Hiking the ridge trail at King Gillette Ranch


Our naturalist staff, consisting of both year round and seasonal employees, act as teachers and interpretive guides for all the natural wonders for our Outdoor Education program. This group of exceptional outdoor educators come from all over the county and from a variety of backgrounds, including leading backcountry trail crews in New Mexico, teaching ski lessons, guiding teen backpacking trips in the pacific northwest and camp counseling in a foreign country for the US Military. All of our naturalists work towards the same goal - creating memorable experiences for the students that are fun and meaningful.


The Magic of Camp An Insider’s View of the MRCA’s Outdoor Education - By Allie Balthazor


Students work together on a team building activity


Magic happens when reality exceeds expectations. When children arrive at King Gillette Ranch for outdoor education camp, they may be nervous or have negative preconceived notions. For some, it might be their first trip away from home and it can be slightly scary at first. Or they may have heard about an excruciatingly long eight- mile hike from older siblings who may have attended in previous years. My job is to shatter those negative expectations and introduce the outdoor world as a fun place to learn, have new experiences, encounter hands-on learning and


nurture a future passion for the outdoors.


Coming to outdoor education might be like traveling to a different country for the first time. We greet each other with “haku”, we are not constantly using computers and the resident naturalists have a strange affinity for wearing green every single day of the work week. All of which can be strange for a main stream, pop culture savvy fifth grader. Preconceived notions are different than the actual experience. Outdoor education camp is not truly experienced until


Spring 2012 9


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