Two CSU Students Take Class “On the Road”

With 300 days of sunshine annually, it is always a perfect day for a bike ride in Fort Collins. Two Colorado State University students are capitalizing on that Fort Collins popular pastime with their natural resource recreation and tourism class project: “Bike the Sites, FC.”

Brian Crawford, a junior from Colorado Springs, and Tyler Weady, also a junior, who hails from Tracy, California, wanted to create an environmentally sustainable idea that incorporates exercise, tourism and fun. And they succeeded.

“Our goal is to give anyone who visits CSU and Fort Collins some knowledge about getting around the city without a car and seeing the unique side of Fort Collins,” said Crawford.

The students are gearing their project towards prospective students and their families visiting Colorado State for a campus tour, as well as targeting conferences that are being hosted in Fort Collins.

Beyond having a practical application for visitors to the city, the project gave Crawford and Weady the practical skills necessary for internships and work in the tourism industry.

“This project was really fun and I could see myself doing something like this in my future career,” said Weady.

Crawford added, “This is a great stepping stone before internships and starting a career. You are able to find out what steps are needed in working with different organizations that have a keen interest in tourism for a city or region.”

Perhaps the best part of this project, along with other projects these two students have completed for their major within the Warner College of Natural Resources is that it gets them outside of the classroom and into the community.

“I did not want to sit at a desk all day,” said Weady. “The outdoors is one of my passions and it drew me to the (Warner) College of Natural Resources. All my peers have that same passion and value for the outdoors!”

Both students are looking forward to working with the Fort Collins Convention and Visitors Bureau as well as other agencies in town to promote “Bike the Sites, FC.” Fort Collins is currently listed as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” by the League of American Bicyclists and has more than 150 miles of bike trails in town.