Summit County Citizens Voice

Paycheck donations by Copper Mountain employees raised more than $26,000 for local conservation efforts this past year. PHOTO COURTESY COPPER MOUNTAIN AND FORREST MILLER.

Resort’s employee-funded foundation awards $26,000 in grants

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Even in tough economic times, Copper Mountain employees stepped up their environmental giving this past year, raising more than $26,000 that will help local groups like the Keystone Science School, the High Country Conservation Center and the Girl Scouts with grassroots conservation and environmental education projects.

Altogether, the program has raised raised more than $56,000 since it was started several year ago as a joint project between the town of Frisco and Copper Mountain. Frisco is no longer part of the program, but since then Copper has formed the stand-alone nonprofit Copper Environmental Foundation.

All the resort employees who donate are invited to be part of the process of choosing which local organizations get grants, said Copper spokesman David Roth, who serves on the board of the foundation. Roth said the focus is to keep the money — generated by employee paycheck donations — local.

This year’s grant recipients are:
•    The Keystone Science School, to support the Education in Action program, focused on Mining and Water Quality.
•    High Country Conservation Center and the Summit County Landfill for six exhibits at the Summit County Resource Allocation Park.
•    Girl Scouts of Colorado, in conjunction with Keystone Science School, for financial assistance to Girls Scouts for overnight programs.
•    Alternatives for Simple Living for agency and program support, to further develop the after-school programming that includes the “Summit Harmony” program and the implementation of “The 6 R’s” (Recycling, Restoring, Reusing, Reducing, Responding, and Refusing) program.
•    Bring One Back  – Bring one piece of litter back for every hike, bike, dog walk or other outdoor activity you participate in.

More details on the grants after the break …

The first grant recipient this year is the Keystone Science School to help support the Education in Action program, a problem-based program that will bring together a diverse population of students to study mining and water issues in Lake and Summit Counties.

Students will be studying the topic of Mining and Water Quality, highlighting the relationship that exists between mining and our need for clean water, all the while learning about: conflict resolution and negotiation techniques; field research techniques and experiment design; geologic history of the Rocky Mountains; the role mining plays within the local economy; the relationship of human impacts on the environment; and strategies for mine tailings clean-up. This study will result in a community forum and collaboration with local business and political leaders for identifying real solutions to this local issue.

The next recipient is the High Country Conservation Center and the Summit County Landfill for a series of six educational exhibits located throughout the Summit County Resource Allocation Park, our county’s landfill, recycling and composting facility. This grant will help build hands-on, informative, fun and creative educational exhibits for the youth of our mountain community. The exhibits will include text, photographs and interactive displays. It will also provide a safe route for tours and a place where youth can learn about waste diversion and resource conservation.

The Girl Scouts of Colorado is the third grant recipient in the 2010 cycle, for a collaborative effort with the Keystone Science School, to offer environmental education to Girl Scouts in Summit and Lake Counties through an overnight program at the Keystone Science School facilities.

The girls will participate in a variety of environmental programs facilitated by the Science School’s staff, including topics such as earth science, snow science, forest ecology, aquatics ecology and astronomy. Through this hands-on opportunity, participants will learn about environmental issues on both a local and global level. The overarching theme is: Educating the participants on the environmental impacts of human life and how we can reduce our environmental impact.

The fourth recipient this grant cycle is Alternatives for Simple Living, for agency and program support, to further develop it’s after school programming that includes the “Summit Harmony” program and the implementation of “The 6 R’s” (Recycling, Restoring, Reusing, Reducing, Responding, and Refusing) program that are available to all school aged children ages 5 – 14 regardless of one’s ability to pay, in a safe and healthy after school environment that includes a variety of educational resources and opportunities.

The final grant recipient during the 2010 cycle is Bring One Back, a program designed to encourage constant maintenance over our natural environment to counter the effects of use and our presence. BOB’s message is simple – bring one piece of litter back for every hike, bike, dog walk or other outdoor activity you participate in. A few of the goals of BOB are: to restore and maintain the natural beauty of the streets, parks, and backcountry; to encourage community members to get outdoors and engage their surroundings; and finally to foster respect for the environment and proactive involvement in its care.

For questions regarding the Copper Environmental Foundation, please send an email to environment@coppercolorado.com. For more information on Copper Mountain’s environmental initiatives, please visit www.coppercolorado.com/winter/about/environment.

Filed under: Environment, Summit County Colorado Tagged: | Copper Environmental Foundation, Copper Mountain, Copper Mountain Resort, education, Environment, Environmental education, Summit County Colorado, Summit County News