Friday, October 29, 2010

Outdoor Leadership welcomes new coordinator

By Jenna Capelle
Feature Editor
The Outdoor Leadership Office is making new tracks in Saint Mary’s University news.

Outdoor Leadership offers a variety of activities in the fall, winter and spring. Students can canoe, kayak, camp, rock climb, bike, snowshoe and take hiking trips. As for university facilities, students can benefit from the 18 hole disc golf course, “The Woods,” and the high ropes course.

“The office started two and a half years ago with the former coordinator, Davey Warner,” said Chris Kendall, vice president of student life. Outdoor Leadership “is not just entertainment; it educates the SMU community on how to take care of the environment,” said Kendall.

In November, Gary Borash, a May 2010 SMU graduate, will begin working full-time as the Outdoor Leadership Coordinator. Borash will provide opportunities for students at SMU to interact with the outdoors and experience what the natural resources in the area have to offer.

Planning activities around what students want is the new coordinator’s goal. “I’m hoping to have suggestions and support from the SMU community on what we should do,” said Borash.
“If people aren’t seeing what they want to do, tell me so that we can try to incorporate it into our activities.”

Along with the university’s facilities, Borash intends on using our natural resources. “I want to focus on doing more work with what we already have. I want to continue maple tree tapping, get more involved with the orchard and try to utilize the bluffs in new ways,” said Borash.

Borash just returned from a five-month internship with the Chicago Botanic Garden. His internship was based in Tucson, Ariz., where he studied populations of seeds from plants in the area and national forest lands for restoration purposes.

For information about participating in Outdoor Leadership activities, visit the Outdoor Leadership Office in Toner 8C.

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