SUNY Potsdam Wilderness Education Students Speak about New Mexico Expedition

SUNY Potsdam Leadership II Students Offer Presentation on 21-Day Expedition through Gila Wilderness

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From left, Gila Wilderness expedition participants Nick Gripp, Adam Smith, Kelly Glascott, Jon Ryan, Chris Foster, Justin Maggs, Nick Wasleski, instructor Mark Simon, Kirk Sweet and Ashley Tranello.

POTSDAM, NY (10/17/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam wilderness education students who trekked through the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico for three weeks this summer will discuss their journey in an upcoming public presentation.

The presentation will be offered on Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., in the Barrington Student Union Fireside Lounge. This event is free, and the public is invited to attend.

Participants from the Leadership II course will discuss their adventures traversing diverse scenery-from the deep canyons of the three-forked Gila River, to the mesas in between, to the 10,000-foot peaks of the Mogollan Mountains. Students Nick Waseleski and Kelly Glascott will lead the presentation.

The students will share photos from the trip, as well as discussing the history and ecology of the Gila Wilderness. For instance, they will discuss journal entries written by pioneering ecologist Aldo Leopold when he visited the area in the early 1900s, and the impact that recent fires have had on the grassland ecology.

The Leadership II expedition is the capstone experience for students enrolled in the Leadership Track of the SUNY Potsdam minor program in wilderness education. The 21-day expedition to the Gila Wilderness was resupplied via pack stock halfway through the journey. The group's typical days involved several carrying heavy packs over rugged terrain, gaining several thousand feet of elevation, sometimes without the benefit of a trail to follow.

The SUNY Potsdam Wilderness Education Program offers specialized preparation for motivated individuals to become tomorrow's leaders. The minor offers a Leadership Track, which prepares field instructors to lead extended backpacking trips and culminates in a student-planned 20-day expedition, as well as an Adventure Education Track, which prepares ropes course, rock climbing and ice climbing facilitation instructors. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/SOEPS/wildernessed.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $27 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

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