November

Circle of Lakes Wintering Waterfowl Driving Tour

Saturday, November 14; 9:00am to 2:00pm
Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat, west of 75th Street between Valmont Road and Jay Road; meet at the Cottonwood Marsh parking area

Join volunteer naturalist Dick Pratt and others for this tour of local wetlands and reservoirs in Boulder County in search of returning ducks, geese, and other waterfowl. We will carpool from Walden Ponds looking for birds, learning about habitat, ecology, and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. This tour is geared to adults and older children.

  Birds of Prey Slide Program

Tuesday, November 17; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
George Reynolds Branch, Boulder Public Library, 3595 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder; additional parking is available across Table Mesa Drive in the King Soopers parking lot

Join volunteer naturalists for the evening and learn how to recognize raptors— hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls—in the skies above Boulder County. During this slide presentation, you’ll observe and learn how to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior, and ecology of these magnificent birds.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, November 21; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting location will be given to registered participants

Join volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place searching for raptors, learning about habitat, and working on our observation and identification skills. Participants should bring lunch, drinking water, binoculars, a spotting scope, and a bird field guide if you have them. The tour is geared for adults and older children. Register by calling 303-678-6214 by Thursday, November 19.

December

Getting Ready for Winter at Heil Valley Ranch

Saturday, December 5; 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Heil Valley Ranch Open Space; North of Boulder off Lefthand Canyon Drive; meet at group picnic shelter

Join volunteer naturalists for a late fall hike to observe seasonal changes and discover how the wildlife of Heil Valley Ranch prepares for winter. You’ll learn about behavioral and physiological adaptations to the shortening days and cooling temperatures, and also look for signs of wildlife that are active year-round. Be prepared for a slow-paced hike of just over a mile.

Birds of Prey Slide Show

Wednesday, December 9; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Longmont Public Library, 4th Avenue and Emery Street, Longmont, Meeting Room A

Learn how to recognize birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in the winter skies. During this slide presentation, you’ll learn how to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior, and ecology of these magnificent birds.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, December 12; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting location will be given to registered participants

Join volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place searching for raptors, learning about habitat, and working on our observation and identification skills. Participants should bring lunch, drinking water, binoculars, a spotting scope, and a bird field guide if you have them. The tour is geared for adults and older children. Register by calling 303-678-6214 by Thursday, December 10.

Nature Hike for Seniors

December 31, Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat Area; 10am to noon.

The last Thursday of every month Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors. Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and current resource management projects.

For more information and directions, please call
303-678-6214. Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large group, so we have enough naturalists at the program.

Birds of Prey Slide Show

Tuesday, January 5; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Louisville Public Library, 951 Spruce Street, Louisville 

Learn how to recognize birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in the winter skies. During this slide presentation, you’ll learn how to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior, and ecology of these magnificent birds.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, January 9; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

A Kid’s View of Raptors

Wednesday, January 13; 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Lafayette Public Library, 775 west Baseline Road, Lafayette

Learn how to recognize birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in the winter skies above Boulder County. During the slide presentation you’ll see some of these awesome birds up close and learn about where they live and what they eat. You will also get to see how your “wingspan” measures up against a hawk or eagle. This program is for
families with elementary-age children.

Signs of Life – Wildlife in Winter Hike

Saturday, January 16; 10:00am to noon
Caribou Ranch Open Space; 2 miles north of Nederland on County Road 126; meet at parking lot kiosk
 

Join volunteer naturalists for a hike in the high country to learn about the many ways that wildlife survives winter in the Rocky Mountains. We’ll talk about hibernation, dormancy, migration, and various strategies for animals that are active all winter long. We will also look for signs of wildlife activity, including tracks, scat, and browse marks on trees. Bring drinking water, and clothing and boots suitable for a moderate 2-mile hike in snowy, cold and windy weather.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, January 23; 9:30am to 2:30pm (extended tour)
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

 Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

Nature Hike for Seniors

January 28, Pella Crossing Open Space; 10:00am to noon.

The last Thursday of every month Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors. Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and current resource management projects.

For more information and directions, please call
303-678-6214. Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large group, so we have enough naturalists at the
program. 

Winter at the Walker Ranch Homestead

Sunday, January 31; 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Walker Ranch Homestead; 7701 Flagstaff Mountain Road, approximately 7.5 miles west of Boulder on Flagstaff Road, on the left just past Pika Road

How did early settlers prepare for and survive the harsh winters of Colorado? What did they do when they were snowed in for weeks at a time? What were their evenings like without radio or television? These questions and more will be answered as you explore the Walker Ranch homestead in winter.

In addition to a tour of the ranch, you can see working demonstrations in the blacksmith shop and the log house will be filled with wonderful smells of food being prepared on the woodstove.
Be prepared for cold, windy weather, and to walk in snow. For more information, call 303-776-8848 or send e-mail to tmcmichen@bouldercounty.org. No dogs, please.

Birds of Prey Slide Show

Thursday, February 4; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
George Reynolds Branch, Boulder Public Library, 3595 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder

Learn how to recognize birds of prey, or raptors -- hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls -- in the winter skies. During this slide presentation, you’ll learn how to distinguish between different raptors by identifying common field marks. You will also learn about the habitat requirements, behavior, and ecology of these magnificent birds.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, February 6; 10:00am to 1:00pm
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

Prairie Winter Hike

Sunday, February 7; 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm; North of Broomfield at the junction of South 104th St and Dillon Road; meet at the Stearns Lake Trailhead
 

Learn how grassland and wetland wildlife respond and adapt to winter on the prairie along the Colorado Front Range. Volunteer naturalists will lead this easy walk to explore and learn about the different winter strategies employed by wildlife that migrate through or are resident to the prairie ecosystems of Boulder County.

Track Tales - Snowshoe Hike

Saturday, February 13; 10:00am to 12:30pm
Caribou Ranch Open Space; 2 miles north of Nederland on County Road 126; meet at parking lot kiosk

Winter is the perfect time to learn about the story left behind by wildlife. Join Park Interpreter Michael Bauer and Volunteer Naturalist Susan Jones for a snowshoe hike to learn about predator-prey ecology and how to identify tracks and other clues left by winter wildlife. Be prepared for a moderately strenuous 2-mile hike above 8,000 feet, in cold and windy weather. Bring a winter hat, gloves/mittens, wind protection, plenty of warm layers, gaiters, snowshoes, water, lunch or snack, binoculars, and writing materials. Ski or hiking poles are also recommended due to icy trail conditions.

Birds of Prey Driving Tour

Saturday, February 20; 9:30am to 2:30pm (extended tour)
Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join Boulder County volunteer naturalists for a driving tour of some of Boulder County’s best areas to view birds of prey, or raptors. We will carpool from our meeting place, searching for raptors, learning about habitat and behavior, and working on our observation and identification skills. Bring water, lunch or a snack, binoculars, spotting scopes, and a bird field guide if you have them. Children 10 years old and up are welcome.

Register by calling 303-678-6214 no later than the Thursday before each scheduled Saturday tour.

Story in the Rocks - The Geologic History of Boulder County

Wednesday, February 24; 7:00pm to 8:30pm
George Reynolds Branch, Boulder Public Library, 3595 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder

The geologic history of Boulder County goes back over 1.7
billion years. Ever wonder where the rocks came from, how they formed, what the earth was like back then, or why the ancestral and present-day Rockies formed? Rocks contain a record of earth history that can be read like the pages in a history book. Join geologist and volunteer naturalist Sue Hirschfeld for this PowerPoint program and learn how to read the story in the rocks and interpret the landscape that has developed in Boulder County over the last two billion years.

Nature Hike for Seniors

February 25, 10:00am to noon
Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm (meet at Stearns Lake parking lot on S. 104th Street)

The last Thursday of every month Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors. Programs include information about an area’s history, wildlife and current resource management projects.

For more information and directions, please call
303-678-6214. Please call in advance if you plan to bring a large group, so we have enough naturalists at the
program.

Trickster Tales

Saturday, February 27; 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Rabbit Mountain Open Space; NE of Lyons on north 55th Street; meet at group picnic shelter

Coyotes live throughout most of North America, and coyote tales are found in many native cultures. Sometimes coyote has the power of creation, other times he battles supernatural enemies, and sometimes he’s a trickster, outsmarting people and animals alike. Join volunteer naturalists for a moderate 2-mile hike at Rabbit Mountain Open Space to learn more about this clever, adaptable character. Dress for the weather and bring your sense of humor.

Museums

Agricultural Heritage Center

8348 Ute Highway 66 west of Longmont

Open to the public April 1 through October 31 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with tours starting at 11:00am.

Winter hours: open the first Saturday of each month November through March from 10:00-5:00. Guided tours are offered starting at 11:00 am.

Groups may make special arrangements for tours year-round, any day of the week. For more information, call 303 776-8848 or send e-mail to tmcmichen@bouldercounty.org.

Learn about the rich agricultural history of Boulder County.  This site gives special focus to the years 1900 to 1925 when local families prospered as farmers and witnessed the coming of the Modern Age.  The farm includes two barns, an outhouse, a milk house, a blacksmith shop, and a 1909 farmhouse furnished with items from the 1910s.  There are also animals on site seasonally including chickens, pigs, and others. 

James F. Bailey Assay Office Museum

Closed for the season. Will open again in April 2010.

6352 Fourmile Canyon Drive, Boulder
Open the third Saturday of the month April-October
10:00 am to 2:00 pm

The James F. Bailey Assay Office Museum, located in the historic town of Wallstreet just west of Boulder, helps tell the story of hard rock mining in this area. Assaying was the primary method used to determine the potential value of a mine by revealing the amount of gold or other precious metals found in the raw ore.
The building at this site served as both an assay office and family residence, and the museum depicts both functions. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.
 

Senior Nature Hikes