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Serving upper elementary students, their teachers, and high school leaders from communities in and around Puget Sound, the program includes extensive teacher training, selection and training of high school student leaders, the 3-day/2-night “outdoor school” experience every Spring and Fall in the Baker Lake basin, and classroom lessons to prepare for, and evaluate the program.

Base-camped at PSE’s Baker Lake Lodge, participants spend most daylight hours outdoors, in “nature’s classroom”. The watershed-based curriculum revolves around multi-disciplinary field studies and includes:

  • geography (landforms and map reading)
  • chemistry (water quality)
  • biology (macroinvertebrates and fisheries)
  • botany (native, riparian plants)
  • social studies (local native cultural history)
  • physical education (hiking and recreation time)
  • reading/writing/drawing (journaling)
  • energy generation and conservation (power house tour)
Late afternoons (and early mornings) find students helping to cook, serve, and clean-up community meals, while evenings are enjoyed around the campfire. Music, story-telling, and original, dramatic productions entertain and educate until bedtime.

This holistic approach to education not only gives students real-life perspective to their studies, but also encourages caring and empathy for the environment and for each other. Our hope is that those participating will integrate their KKOS studies with learning throughout their lives, becoming responsible and caring stewards of the places they call home.

The success of this new, educational project is due to the innovation, creativity, talents, and dedication of a number of organizations, agencies, and individuals. Sponsored by C.A.R.E. (Community Arts, Recreation, and Education coalition), and supported by Puget Sound Energy (PSE), University of Washington’s MESA program, Puget Sound area schools, and local businesses and community members, the Baker River watershed has become a model for experiential education offering affordable programs to previously under-served schools in the region.

CURRENT PARTICIPANTS:
Concrete School District: Elementary & Middle School
Sedro-Woolley School District: Evergreen, Central, Mary Purcell, Big Lake, & Lyman
Mount Baker School District: Harmony & Acme Elementaries
Skagit River School House/Sedro-Woolley Homeschool Partnership
Everett School District: Silver Firs Elementary
Anacortes Homeschool Partnership
Finney Farm Homeschool Group
Union Gap Middle School
Whatcom Day Academy

To learn more about the Komo Kulshan Outdoor School,
please contact the KKOS Program Director:
Christie Fairchild
360-853-8388
GVMules@glacierview.net
K.K.O.S., P.O. Box 842, Concrete, WA. 98237

KKOS staff
KKOS staff: Katie Gell, Christie Fairchild, Lauren Salzman and Annie Stilts

K.K.O.S. is a project of C.A.R.E., which is a member of S.E.E. (Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs),
a tax-deductible, non-profit, 501.c3