Colorado Mountain College
IN-49: Innovation C

As a newly designated Hispanic Serving Institution, and in service to the growing Spanish-speaking community and the English speaking community in and around Steamboat Springs, the Bear Park Permaculture Center lead faculty (Tina Evans), Bear Park staff, and other Permaculture Design faculty at the Steamboat Springs campus have undertaken a wide-reaching, grant-funded (through the VF Foundation) visitor self-education project for the Center. The project has included the following aspects:

1. A ground mural that is a human sundial (completed in collaboration with the Sky (Astronomy) Club (artistic design and implementation completed by site staff), 


2. An artistic mural with the site name on it designed and created by a student, 


3. Purchase of a sign engraver and engraving supplies, 


4. Training of and by staff, and development of training materials (multimedia), for using the engraver, 


5. Design, production, and installation of hundreds of signs for individual plants that include Spanish and English common names along with official Latin names, 


6. Design and painting of colorful door murals for the geodesic greenhouse that say "welcome" and "goodbye" in multiple languages, 


7. An overarching site information main sign written in both Spanish and English that also offers a QR-code-based link to the Bear Park website, 


8. A sign offering a description of the human sundial and how it works (English and Spanish), 


9. An analemma (device that, at solar noon, shows which day of the year it is and shows equinoxes, solstices, and the period of days when there is too little sunlight to grow plants effectively, known as the Persephone Days), 


10. A sign offering a description of the analemma and how it works (English and Spanish), and


11. Site entrance/overview sign in Spanish and English.

This project is still underway, and it is expected that the following will be completed by the end of fall 2024: 

1. A large bilingual sign describing the permaculture site as an evolving food forest and offering some basic permaculture education,


2. Small bilingual signs describing mechanical operations equipment inside the greenhouse, 


3. A set of smaller bilingual signs describing specific site features and how these demonstrate permaculture/sustainability features, and


4. Audio components to each sign offered in both English and Spanish.

This project significantly improves visitor and learner experience in self and guided tours/visits, as well as enhancing the learning experience of both CMC students in classes and organized community groups who participate in guided experience on site. It promotes equity of access to permaculture/sustainability education through its bilingual approach to communication, and we hope that the presence of Spanish language content will further encourage the interest and participation on site of students and community members who are Spanish-speaking. The lively colors and engaging designs featured in the project create an energizing, welcoming atmosphere for learners and visitors to Bear Park, a unique permaculture education resource in our community/region.

This information was written by the Bear Park Faculty Lead, Tina Evans, who has supervised and coordinated this work.