CAS CONNECT 2014

26 students they’ve never really met before until they come to field camp,” Puckette says. “I think they learn a lot about themselves, and they learn a lot about human nature.” COMMUNITY The Huston family has remained closely involved with the camp since the camp’s beginnings. During the camp’s “tent years,” the Hustons would often open up their ranch to let students shower, do laundry, and enjoy a good meal. Tiny Striegel, Les Huston’s daughter, remains a key figure in the camp’s opera- tions. In addition to donat- ing her father’s land to OSU to use for the field camp, she also contributes her time and wisdom when she visits the camp and its students each year. The community of Cañon City has also become very familiar with the camp. Campers and faculty contrib- ute to Cañon City’s econ- omy when they shop and eat at local businesses. Puckette and the faculty frequently give presentations to the local geological society. The community wants to see the camp succeed. “Every year, we have people stop in and visit us,” Puckette says. “It was a really impor- tant part of their life. And because of the relation- ship we have with our neigh- bors, we’re part of that little community out there.” CONTRIBUTIONS Donors and alumni also support the camp through an endowment fund that helps with camp operations, however, the camp is designed to break even. Major repairs or disasters are not included in the camp’s annual budget. Puckette says the camp would not have been able to rebuild after the 2006 flood without donations from corporations, individuals and alumni. The campaign to rebuild raised nearly a half million dollars. Students also receive assis- tance from a scholarship fund set aside to help with the costs of attending the five-week camp. Alumni and geological societies are frequent contribu- tors to the scholarship fund. These contributions allow OSU to continue to bring geol- ogy students to its field camp TEAMWORK Not only does the Les Huston Geology Field Camp offer a variety of rocks and strata to study, but diversity is also reflected through the schools that send students and faculty to the camp each year. The camp regularly receives students from schools in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. Occasionally, the camp has students from the Appalachians and the northeastern part of the country. “Some schools are better at teaching certain areas than others,” Appleseth says. “You get to play off each other’s strengths because not every- one is going to be 100 percent solid in every area of geology.” Working with campers they’ve never met before also preps OSU geology students for the workforce. In the petroleum industry, it’s not uncommon to work with geol- ogists from all over the world. Working in teams to complete projects is a skill employers like to see on résumés. “These students have been able to work with, not their buddies and their friends, but and offer a memorable and educational experience year after year. IMPACT A geologist is used to seeing change in rocks over time, and for those who visit the Les Huston Geology Field Camp, they see something new every year. The landscape might be ever-changing, but any geolo- gist will tell you that basics of field work taught at the camp beginnings are still just as applicable today. As someone who has completed a field camp session and is continuing his educa- tion with the Boone Pickens School of Geology, C.J. Appleseth describes how field camp is a common denomina- tor for all geologists. “It’s like a geologist’s rite of passage going through field camp,” Appleseth says. “Everyone has to do it, and I can go talk to a man in the industry who looks like he’s on the doorstep of retire- ment, and our experiences at field camp will be very simi- lar. Some things may change, but other things remain 100 percent the same.” At the f ield camp, students go over what they learned in classrooms and apply i t to a real-world sett ing.