Program areas at Poudre Learning Center
The Poudre Learning Center (plc), a program of weld county school district 6 and other local school districts, is a premier provider of interdisciplinary Learning focusing on the importance of history, science, economics, stewardship and aesthetics of the cache la Poudre river and northeastern Colorado. The plc Foundation has raised funds to construct the instem station building for the plc to support research activities, provide instructional programs to k-12 students, and present seminars and workshops. The plc Foundation also provides funding for program staffing, furnishings and supplies for various plc programs.
The energy summit provides professional development opportunities to elementary and secondary teachers in the area of the oil and gas industry. Participants learn the science behind the formation of oil and gas, the processes of extracting oil, and regulations surrounding the process from experts in each field. Participants also gain insights into science pedagogy, receive lesson plans applicable to their classrooms, and enjoy field trips to a sites that show hands-on models of equipment used in the field and active sites to see drilling and completion operations first hand.
In december 2017, 133 acres of land on the north side of the Poudre river were donated to the plc Foundation to supplement the educational programs conducted on 65 acres on the opposite south side of the river. Plans have been drafted for potential uses of the land. During 2020 to 2022, a state of Colorado grant was received allowing the plcf to contract with a consultant to develop a restoration plan for the riparian area along the river. Additional work has also been performed to remove invasive species and mow the property for ecological management, fire mitigation and general aesthetics.