PINHEAD INSTITUTE

NAME + ROLE

Jessica Tenenbaum, Special Projects

YEARS + GRANT AMOUNTS

We most recently received $4500 in 2022 from JFK but have been JFK grant recipients for many years.

WORK IN SAN MIGUEL COUNTY

We are based in Telluride but our service area includes Norwood, Naturita, Nucla, Paradox, Ouray, Ridgway, Montrose, Olathe, Dolores, and Cortez.

FAVORITE PROJECTS

Hard to choose! JFK funds support our Science Inspiration Programming, which includes Valley Floor Education Day, one of our favorite days of the year. We get to take every student at Telluride Elementary School out onto the Valley Floor and through a variety of STEM Lessons ranging from Pond Invertebrates to Forest Ecology to Beaver Dams and River Flow. It's always in Spring, when conditions are changing, and there is always something new to experience - like this year's muskrat hanging out on the river bank and signs of recent predation on the forest floor. We also love getting to work with many of our wonderful non-profit partners to bring this special annual event to TES kids.

LESSONS LEARNED

We learn every year that there are so many children living in our beautiful mountain watershed who haven't yet experienced the Telluride Valley Floor. Many of them cannot name the 'San Miguel River' even though they live nearby. As they move through the lesson stations they are delighted at the insects they catch, the birds and wildlife they view, the crazy impact that beavers have, and even the scat we find in the grass. It reminds us just how valuable experiential education is and that it's fun to get outside no matter the crazy spring weather!

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@PinheadInstitute on Instagram and Facebook