Our Wild Backyard
What a gift to live in Park County. We are surrounded by beautiful river valleys couched in wild mountains; forests, ranches and open lands; undammed rivers teaming with trout; wilderness that is home to sacred animals, grizzly bear, lynx and wolves — this a special place. This is our home.
These are a few of the many reasons we love Park County and why we are raising our children here.
Communities with abundant natural resources, however, are often threatened because outside developers see a different type of possibility. Here in Park County our wild backyard and our way of life are threatened by industrial gold mining in the Paradise Valley. But, there are other quieter threats too — a slow loss of access to public lands, increased pressure on endangered species, and competing demands for an increasingly limited water resource.
At PCEC, we are on a mission to protect our wild backyard. We can only hope to protect places when we know them.
January is a time for new beginnings and PCEC started 2016 with a new tradition. Once a week, every week this year, we will spend a day outside with our families and our community. We are taking our children out to explore the seemingly endless space, the big sky and the public lands that feel like are own secret backyard. We have a responsibility to instill a deep love, sense of place and respect for our wild backyard in the next generation of wild crusaders.
We will hike, bike, ski, climb, paddle and explore this great county. As mothers, we hope to instill pride and a deep sense of place in our children. The more we explore our wild backyard, the more we will love and fiercely protect it. Walking in the woods makes us better advocates, better neighbors, better mothers, etc. That, and it’s a lot of fun.
And we want you to join us! Stay tuned in through emails and social media. We’ll post where we are going, where to meet, and how you can come explore with us. Being part-time working mamas, Fridays are currently a good day for us — but we are happy to adjust as our group grows.
Here are some photos from our inaugural exploration up the popular trail to Pine Creek Falls.
Friday’s crew of 5 kids and 3 dogs (the older ones wouldn’t pose for the picture!)
