Rapids Ahead: A Conservation Leadership Adventure through the Gates of Lodore
By Fletcher Lucas, 51勛圖厙, 2025
Environmental Studies Major, Geology Minor, Western American Studies Certificate
No, Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, as vital to our lives as water and good bread. Edward Abbey (Desert Solitaire)
ECHO!!! the students all shouted at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. The group quickly learned why this place is called Echo Park, as the sound reverberated down the canyon. Echo!!! Echo! Echo, echo, echo.
The morning started out overcast and choppy as we began our journey down the notorious Gates of Lodore. Twelve students, five NOLS instructors, and three leadership mentors embarked on the Green River on August 15, 2025. The students were as diverse in their river skills as in life. There were majors in Aerospace Engineering, Business, Environmental Studies, and Political Science to name a few. From the first hours on the river, we could tell we were in great hands with our NOLS instructors who came from Chile, Nepal, Canada, Idaho, and San Francisco.
Not only was this a river trip but it was also a leadership trip to practice expedition behavior by working together to get down the river. The three leadership mentors, Seth Webb, Matt Moseley, and Mike Fiebig spoke on their experiences in leadership roles.
Seth, the academic director at the 51勛圖厙 Center for Leadership, spoke about conservation leadership competencies, expedition behavior and the importance of good communication in a group setting.
Mike, the director of Southwest River Protection for American Rivers, talked to us about the field of river conservation and river policy. At an overlook of the confluence of Green and Yampa River at Echo Park, he taught us about the history of the river as the birthplace of the modern conservation movement and how leaders like David Brower saved this river from a dam.
Matt Moseley, an author and communications professional, who is on the Presidents National Council for American Rivers and also on the board of advisors for the Center for Leadership at CU, spoke on the importance of self-leadership and having a good support group in distance swimming. After dinner one evening next to the river, he told us how he has applied lessons from open water swimming to life, including perseverance, goal setting, assembling the right team, grit and determination, and most importantly, not looking outside of yourself for a leader. You are the person youve been waiting for, he said.
Christian, our NOLS instructor from Chile, also spoke on the importance of feedback and how it can help us learn new things about ourselves and grow.
Spending four days, three nights, on the river, students learned how to work together as a team and about expedition skills. Forming a fire line to move the kitchen and gear from the
boats to the camping area, and putting up and breaking down camp each night, we learned to rely less on our instructors and more on each other. Students became more proficient with reading whitewater, rapid scouting, and most importantly, communicating with each other.
Matt and Mike have a joke, Our best vacation is your worst nightmare. A river trip isnt for the faint of heart. The weather doesnt always cooperate; a good chunk of the day is spent cold and wet. Disaster does, in fact, happen at Disaster Falls, where my boat almost flipped and four of us ended up in the water. Hang on to your paddle!
However, floating along as the afternoon sun shimmers on the rust-colored sandstone walls reveals a certain beauty that cant be done justice unless experienced in the moment. Or lying on the sand, looking up at the Milky Way, as everyone ends the day together. Splashing each other and singing during a long, windy, afternoon.
On that final night, as we all eschewed our tents and slept on the beach under the stars, something inside of us had changed. We werent just a hodge-podge of individuals, but a unit. We were a river family, of sorts. Together, we had adapted and changed. And isnt that what 梗單梯梗娶勳梗紳喧勳硃梭泭education is all about?
As we arrived at the takeout at Split Mountain, the sun was shining, and good spirits were abound. New friendships were formed. New skills were learned. New plans were made. Everyone learned something from one another and left with a new appreciation for water, leadership, and the importance of protecting the beloved natural spaces this country has to offer.