An Outdoor Leadership Career Pathway Opens Doors (and Trails) for Cortez High Schoolers

Montezuma-Cortez High School sits surrounded by nearly 500,000 acres of national forest, BLM, state, and national park lands—yet many students from low-income families have never set foot on these lands or participated in outdoor recreation. Hoping to address this gap, school staff reached out to LOR with an idea. LOR’s funding will help Montezuma-Cortez High School purchase camping gear, navigation equipment, field skills gear, water sports equipment—including fly rods, waders, paddle boards, and an inflatable kayak—and classroom study materials to launch a new outdoor leadership career pathway. Students in the program will participate in work-based learning with local outdoor companies, train for their Wilderness First Responder and Wilderness First Aid certifications, and learn about the many opportunities available in their own backyard.