Now Hiring... Farmhands Program Assistant

Guidestone’s Farmhands Education Program provides hands-on, experiential farm and nature-based educational opportunities to school groups, custom contract groups, children and families. Farmhands curriculum focuses on nature appreciation, ecological understanding, traditional arts, sustainable agriculture and human health and nutrition. Teaching sites include The Hutchinson Homestead in Salida and Weathervane Farm in Buena Vista.

Responsibilities:

Teach non-residential, outdoor farm & nature education programs for children ages 5-12 and to school groups grades Pre-K – 12. Develop and document lessons and create teaching materials to support Farmhands’ programs. Assist in some administrative duties.

Qualifications:

Educational background in the natural sciences, environmental education, sustainable agriculture, or related field; interested and enthusiastic about environmental education & farming; self-motivated and a sincere interest in the environment; experience working in a farm setting with children. First aid and CPR certification. A reliable car and valid driver’s license is required.

Compensation:

This is a 7-month contract position, ending Nov. 1, 2011, averaging 10 hours/week for $600/month.

Application deadline: April 1, 2011

Please send cover letter, resume and references to:

Andrea Earley Coen

Guidestone Education Director

PO Box 1056

Salida, CO 81201

For more information, go to our website www.guidestonecolorado.org, or feel free to contact Andrea at (970)309-3175 or farmhandsed@gmail.com

Be Inspired to Fight Environmental Decline

At Guidestone, we believe in positive action. While our planet struggles against environmental decline, we encourage our community to combat it by working together to dream, build and shape projects, movements and forums that reinforce environmental restoration and sustainability.

Find Inspiration

We have recently discovered a great website that collects and outlines environmental success stories. The Eco Tipping Points features over 100 success stories in which human well-being goes hand in hand with the health of the local ecosystem.

Read about a marine sanctuary in the Philippians, non-pesticide management at cotton farms in India, the creation of a coastal wetland in Arcata, and more!

What we learn from these stories is that successful environmental projects share the following qualities:

• Shared awareness about a problem
• Community participation
• No interruption of nature’s flow
• Transformation of waste into resource
• A strong leader
• A learned past
• Resilience to opposition

Thank you EcoTipping Points for providing desperately needed reassurance that environmental and social problems are not too big, too costly, nor too complicated to be dealt with effectively.

Guidestone's Land-Link Initiative

Want to learn more about Guidestone's Land-Link Initiative? Check out this informative video!

Pumpkin Patch Festival - October 16 & 17 and October 23 & 24, 2010

Autumn in the Upper Arkansas Valley is a wonderful time to celebrate with seasonal festivities around the abundant harvest. One great event for children and families will be the Fourth annual Pumpkin Patch Festival at Cottonwood Meadows in Buena Vista. The Pumpkin Patch Festival is a two-weekend celebration open to the public, which offers a variety of activities and amusements for the whole family.

You can join in on a horse-drawn wagon ride pulled by a local team of horses. The team will pull you out to the pumpkin patch where you can pick the perfect pumpkin for Halloween. Other engaging activities include winding through the hay-bale maze, playing chicken bingo, and enjoying a barbecue bratwurst or burger lunch with hot-apple cider and homemade pies and cookies. There will also be arts and crafts for the children, farm games, face-painting and a petting zoo. Enjoy the sights and sounds of life on a farm with your friends and neighbors while enjoying the fall colors of the cottonwoods and the views of Mt. Princeton. You can build a scarecrow. Watch local artisans share their skills and wares. Visit the fire trucks and learn about fire safety with the Chaffee County Fire Protection District. Take a walk back to the beautiful meadows along Cottonwood Creek. See the gardens where Weathervane Farm grows the vegetables provided to you through the CSA and markets all season long. Be sure to check out Cottonwood Creek Dairy and learn about old-fashioned raw milk production. And don't miss Colorado Grown, a distribution center specializing in locally grown and Colorado-based farm and specialty products.

Admission is $5 for adults and children three and over - the tiny tots are free! The cost of admission and the proceeds from the barbeque and baked goods will support Farmhands, Guidestone's educational programs. Guidestone is a non-profit organization that serves the Upper Arkansas River Valley by encouraging our local food economy and preserving our agricultural heritage with the Land-Link Initiative. The Farmhands Education Program, a Guidestone project, aims to join children with the hands-on learning experiences of small-scale local food production.

Come Join In The Fun!

The Pumpkin Patch hours:

Saturday 10am to 4pm, October 16th and 23rd

Sunday 12pm to 4pm, October 17th and 24th

Location: 15264 County Road 350 (look for the pumpkin signs!), Buena Vista. For more information go to www.guidestonecolorado.org.

Special thanks to John Cogswell of Cottonwood Meadows, Weathervane Farm, Cottonwood Creek Dairy, and Colorado Grown for their ongoing support.

David Lynch of Guidestone was recently interviewed by NPR about our Land-Link program. Check out the interview here!

http://krccnetwork.org/news/2010/09/24/land-link-connects-farmers-with-property-owners/

Images From Gail Schwartz Roundtable Event

Thanks to all who joined in the roundtable discussions with Senator Gail Schwartz on May 27 at the Salida Steam Plant. Stay posted as we will be sharing our collective insights from the meeting with you all soon!

Farmhands Summer Season Begins June 8!

Hey all you parents and fun-loving kids out there! Our 2010 Farmhands summer season is about to kick off with Farm Camp, June 8-10, up in Buena Vista. Check out our schedule below for more details about programs happening all summer long both in BV and in Salida!

Join Farmhands Education staff for one or many of these fun, hands-on learning opportunities. Designed for children ages 5 and up, all programs are interactive, educational, and exciting opportunities to experience a working farm or ranch, meet the resident animals, assist with projects and explore the surrounding natural habitat. Teaching locations include Weathervane Farm and Cottonwood Creek Dairy at The Meadows in Buena Vista and the historic Hutchinson Homestead in Salida.

Pre-registration is required for all programs. Please contact Farmhands Director Andrea Earley Coen at (970)309-3175 or email FarmhandsED@gmail.com to register or for more information.

The Meadows, Buena Vista:

Farm Camp

Ages: 5 and up Dates: June 8-10, July 6-8, July 27-29

Times: 9am-3pm each day

Cost: $120 per camp/ 10% discount if you register for all three
Join Farmhands for this unique and exceptionally fun 3-day program. Each day begins with farm chores and a snack. Then it really gets exciting! Days will be filled with teambuilding, nature exploration, aquatic ecology, farm projects, art, journaling, music and possibly even a hint of magic…. We will conclude the camp with a farm feast, harvested and prepared by the campers for their families.

The following programs meet from 9:00-12:00pm and cost $20 each. A farm-grown snack will be provided. Designed for ages 5 and up.

Nature Detectives

June 15 & July 22

Let’s put on our detective hats and go! Explore the woodlands and meadows surrounding Weathervane Farm to learn more about the wild animals that call this place home. Tracks, bones, eat marks and even scat will be our clues to unravel the mysteries of these animals’ homes and habits.

Junior Farmer

June 29

Don your overalls and come on out to the farm for a day of good-ole, down home farm work and fun. We will help work on some projects for Weathervane Farm, and the day will conclude with a special, tasty frozen treat thanks to the cows at Cottonwood Creek Dairy!

Diggin’ for Decomposers

July 20

Get ready to go hunting for the small and squirmy! Through exploration both on the farm and in the surrounding woodlands, learn how the creepiest, crawliest critters are the key to both a forest and our food.

Family Farm Days

Open to ALL ages - Great for families with children 4 and under!

Dates: June 26, July 10, July 24, Aug. 7 Times: 9-11:30am

Cost: $20 for a family of 4/$3 each additional person

Want to come to camp, too? Here’s your chance! Spend a morning on the farm with the whole family. Meet and feed the animals, tour the farm, assist in a farm project and create a farm-inspired craft to take home. A farm-grown snack will be provided, and you are invited to bring a picnic lunch and stay as long as you like!

Hutchinson Homestead, Salida:

Ranch Camp

Ages: 5 and up Dates: June 22-24, July 13-15, Aug. 3-5 Times: 9am-3pm each day

Cost: $120 per camp/ 10% discount if you register for all three
Spend three fun-filled days on a historic ranch! Each day will begin with ranch chores, and participants will get to assist in a variety of ranch projects, learn some animal husbandry skills, explore the pastures and creek, learn about the Hutchinson’s family and general ranching history and practice several traditional art skills, like spinning, candle making, butter making or making jam. There may even be a hint of magic that arises from the past…. The camp will conclude with a ranch-inspired feast and a square dance for campers and their families.