Cairn Corner: February 2024
Alex Schupp • March 6, 2024
Cairn Students Enjoy A Winter Skills Day
Cairn students joined Wildlands Restoration Volunteers and Left Hand Outdoor Challenge students in a Snowshoeing and Winter Skills Challenge Day hosted by Boulder County at Reynolds Ranch in Nederland. Boulder County Rangers led students in practice scenarios on how to treat cold-related injuries, along with the common signs and symptoms. These scenarios were practiced in very relevant conditions as the wind chill this day dropped temperatures on an otherwise sunny day!
Cairn students had a fun sighting of a vole scampering along the forest floor, along with moose scat and tracks.
Cairn students had a fun sighting of a vole scampering along the forest floor, along with moose scat and tracks.
To practice other survival scenarios, students were also able to light small, contained fires using different methods of ignition. After lunch, students were allowed to choose between joining a snowshoe hike led by volunteer naturalists or try their hand at making Quinzhee Hut snow shelters. We thank the staff, volunteers, and LHOC students of Boulder County for hosting this event and providing an amazing learning experience for our students!
We’d also like to thank REI for supplying all the snowshoes for our Cairn students and mentors!
We’d also like to thank REI for supplying all the snowshoes for our Cairn students and mentors!
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By Alex Schupp
•
June 26, 2025
After three meaningful decades, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) will be saying goodbye to our longtime home at the Dos Chappell Bathhouse in Denver's beloved Washington Park. In the early 1990s, VOC signed a 30-year lease with the City of Denver to transform the historic bathhouse in Washington Park into a headquarters that could support our growing mission. With generous support from our community, we launched a capital campaign and raised $700,000 to complete the initial renovations, which were finalized in 1996. Altogether, including the original renovations, VOC has invested more than $1 million in improvements and ongoing maintenance, creating a space that is enjoyed by our staff, volunteers, and the broader Washington Park community. In 2000, the building was renamed in honor of Dos Chappell, VOC’s former Executive Director (1988–1999), whose vision and leadership left a lasting legacy on our organization and Colorado’s outdoor stewardship movement. This space has been more than just an office—it’s been a gathering place, a launchpad for thousands of volunteers, and a visible symbol of our commitment to caring for Colorado.











