VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Morrison Museum | The Morrison Natural History Museum, 501 Colo. Highway 8, needs volunteers to teach about local fossils and rocks using hands-on exhibits and interactive demonstrations. Training and mentorship provided. Volunteers are also needed to assist with reptile collection care, fossil molding and casting, and information desk/gift shop operations. Call 303-697-1873 or visit www.mnhm.org.
Xeriscape garden | The City of Aurora Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway needs volunteers. Call Abby Schreiber at 303-739-7356, or e-mail aschreib@auroragov.org.
Park weeding and trail maintenance | Roxborough State Park, 4751 N. Roxborough Drive, Littleton, needs volunteers most Tuesdays in July and August to work with trained crew leaders to maintain trails. Volunteers are needed most Wednesdays in August to work with trained crew leaders to pull, snip and collect noxious weeds. For information, call 303-973-3959.
US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory Visitor Center | School field trip program guides and docents are needed to serve as hosts and conduct programs appropriate for school groups, youth and scouting organizations, senior citizen and civic groups at the US Department of Energy’s NREL Visitors Center, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden. For information, contact Ivilina Thornton at 303-384-6566 or e-mail ivilina_thornton@nrel.gov.
Air and 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 p.m. on Sundays. For information, call Matthew Burchette at 303-360-5360, ext. 103.
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 must 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.
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.
Wilderness environmental service programs | The Rocky Mountain Field Institute is a nonprofit organization based in Colorado Springs, dedicated to the preservation and restoration of wildlands and key natural areas. RMFI accomplishes its mission through environmental service, education and research. RMFI programs are developed around comprehensive, multi-year or long-term projects developed in concert with land management agencies to meet critical preservation and restoration goals. Volunteers are needed to complete alpine restoration projects this summer in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. A four-day program will be offered Sept. 8-11.
Other multi-day volunteer projects are scheduled for Sept. and Oct.; regular workdays are scheduled in the spring and fall at Garden of the Gods.
TWICE WEEKLY
NO DATE Telescope viewing | Chamberlin Observatory, 2930 E. Warren Ave., on the 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
Evening wagon rides | Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave., is offering naturalist-led nature-watching sunset wagon rides at 7 p.m. Saturdays through Labor Day. Cost is free for members, $5 non-members. After the wagon ride is a campfire with a marshmallow roast. Take a jacket, water and insect repellant, and wear sturdy shoes or boots. In case of inclement weather, an indoor interpretive experience will be substituted. To register, call 303-693-3621.
Kids nature programs | Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, offers a free program for kids ages 5 and under every Thursday with puppets, stories, activities and outdoor exploration. The same topic is covered at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., choose which time works best for you. For information, call 303-739-2428.
Kids nature programs | Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, offers a free program for kids ages 6-10, “Junior Rangers,” which meets the second Thursday and Sunday of the month at 1:30 p.m. August’s topic is “Flowers, Fruits and Seeds.” September’s topic is “Nature Hide and Seek.” To register, call 303-739-2428.
Science open house | The Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, offers a free open house with hands-on science activities from 1 to 4 p.m. on the third Sunday of the month. To register, call 303-739-2428.
Bald eagle viewing | Barr Lake State Park Nature Center, 13401 Picadilly Road, Brighton, loans binoculars Wednesdays through Sundays for viewing of newly-hatched eaglets. The view of the eagle nest is best from the Gazebo, a 1.3-mile walk south of the Nature Center. For hours of operation, call 303-659-6005.
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.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research | NCAR’s 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. The visitor center has a climate exhibit, an eclipse telescope, working supercomputers, a gravity well, and hands on demonstrations of lightning, tornados and fluid dynamics. For information, call 303-497-1174or visit www.ucar.edu.
Renewable energy | The US 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 http://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. For information, call 970-586-3262 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 children and adults. For a list of events, call 303-739-2428 or visit www.auroragov.org.
Astronomy events | Fiske Planetarium, on the University of Colorado 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/.
Bird banding | See migrating songbirds up close. The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory’s Education and Bird Banding Station in Barr Lake State Park, 13401 Picadilly Road, Brighton, is open Monday through Saturday through Sept. 2 and Monday through Friday Sept. 18-Oct. 20 from 7 to 11 a.m.
WEDNESDAY
Denver Field Ornithologists meeting | Birder Pearl Jordan will show photos and give a free talk about families of birds at 7:30 p.m. in the Denver Museum of Nature & ‘Science’s Ricketson Auditorium, 2001 Colorado Blvd.
THURSDAY
Astronomy talk | “Colorado Skies: Autumn Observing,” a live astronomer talk, will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Fiske Planetarium on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Cost is $6 adult, $5 student with valid ID, $3.50 child/senior. For information, visit http://fiske.colorado.edu or call 303-492-5001.
FRIDAY
Lightning Data Center meeting | “A Case of Severe Electrocution and the Choroidal Retina Findings,” will be the topic discussed at the noon meeting, preceded by an 11:30 roundtable in Auditorium A, St. Anthony Central Hospital, 4231 W. 16th Ave.
Map, compass and GPS class | The USGS offers free classes the second Friday of each month except December at the Denver Federal Center, Lakewood, Building 810. Mornings (9 to 11 a.m.) are the map and compass classes, and afternoon (noon to 4 p.m.) are the GPS classes. To register, call 303-202-4689, or e-mail gpsworkshps@usgs.gov. Take your GPS if you have one.
6-legged walk | Morrison Nature Center at Star K Ranch, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora, is offering a free walk for humans and their well-mannered (and leashed) dogs at 7 p.m. To register, call 303-739-2428.
SATURDAY
Guided bird walk | Morrison Nature Center is offering a guided bird walk at Sand Creek Regional Greenway. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at MNC, 16002 E. Smith Road, Aurora. Take binoculars and a bird book if you have them. To register, call 303-739-2428.
Adopt-A-Crag service project | REI Englewood is hosting Adopt-A-Crag 2006 in Castlewood Canyon State Park, 2989 S. Highway 83. Volunteers are needed to help pick up trash, clean rock faces, trail maintenance and more. Breakfast is available at 8:30 a.m., work starts at 9:30 a.m. Take water, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, and work gloves and shoes. If desired, take your gear for climbing afterward. Register by visiting www.Vooutdoors.org or by contacting Joshua Fox at Jfox@rei.com or at 303-858-1726.
Sept. 10
Snake program | Ranger Julie Arington and a live snake will give a program, “Snakes Alive!” at 2 p.m. at the Pikes Peak Amphitheater in Castlewood Canyon State Park, 2989 S. Highway 83, Franktown. A $5 daily State Parks pass is required for all vehicles entering the park.
Rocky Mountain Field Seminar | “Colorado Cat Tales,” a seminar about mountain lions, bobcats and lynx, will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For prices and registration, visit www.rmna.org, e-mail fieldseminars@rmna.org, or call 970-586-3262.
To publicize upcoming events geared toward and open to the public, please mail 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.
