As a society we do not expect children to learn to write without paper, we do not expect them to learn to cook without access to food, and we certainly would never expect them to learn to read without books. It’s simple: in order to learn, one must have the proper tools and experiences to do so.
At the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education, students and teachers, young and old, learn about conservation and land management by taking part in one of four programs designed to encourage stewardship of the entire Colorado Plateau region. While enrolled in the Canyon Country Youth Corps Program, students are immersed in land management education in order to eventually manage public lands in their own careers.
The Four Corners School of Outdoor Education strives to get students excited about an industry important to our planet’s future. In order effectively accomplish this goal they needed some financial help to afford the resources necessary to carry out their work. Through USDA Rural Development’s Community Facility Loan and Grant Program, the Four Corners School was able to purchase dependable vehicles capable of transporting people and equipment over 50,000 square miles of public land and wilderness in all weather conditions.
Faculty and staff now have the tools necessary to create experiences for students essential to learning skillsets no other institution, private or public, to-date is teaching to students in the Colorado Plateau.
USDA Rural Development’s investment in the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education is more than just an investment in vehicles, it is an investment in the future of the area’s national parks and in Utah’s educational opportunities.
To see other ways USDA Rural Development has invested in rural opportunities for education visit www.rd.usda.gov.
