News

June Newsletter

This summer camp focuses on the importance of practicing kindness and compassion to one another and to all living things. These concepts are also at the heart of Camp Cooper’s educational philosophy, making this collaboration an excellent way to promote being kind to desert plants and animals and each other.

To round out the day’s events, Camp Kind was introduced to Cooper Center ambassador animal, Momo, the Cooper desert tortoise! Children had the opportunity to offer Momo fresh greens which he happily and hungrily ate while Rocky, Ben’s Bells resident courtyard squirrel watched from close-by.

Cooper Center mentioned in The Chamber EDGE

Tucson Metro Chamber’s spring edition of their quarterly publication, The Chamber EDGE, mentions the Cooper Center. The article details Bayer AG’s strong connection to the Tucson area both through Bayer Crop Science agricultural innovations, and through the Bayer Fund grant funding. Cooper Center was awarded a Bayer Fund grant in 2021.
Director Colin was also interviewed for the article and points out the direct impact funding has on providing children these positive experiences in the Sonoran Desert, supporting Cooper staff and ecological programs.

May 2022 Newsletter

Casting Call for Actors!

Do you know a child who had an incredible experience at Camp Cooper and who would be comfortable talking about it on camera? We're producing some video content this summer and we need some SUPER STARS!

We are looking for elementary students who have recently visited Camp Cooper as part of a field trip and had an amazing experience while learning about the science and nature of our incredible desert. We're filming later in July for videos that will be used in promoting our programs and in our fundraising efforts.

If you know someone who might be interested, share this info with them!

TREC Summit, Climate Reality Project, Mexico!

Our education staff are busy this summer jet-setting far and wide for Cooper! Summertime is an opportunity for our team to pursue professional development, attend conferences, and to introduce our educational programs to other outdoor classrooms and organizations. We take what we gain from these experiences and put it right back into our own environmental lessons and activities, too, making the Cooper Center an even more valuable learning resource for children and families, educators, and our greater community.

Camp Cooper at Camp Kind

Ben's Bells Kindness Wall at Camp Cooper Dedication Ceremony

In honor of College of Education Dean Bruce Johnson stepping down from the role and returning to his environmental learning and earth education research, the College’s Advisory Board and Johnson’s family, friends, and colleagues sponsored Camp Cooper as a Ben’s Bells Kind Campus. Our friends at Natural Building Works erected a gorgeous rammed-earth wall along our entrance trail, and Ben’s Bells kindness tiles were added to create a large saguaro in bloom.

This new feature at Camp Cooper was unveiled during a May 6th event to celebrate Dean Johnson’s contributions to the College of Education and its work in the community, including the Cooper Center.

April 2022 Newsletter

Camp Cooper Director Colin Waite has been busy! Not only did Colin prepare and present for SVP Fast Pitch (read below), but Colin also travelled to the Czech Republic to attend the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) last month.

The congress is a leading global network of those working to develop education for environment and sustainability. Colin represented Cooper Center, the University of Arizona, and Tucson Unified School District at WEEC, along with UArizona Research Scientist Dr. Corey Knox and College of Education Dean Bruce Johnson, who was a keynote speaker for the conference.

Celebrating Earth Week at the University of Arizona

April’s Amazing Teacher Workshops

It's been a busy Spring! Along with a full schedule of field trips, we also continue to provide professional development for current and prospective educators, with workshops that focus on instructional practice and a variety of topics related to the wonders of the natural world.

Environmental Education in Times of War

I’ve just returned from the World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) in Prague, Czech Republic, where I had the honor of presenting and serving as a delegate on behalf of the Cooper Center and the University of Arizona. Traveling to Europe during the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was a difficult choice, but in the end, I felt that it was important to not let this violence throw darkness over such an important gathering of researchers and practitioners of Environmental Education (EE) from across the globe.

March 2022 Newsletter

The Cooper Center has grown again! We're proud to be able to add two new positions to the Camp Cooper team. As the Cooper Center continues to expand on the programs and resources we can offer, it was crucial to fill these roles with passionate, knowledgeable people who bring their love of the Sonoran Desert and the environment and ecosystem with them in their work.