Front Range Community College is the newest member of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit, a consortium of nine federal agencies and now 17 research and educational institutions in the Rocky Mountain West.
“This partnership provides a mechanism for FRCC to receive funding for projects on federal lands or in partnership with federal agencies,” said Jennifer Lee, coordinator of the Natural Resources Program at FRCC’s Larimer Campus. “The partnership could support ecological research projects, paid internships for students, and social science and cultural resource assistance.”
Lee said students in other programs, such as business, also could benefit from partnership opportunities.
The Natural Resources Program already offers field study in a 100-acre “school forest” in Red Feather Lakes for timber cruising, soil studies, and snowshoe hare counts for the Colorado lynx reintroduction project. Students conduct wildlife habitat management and fisheries research at several public-land locations, such as Watson Lake State Wildlife Area and Soapstone Natural Area. Students also work in 10 forestry study plots in Horsetooth Mountain Park.
The mission of the Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (RM-CESU) is to improve and disseminate the knowledge base for managing natural and cultural resources in the rapidly changing social, cultural, and environmental landscape of the Rocky Mountain Region, and to extend its expertise to national issues where appropriate.
The RM-CESU is one of 17 CESUs in the United States. The University of Montana is the host institution.
RM-CESU education partners
University of Montana
Montana State University
University of Idaho
Utah State University
Washington State University
Salish Kootenai College
University of Wyoming
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of Colorado-Denver
Colorado State University
University of Northern Colorado
University of Calgary
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Little Big Horn College
Northwest College
University of Utah
Front Range Community College
RM-CESU federal partners
National Park Service
Bureau of Land Management
Geological Survey
Forest Service
Bureau of Reclamation
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Army Corps of Engineers-Civil Works
Office of Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Installations and Environment)
Fish and Wildlife Service
About Front Range Community College
FRCC offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs from locations in Boulder County, Larimer County, Westminster, and Brighton, and online. FRCC is a member of the Colorado Community College System.
About the Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, serving more than 144,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 39 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities. CCCS students save time and money with affordable tuition and fees, concurrent enrollment, and guaranteed transfer to any public university in Colorado. Online courses are available via Colorado Community Colleges Online. CCCS also oversees career and technical programs in our 13 colleges, more than 160 school districts, and six other post-secondary institutions. By partnering with business and industry, CCCS helps employers meet workforce needs and prepares students for direct entry to their chosen career pathway. The vast majority of our students are Colorado residents and, after graduation, 97 percent of our students stay in state, becoming the workforce that powers the Colorado economy and the heart of our neighborhoods, businesses, and communities.
