Science Education Program
Championing and honoring the land ethic is fundamental to the High Lonesome Ranch’s Science Education Program. Building on Aldo Leopold’s ideas and philosophies, the mission of the HLR Science Education Program is to promote a land ethic that fosters a whole-ecosystem approach to conservation. This mission encompasses large predators and their prey, as well as multiple land-use practices such as hunting and fishing, ranching, and resource extraction. Historic and current ranching practices and their effects on a whole ecosystem are central to the HLR Science Education Program. This program will promote sustainability and a contemporary land ethic by educating participants about the vital role working landscapes play in conserving biodiversity. The High Lonesome Ranch land ethics illuminates a new era of conservation—one that includes people and their needs, specifically those of rural agricultural and ranching communities. We believe that addressing these human dimensions is essential to conserving biodiversity.
The High Lonesome Ranch’s Science Education Program will provide an exciting and diverse array of educational opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as college students and adults. Guided by our staff, students will use the HLR as their outdoor classroom to connect with and study the natural world. Projects and activities will encompass classroom experiences, field studies and research, as well as stewardship projects. Skills students learn will incorporate the diverse and unique activities at the High Lonesome, which range from hunting and fishing to science and ecological restoration. Additionally, our programs will support teachers in meeting Colorado state standards in education, specifically in math and science. Adult programs embody a similar conservation ethic, but with a broader scope. In addition to science education and research activities, we have ecotourism, citizen science opportunities, special events, and workshops available to guests and the local community.
