This is a for-credit month-long summer internship opportunity in the high country of Colorado. An informational poster and additional details will be sent in early 2012.
Earth Corps 2012
Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point Trail Project
Field Studies in Geography (GES 446)
Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, Colorado
Adventure • Education • Service
“[Students] wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.”
Ernest Shackleton The London Times, 1911
Earth Corps is a selective field-based program that offers motivated, environmentally conscious students the opportunity to live and learn in the incredible natural classroom of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. The program is designed to integrate key lessons in environmental studies with the completion of a critical environmental restoration project. Run by the Rocky Mountain Field Institute in partnership with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Earth Corps attracts exceptional students from across the nation and the world to participate in this unique service learning opportunity.
Earth Corps was created to provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to directly address a critical environmental threat while immersed in a backcountry wildland environment. This hands-on program combines environmental education with environmental stewardship through an intensive 30-day field study. For the duration of the program, participants live and work in a remote setting, complete long hours of very demanding physical labor at altitudes of 13-14,000+ feet, work effectively as a team, exercise the highest level of commitment and perseverance, and make enduring friendships. Students will develop key outdoor skills during the program and through their summits of Blanca Peak (7th highest peak in the continental U.S.) and Ellingwood Point. They will practice and learn Leave No Trace, backcountry navigation, alpine mountaineering, and risk management. Upon successful completion of the program, each student will receive 4 hours of credit from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (GES 446: Field Studies in Geography).
Earth Corps 2012 will help complete the second and last year of the Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point Trail Project. Blanca Peak (14,345’) and Ellingwood Point (14,042’) tower 6,000’ above the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. Thousands of backcountry enthusiasts are drawn to this area each year to summit the 7th highest peak in the continental U.S. and its neighbor. The lack of a defined summit trail has resulted in the proliferation of user-created social trails, gullied and denuded areas, and severe vegetation loss. Accordingly, this fragile alpine area is at risk of losing its ecological integrity. Through the construction of a summit trail, this project will contribute to the preservation and beauty of the area and enhance the quality of the recreation opportunities that the area provides.
The Rocky Mountain Field Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) environmental stewardship and education organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of wildlands and key natural areas. The Institute accomplishes its mission through key environmental projects developed in partnership with federal, state, and municipal land management agencies. These projects are completed through education, research, and public stewardship programs.
2012 Program Dates: July 9-August 7
To Apply: Go to our website, www.rmfi.org, or contact our office for more detailed information and an application form. A complete application includes:
• Completed RMFI Program Application form
• Cover letter detailing interest in program and qualifications
• Current resume
Course Fee: There is a course fee of $500. Please do not let the fee deter you from applying for the program, as scholarships are available.
Application Deadline: Early deadline March 5, final deadline March 21. Outstanding early applicants will be awarded placement in advance of the final deadline. Early applications are, therefore, strongly encouraged. Final decisions will be announced by April 2.