provide more people with access to our programs. We are close to meeting our goal for the new cabin- your donation can help us come closer to construction!

For many students, Cal-Wood is their first experience in the mountains and first time roasting marshmallows.

Cabins allow us to have programs year round.

Burlington Elementary does a pond study.

Conservation Fund Our 1,200-acre outdoor classroom is a unique place where 4,000+ children come to learn, explore, and play every year. It is a top priority to preserve the ecological qualities of the property for thousands and thousands more children to experience. Your donation can help us lower our fire risk, prevent erosion, and keep our trails in good shape!

Thank you for your support! If you prefer not to chose a fund, your donation will be used where it is most needed. Checks can be mailed in the attached envelope, or

donations can be made online at:

www.calwood.org

Our Advisory Committee Jan Chu Nancy Commins Dick Meckley Shawna Crocker Guillermo Medina Rodney Smith Ariel Steele Jeff Hohensee

Our Board Dan Calvert, President and Chairman of the Board Jan Chu, Vice President and Program Advisor Bob Wood, Buildings and Grounds Advisor Tammy Calvert, Secretary and Technical Advisor Greg Calvert, Technical Advisor Jo’Michelle Calvert, Technical Advisor

Cal-Wood Education Center PO Box 347 Jamestown, CO 80455

“Education must become the number one priority of the world. It is no longer enough to understand the past or even the present. Man must learn to anticipate direction and change, and teachers must help students acquire knowledge, ethical standards, and life styles which recognize man’s personal responsibility to quality environment.”

~Roger Stuart Calvert

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAIDJamestown, CO