VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Air & Space Museum|Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., needs volunteers to help at the admissions desk, museum store, and in the museum’s collection of artifacts. The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 on Sundays. For information, call Matthew Burchette at 303-360-5360, ext. 103.
Nature center|Lookout Mountain Nature Center needs volunteer naturalists to greet visitors, lead programs for school and Scout groups and develop programs for the public. For information and an application, call 303-526-0212. Application deadline is Oct. 16.
Xeriscape garden|Volunteers are needed to work in the Aurora Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway. For information, call Abby Schreiber at 303-739-7356 or e-mail aschreib@auroragov.org.
Zoo|The Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St., needs volunteers to assist with special events, to assist zookeepers and to work in the zoo’s membership, education and administration departments. For information, visit www.denverzoo.org or call 303-376-4894.
Dinosaur Ridge|Volunteer tour guides are needed to teach people about the paleontological, geological, natural resources and history of Dinosaur Ridge. Applicants must be at least 18 and complete required training. For information, call 303-697-3466 or visit www.dinoridge.org.
Science museum|The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., needs volunteers to work with visitors in the museum’s diorama halls, galleries and activity areas. Also needed are volunteers to be guides, interpreters, collections assistants and classroom prep assistants. Call the Volunteer Services office for information, 303-370-6419.
Nature center|Bluff Lake Nature Center, East 30th Avenue and Moline Street, needs volunteer naturalists to work with kids, using games, science experiments and hands-on activities to teach them about nature. No experience is required. For information, call Sue Schafer at 303-468-3245.
Rocky Mountain Field Institute|Volunteers are needed for service programs in October and November at Indian Creek Canyon, Utah, Table Mountain, Shelf Road and Garden of the Gods. Register at least two weeks ahead by calling 719-471-7736 or e-mail rmfibox@qwest.net.
Conservation center|The Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave., Aurora, needs volunteer “citizen scientists” to work with PCC naturalists gathering, compiling and mapping information about prairie residents. Survey work will take place on the first Saturday of each month. Training is provided. To register, e-mail Fran Blanchard at
fblanchard@plainscenter.org or call 303-693-3621.
Butterfly Pavilion|The Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster, needs volunteers to work with visitors and to help in its tropical butterfly conservatory, tide pool, touch cart, and garden areas. For information, visit www.butterflies.org or call Kris Desmarais, 720-974-1868.
TWICE WEEKLY
Telescope viewing|Chamberlin Observatory, 2930 E. Warren Ave., University of Denver campus, has astronomy presentations and allows use of the 20-inch Alvan Clark refractor telescope beginning at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. For information, visit www.thedas.org, or call 303-871-5172 for reservations.
ONGOING
Science and engineering fair|The Denver Metro Regional Science and Engineering Fair will be Feb. 28 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. For information, e-mail james.stevens@uchsc.edu or call 303-724-3003. Teachers interested in staging a science fair at their school can visit the Central Colorado AHEC website at www2.uchsc.edu/ahec/science/.
Map and compass class|The US Geological Survey hosts a free map, compass and orienteering class at 1 p.m. Fridays in the map department at the Denver Flagship REI, 1416 Platte St. For information, call 303-756-3100.
Bird banding station|Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory’s Education and Bird Banding Station at Barr Lake State Park, 13401 Picadilly Road, Brighton, will be active now through Oct. 21. RMBO biologists assess the present condition of songbirds, and gather scientific data by measuring, weighing, identifying, aging and banding the specimens. For directions and hours, call 303-637-9220.
Mini Med School|The University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center is having a free Mini Med School at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Nov. 9 in the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Phipps IMAX Theater, 2001 Colorado Blvd. Lectures given by CU School of Medicine professors will cover topics such as molecular and cell biology, anatomy and physiology, immunology, cancer, virology and neurology. Registration is required and is on a first-come first-served basis. For information, visit www.uchsc.edu/minimed or call 303-315-8911.
Mesa Lab|The Mesa Lab, a working research laboratory at the west end of Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, has a free visitor center that is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. Free, guided noon-time tours are offered daily throughout the summer. The visitor center has a climate exhibit, an eclipse telescope, working supercomputers, a gravity well, and hands-on demonstrations of lightning, tornadoes and fluid dynamics. For information, call 303-497-1174 or visit www.ucar.edu.
Renewable energy|The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory Visitors Center, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Visitors Center features an interactive exhibit hall and DOE public reading room. For information, visit www.nrel.gov/visitors_center/
- or call 303-384-6565.
Children’s workshops|The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., has many children’s workshops and events for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. For a list, call the Children’s Workshop coordinators at 303-370-8225 or 303-370-8347.
Nature activities|South Suburban Parks and Recreation naturalists lead many outdoor, nature and environmentally related activities and events at Carson Nature Center, 3000 W. Carson Drive, Littleton. For a list of events, visit www.sspr.org or call 303-730-1022.
Wildlife refuge programs|The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, East 56th Avenue at Havana Street, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There are various exhibits at the visitor center, and free nature programs and refuge tours. Call 303-289-0930 for times and reservations, or visit rockymountainarsenal.fws.gov.
Natural history seminars|The Rocky Mountain Nature Association offers a series of outdoor seminars on natural history topics in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado state parks and other locations. For information, call 800-748-7002 or visit www.rmna.org.
Nature programs|The Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, offers a variety of nature programs. For a list of events, call 303-739-2428 or visit www.auroragov.org.
Astronomy events|Fiske Planetarium, on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus, has a variety of astronomy shows, talks and family matinees. The evening talks and shows are $6 adults, $5 students with valid I.D., and $3.50 for children and seniors. Saturday family shows are $5 adults, $3.50 children and seniors. Laser shows are $5. For more information, call 303-492-5002 or visit www.colorado.edu/fiske/.
MONDAY
Nanotechnology talk|”Nanotechnology and Ethics,” a free talk by Louis Hornyak, former associate research professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Denver, will be at 6 p.m. in room M3130 of the main campus building at Arapahoe Community College, 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive. For information, call 303-797-5851.
TUESDAY
Wildfires talk|”Taking the Heat: Cheesman Reservoir and the Fires of 2002,” a free presentation by Chuck Dennis, special projects forester with the Colorado State Forest Service, will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Denver Central Library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway. For information, visit www.denverwater.org.
WEDNESDAY
Denver Field Ornithologists meeting|Rob Billerbeck and Elizabeth Gillespie of Colorado State Parks Resource Stewardship will discuss how the raptor monitoring program can indicate “How Healthy Are Our State Parks?” at 7:30 p.m. in the VIP room of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.
Former presidential science adviser talk|Neal Lane, White House science adviser to former President Bill Clinton will give a presentation about “The Role of Science in the Presidential Decision-Making Process,” at 7 p.m. in room 1B50 of the Eaton Humanities Building on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. For information, visit sciencepolicy.
colorado.edu/scienceadvisers.
THURSDAY
Volcano program|”Earth’s Hot Spots: Volcanoes,” a free slide presentation by Tom Casadevall, regional director of the U.S. Geological Survey, will be at 7 p.m. at the Smoky Hill Library, 5430 S. Biscay Circle, Centennial. For reservations, call 303-693-7449.
Mars talks|”Mars Rover Update,” a talk by Mark Bullock of Southwest Research Institute, will be at 7:30 p.m. at Fiske Planetarium on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. The talk will be repeated at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7. Cost is $6 adults, $5 students with valid I.D., $3.50 children and seniors. For information, call 303-492-5002 or visit www.colorado.edu/fiske.
SATURDAY
Guided bird walk|A Metro Districts park ranger will lead a bird walk from 7 to 9 a.m. at Northridge Park, 8800 S. Broadway. Cost is $5 resident, $6 nonresident. For information, visit www.highlandsranch.org or call 303-791-2710.
Guided hike|Volunteer naturalist Carl Sandberg is leading a nature hike at 2 p.m. in Roxborough State Park, 4751 N. Roxborough Drive, Littleton. A $5 daily state parks pass is required for all vehicles entering the park. Call 303-973-3959 for information.
Guided bird walk|Barr Lake Nature Center, 13401 Picadilly Road, is offering a guided bird walk at 9 a.m. For information, call 303-659-6005.
Astronomy Day event|The Historic Chamberlin Observatory, 2930 E. Warren Ave., Denver, is having an open house with the Denver Astronomical Society and Active Teens of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science with daytime viewing of the sun from 1 to 5 p.m., astronomy talks and demonstrations from 3 to 5 p.m., and nighttime viewing of celestial objects from 7 to 10 p.m. For information, call 303-932-1309 or visit www.coloradoastronomyday.org or www.thedas.org.
To publicize upcoming events geared toward and open to the public, please mail complete details at least two weeks in advance to Scientifically Speaking, The Denver Post, City Desk, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202, or e-mail to Scispeak@denverpost.com.
