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Inaugural River Conservation Leadership Intensive kicks off with 4 days of white-water rafting and specialized talks

After a year of planning and coordination through the Center for Leadership at CU Boulder, the first-ever River Conservation Leadership Intensive launched with 10 students, four instructors and four guides. The team would be white water rafting in Colorado and Utah��through the Gates of Lodore on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument��for three nights and four days of real-time experiential leadership learning.

OARS outfitting company expertly guided the boats and inflatable kayaks. The trip could not have been possible without the generous support of American Rivers, the Mighty Arrow �󲹳���������Foundation and Conscience Bay Research.

The students came together from various departments and majors throughout the university.

During the day, our group floated through a magnificent canyon seeping with the formative history of the American West. We rowed through Disaster Falls, where Major John Wesley Powell, the first-known explorer and surveyor of the Colorado River system, lost one of his boats with much of their food and surveying equipment, except their barometers which were recovered later from the shattered boat.

Shortly after entering the��notorious rapid named ‘Hell’s Half-Mile,’ our lead boat became stuck against a rock in the middle of the river. The large boulder was aptly named Huggy Bear. We tried to ‘bumper boat’ them off, but to no avail. The group of students upstream in the paddle boat met us downstream in an eddy. We all hiked up to the stuck boat and threw out a rope.

After several attempts and shifting our angle around, we were able to dislodge the boat. We worked as a team for in-the-moment decision-making and experiential leadership training. Being a good leader is expecting the unexpected.

Following a silent, reflective float on the third day, we emerged at the confluence of the Green and the Yampa Rivers at Echo Park. Students learned about the historic partnership of David Brower, the founder of the Sierra Club and Bus Hatch, the first commercial river runner in the U.S., to save the Yampa River from a proposed dam. We discussed the difficult tradeoffs made by Brower to save the Yampa and instead build a dam on Glen Canyon—now Lake Powell.

At night, various talks were held. Chyenne Klemme, a Navajo educator, researcher for the Returning Rapids project, and river guide, opened by discussing developing a Sense of Place from the Indigenous perspective. She also gave a presentation for the Returning Rapids project about the impacts of silt and mud caused by the Glenn Canyon dam and Lake Powell on the overall river system.

Fay Hartman, the Southwest Conservation Director for��American Rivers led a discussion about river conservation efforts overall and specific to the Colorado River basin. She explained the Colorado Compact of 1922 and the “Law of the River.”

On the final night I spoke about what adventure swimming taught me about leadership, life and human agency. I shared my experiences swimming around the world and how I use them to raise awareness about water issues.

Seth Webb, Director of Experiential Education in the Center for Leadership ���Ի���our intrepid trip leader and coordinator from CU Boulder, led us through various team-building and leadership exercises throughout the trip.

Along the way, there were various talks from our OARS guides on dam building, geology, Ancient Puebloan culture, and the flora and fauna of the area.

The students gained experiential knowledge from the practical to the theoretical. It

��ranged from real-time decision-making to imagining their own future. The trip was an amalgamation of adventure, conservation river management, geology, history, boat rigging, poetry, river swimming, fire lines to unload the boats, ���Ի���managing the occasional rainstorm.

The crew was treated to a variety of wildlife, with rare sightings of big horn sheep, deer, ���𲹱������and soaring bald eagles. On the last night, a mama skunk curiously wandered through the camp kitchen—and right up next to my tent.

There were numerous hikes to explore various features and creeks. Some cooled off in a discrete canyon waterfall. We gazed in wonder at the pictographs and petroglyphs created long ago by the hands of Ancient Puebloans.

During our four days of living and camping together, we talked of things big and small, the trivial to the profound. From the delicious brownies made in a cast iron Dutch oven to the galaxy and the bright stars and moon above. We had personal discussions about life choices and career possibilities.

But mostly, in the end, there was a whole lot of laughter and friendship. We came together as strangers and left as a team that will forever have this shared experience.

One of the (many) highlights of this trip was the people.��I would like to express my gratitude to Seth Webb, Matthew Moseley, Faye Hartman, and Chyenne Klemme for sharing their expertise and teaching our group valuable knowledge from distinct professional perspectives; it was the perfect accompany alongside the river activities.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the RCLI program and look forward to utilizing the knowledge and skills I acquired in future academic, professional, and leisure environments.��

--Sophie Pinard, International Affairs Student

The first-ever River Conservation Leadership Intensive was a resounding success on numerous levels. It is a unique and personalized leadership��learning experience that can transform student’s lives. We are excited to organize another river trip for 2025 and build upon the experience to inspire the next generation of River Conservation Leaders.

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Matthew Moseley is the��President and Managing Principal of Ignition Strategy Group. He also serves on the Center for Leadership Board of Advisors and is co-chair of the Southwest Council of American Rivers. Moseley is an accomplished adventure swimmer and is the author of several books, including his most recent,��.

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The��Center for Leadership at CU Boulder serves as a multidisciplinary leadership hub to support, connect, and elevate leadership programs, resources, and research across the university. Our��mission is to invest in the leadership potential of all students and develop ethical, impactful leaders.

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