Professor C. William T. Penland received his B.A. in 1920 from the University of Wyoming and his Ph.D. in Biology in 1925 from Harvard University. Except for a period of military service during World War II, and a semester in South America, he taught at Colorado College continuously from 1922 until his retirement in 1968, serving on the faculty longer than anyone else in the institution's history. An avid mountaineer, Dr. Penland was particularly well-known for his studies of the fungi and algae of Alpine tundra. His interview includes descriptions of the low faculty salaries, the Biology Department and Forestry School, the appearance of campus and Colorado Springs, President Duniway's administration, and the Alpine Laboratories of the Carnegie Institution (located three miles up the Cog Railway.) He talks about his extracurricular activities: mountaineering, hiking with Saturday Knights, Round Table Club, and searching for new plants.
Can environmental education and environmental interpretation inspire a sense of place through education and interpretation specifically designed to help one understand the Pikes Peak landscape? Can the concept of sense of provide a pathway to stewardship? I believe that the answer to both of these questions is yes. My project focuses on Barr Trail (BT), the most common route to the summit of Pikes Peak. I have produced an interpretive guide to BT that incorporates theories from sense of place studies, environmental education, and environmental interpretation as a means to create connection and enhance stewardship. Personal experience with trail users over an eight year period has lead me to theorize that stewardship arises from connection to place; that connection is built on understanding within one’s own framework of experience and mindset; and that understanding requires awareness. Engaging trail users in the landscape of Pikes Peak can help create awareness of the landscape and the interconnected systems of human and non-human nature that make it a specific place. Combining the concept of experiential learning from environmental education with interpretation of the landscape can help inspire a sense of place. Gaining a sense of place in the Pikes Peak landscape can lead to better stewardship of BT.
