Vote for the Wilderness Classroom Organization on Facebook!

7. decembra 2009, 18:03

Did you know that Chase Community Giving is donating $5 million to charities and they are determining who receives funding through a poll on Facebook?! If you are a Facebook member and you value the Wilderness Classroom Organization's educational programs and environmental mission, I encourage you to click on the link above to vote for us. You get 20 votes, so you can vote for your other favorite charities too!

Please hurry-- the voting ends on December 11. Be sure to spread the word! Thank you.

Wilderness Classroom Presentation at Lincoln Park REI

1. decembra 2009, 10:18

CHICAGO – Have you ever wanted to kayak among the orcas and sea otters of the Inside Passage or maybe dogsled the frozen Mackenzie River? The Wilderness Classroom Organization, a local nonprofit that seeks to instill a lifelong appreciation of the natural world, will celebrate the launch of its next adventure, the North American Odyssey. This FREE and open-to-the-public event will take place at REI Lincoln Park, 1466 North Halsted Street, on Wednesday, December 2 from 7:00-8:15 p.m.

The Wilderness Classroom Organization (WCO) is a non-profit organization that strives to improve students' core academic skills and appreciation for the environment by introducing students and learners of all ages to the wonders of exploration and wilderness travel through live, web-based expeditions and school assemblies. On December 2 from 7:00-8:15 p.m., WCO and REI Lincoln Park will host an event to launch its next academic adventure, the North American Odyssey. This FREE event will offer the public an opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of the extended journey and, for the more adventurous at heart, a chance to join this odyssey of a lifetime for a few weeks!

WCO has chosen to traverse the waterways of North America for its next academic adventure, the North American Odyssey. Beginning on Earth Day (April 22) 2010, WCO founder Dave Freeman and adventurist Amy Voytilla, together with teachers and students throughout the Chicagoland area, will navigate over 11,000 miles of North America’s lakes, rivers, and coastlines by canoe, kayak, and dogsled in three years.

The journey begins by kayak on the Pacific Coast studying temperate rainforests and marine life of the Pacific Northwest. After kayaking 1,400 miles from Seattle, Washington to Skagway, Alaska, the team will progress over the Klondike Gold Rush history-studded mountains, to the home of Inuit people along the Arctic Ocean where polar bears roam. From the Arctic Ocean they will dogsled and canoe south through central Canada, kayak across the Great Lakes, then follow the annual whale migration past the salt marshes and sea turtles of the Atlantic Coast, finishing the adventure in the mangroves and coral reefs of the Florida Keys.

Through daily online communication via satellite, email, online polls, and live chats, students will learn alongside Freeman, Voytilla and the rest of the explorers as they study America’s wildest places and waterways. The website’s Animal Info, Mystery Photos, Video Clips, Notes from the Trail, Podcasts, and a Photo Gallery will be updated regularly. Standards-aligned lesson plans will help teachers seamlessly integrate the online expeditions with their existing curriculum. Team members will also conduct school assemblies to meet with students and teachers in person throughout the North American Odyssey.

The Wilderness Classroom Organization started with a simple idea: to improve students' core academic skills and appreciation for the environment by introducing elementary and middle school students to the wonders of exploration and wilderness travel. Eight years and ten expeditions later, the Wilderness Classroom is a 501(c)3 that reaches over 1,600 teachers and 60,000 students around the globe. Its mission has never changed in seeking to instill a lifelong appreciation of the natural world while improving basic skills like reading, critical thinking, and communication by highlighting the joy of discovery.

Recognizing that there are numerous worthwhile non-profit organizations operating without the benefit of publicity support - and in commemoration of its tenth anniversary in 2009 - The Silverman Group, a well-respected Chicago-centric publicity firm specializing in arts and leisure clientele, is proud to present its AtTENtion Project, whereby the firm provides expert publicity counsel at no charge to ten Chicago non-profit organizations for month-long projects beginning in March. The Wilderness Classroom Organization is one of the inaugural partners of The AtTENtion Project.

Visiting Mitchell Paddles

22. novembra 2009, 13:27

During our time out East, we had the opportunity to swing by the Mitchell Paddle headquarters in Canaan, New Hampshire. There we met up with Peter Mitchell, who gave us a glimpse into the world of high-end canoe and kayak paddle construction.

Dave and I were astounded by the craftsmanship involved in the creation of each paddle! We watched Peter set up two carbon fiber kayak blades into molds that he made.

Peter went on to show us the wood room. Starting from stacks of various kinds of wood, pieces would be layered together, then cut, then shaped, then hand-sanded, and finally varnished. The varnish room was probably my favorite spot. A rack glistened with hardened amber drops, above the dipping tank. An assortment of paddles lined the walls. Everything from all wood ottertail canoe paddles to Peter’s own Black Magic kayak paddle with the words “El Presidente” engraved on the shaft.

We saw paddles in all stages of this process. We saw table saws, jig saws, and tools I don’t remember the names of. He showed us everything that is involved in making their hybrid carbon fiber and wood paddles. I was struck by the fact that a few years back, they tried to use a different type of mold—one that was machined, one that would theoretically speed up the process. In the end, it actually didn’t speed up the process and they returned to the way they had been making paddles for years—with molds that were made by Peter or David Mitchell. It just goes to show, in order to make a quality product, attention to detail is essential—and an automated process can never equal the quality of something a master craftsman has created by hand.

By the end of the tour, we were discussing the paddles that Peter would make for us. We determined the length for our kayak paddles, the angle of feather to the blades, and the fact that we want crankshafts. We also determined the length to make some specially modified bent-shaft canoe paddles for us to use in our kayaks. Go ahead, say it! You probably think we’re nuts. I know it sounds like a crazy experiment, but while planning to spend over 6,000 miles in a kayak, I like the idea of stroke variation. On fair weather days, we’ll pull out those mini canoe paddles and propel our kayaks like canoes. And with a little luck, this variation will prevent overuse injuries—specifically tendonitis.

After all the discussions of measurement, size, type, etc. were done, Dave and I got to hold on to our very own Premier whitewater canoe paddles. With their wood shafts and carbon fiber blades with reinforced tips, they were works of art to behold. Before seeing them I knew they would be good paddles. After all, our bent-shaft Leaders had taken us the length of the Amazon and I’m sure they have thousands of miles left in them. But there was something special about witnessing the process involved in their creation. Now I know they are good paddles. Dave and I are confident that these paddles are up for the task of propelling our kayaks and canoe thousands of miles of coastal waterways, rivers, and lakes. Thank you Mitchell Paddles!!

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Poznámky používateľa The Wilderness Classroom Organization

Vote for the Wilderness Classroom Organization on Facebook!7. decembra 2009

Wilderness Classroom Presentation at Lincoln Park REI1. decembra 2009

Visiting Mitchell Paddles22. novembra 2009

A Great Evening at Shedd Aquarium17. novembra 2009

MTI Adventurewear and Palm become Silver Sponsors of the NAO!31. októbra 2009

Whitewater Canoeing in North Carolina25. októbra 2009

Whitewater Canoeing Out East23. októbra 2009

Outfitting Our Tandem Whitewater Canoe19. októbra 2009

Join us at the 11th Annual Midwest Winter Camping Symposium13. októbra 2009

Our New Wenonah Cascade Whitewater Canoe13. októbra 2009

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