The Four Corners School of Outdoor Education will soon have a new campus, the Canyon Country Discovery Center.  Our home will be on 48 acres just north of Monticello, Utah, with Plateau-inspired LEED-certified buildings and a spectacular outdoor classroom. So far we have erected a yurt and roll-off roof observatory with a 14-inch telescope to view our nationally recognized dark skies. Along with this new campus will come new, place-based programs called the Discovery Institute for Conservation Education. Of course this campus will also be the home of our existing award-winning programs the Canyon Country Youth Corps, Bioregional Outdoor Education Project, and Southwest Ed-Ventures.

Imagine a 21,635 square foot outdoor-learning center celebrating the Colorado Plateau, located in Monticello, Utah that incorporates energy-efficient technology into a design derived from the Colorado Plateau’s landscape and human culture. The facility will be a showcase for local, regional, and national visitors that includes hands-on, place-based exhibits and outdoor educational activities for all ages. Imagine new place-based programs for 132,000 people a year that showcase the natural wonders of this amazing high desert redrock plateau from multiple perspectives such as Navajo, Hopi, Hispanic, and Anglo---all cultures of the Plateau.

Four Corners School is well into the work for our new campus and we are SO excited about the options this new learning center will bring for us to educate a broader audience about the world-class natural environment of the Colorado Plateau. 

What is the value of outdoor education? What is the urgency for supporting this movement NOW? As a  teacher in our Bioregional Outdoor Education Project stated:

"Outdoor education really works because it allows the students to see the whole picture, which Navajo students need before they understand. Now I look forward to teaching science! It is now my core emphasis because I am not afraid or intimidated by how to teach and convey science content to students. It is user friendly. I can do it and not fret. I was starting to burn out on teaching, but now I am looking forward to next year, and I am planning on how to structure the year around the Colorado Plateau Bioregion with experiential learning."

New research suggests that the best way to improve children’s performance in the classroom may be to take them OUT of it! Help us build a strong future. Won’t you please show us you value outdoor education by making a donation to FCS and its "No One Left Indoors Capital Campaign"! We appreciate your support and passion for the value of outdoor education!