Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is proud to offer adaptive equipment at several state parks to help more people and their families enjoy the outdoors. In this episode of the podcast, Digital Media Specialist Forrest Czarnecki returns as a guest host to bring listeners into the field to learn more about how CPW strives to offer recreational and sporting opportunities for children and adults of all ability levels.
For the Blevins family, visiting Ridgway State Park wasn’t just any old summer vacation. For the family of five from South Carolina, visiting the park was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip facilitated by Make-A-Wish chapters in Colorado and South Carolina. As soon as CPW learned of this visit, state park staff developed a plan to make it an unforgettable experience for the Blevins family.
Fred, Rebecca, Miller and Bo Blevins were incredibly gracious in allowing us to tag along and document the experience for Bo, their 12-year-old son living with a CASK gene mutation.
Led by Ridgway State Park Park Naturalist Shelby Martinez, Bo and his family enjoyed an action-packed two days at the park. After starting with a big hike, with Bo riding a Trackchair, the first day ended with an afternoon of fishing at one of the park’s two smaller stocked ponds below the reservoir. We even helped Bo’s sister, Miller, land her first few rainbow trout.
Day 2 took the family on a morning paddleboard adventure around the marina and swim beach. Loaded onto an oversized wheel-chair compatible paddleboard, Fred expertly paddled the entire family and Shelby around Mears Bay. All the while, Bo lit up and danced as he felt the breeze blow through his hair and the gentle rocking of the paddleboard.
The family’s trip ended with a tour of the reservoir on a state park ranger’s boat. While the family enjoyed the last bit of their vacation at the park, we caught up with Park Manager John Freeborn, who knows firsthand about the healing power of nature following his lengthy recovery from a major car accident. We also chat more with Martinez and learn about her personal connection to working with families with special needs.
Through it all, we learn how Colorado is at the forefront of providing adaptive equipment to help individuals and families in need of assistance, both at our state parks and beyond. This is an episode you won’t want to miss.
For more information on how CPW provides options to state park visitors with disabilities, check out the CPW website. Follow Bo and his adventures on Instagram.
Podcast hosted by Regional Public Information Officers John Livingston and Kara Van Hoose. Podcast edited by Meghan Lopez. Art19 is the host platform, and people can also find the podcast online at https://art19.com/shows/colorado-outdoors