VOLUNTEERS
Retirement community | Allied Jewish Apartments in Cherry Creek needs drivers to take seniors once a month to pick up food provisions. Duties include picking the senior up from their apartment, taking them to the designated pick-up spot, assisting in lifting and carrying the food into the car, driving back and carrying the food to the apartment. Background check required. If you’re interested, call Shelley at 720-382-7813.
Railroad museum | The Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden needs volunteers for ongoing projects throughout the summer and fall, but especially for “A Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine,” Sept. 15, 16, and 21, 22, 23. Volunteers are also needed to work in the office, on the track crew, in restoration projects in the roundhouse, in the library and as tour guides. Contact volunteer coordinator David Williams at 720 274-5147 or e-mail david@crrn.org.
Urban Navigator | The first annual Urban Navigator, presented by Adventures For Charity, is a high-energy adventure for numerous teams, who will race around the Denver-metro area competing for prizes on Sept. 15. Volunteers are needed to hand out clues, man checkpoints and stamp passports. Volunteers will receive their specific assignment location on race day, then travel to that location on the light rail or bus system (a day pass will be provided). The event benefits Brent’s Place, a home away from home for children with cancer and their families. Visit .
Art museum | The Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver is hosting summer training for prospective volunteers. For information, contact Becky Wareing at 303-298-7554 or e-mail beckyw@mcartdenver.org.
Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative | BCWI needs volunteers to help with forums, to work on StreamTeams to protect local waterways, to write articles and take photographs, to help with general clerical duties and more. For information, visit KeepItCleanPartner . or call 303-413-7365.
Raptor program | Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, based in Fort Collins, needs volunteers to work Saturdays and Sundays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The hospital is full and construction delays have slowed the completion of the flight reconditioning building. Take a water bottle, sunscreen and a cordless drill if you have one. RMRP encourages preservation of our environmental and cultural resources through excellence in raptor rehabilitation, community education and research. Information: 970-484-7756 or e-mail info@rmrp.org.
Xeriscape garden | Volunteers are needed at the Aurora Water Xeriscape Garden, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway. For information, contact Abby Schreiber via e-mail at aschreib@ci.aurora.co.us or at 303-739-7356.
Anasazi Heritage Center | The Anasazi Heritage Center, located 3 miles west of Dolores, needs volunteers to provide visitor information and to help maintain the museum’s grounds. Volunteers usually work one four-hour shift a week in the morning or afternoon. Benefits include attending field trips, special programs, events and workshops. For information, contact Victoria Atkins at 970-882-5610.
Trail guides | The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks needs trail guides to visit trailheads and hike trails on OSMP lands six to 10 hours per month, providing visitors with information on area features, seasonal changes and local and natural history. Free classroom and field training is provided in four sessions. For information, visit . or call 720-579-4161.
Trail work | The Colorado Trail Foundation needs volunteers to do trail work and other volunteer tasks. Trail work happens through August and work events are from a single day to a week long. For information, visit .
Trail work | Trails 2000 builds and maintains trails and educates trail users. Volunteers are needed to do trail work. Upcoming trailwork events are Aug. 22 and Sept. 15. To sign up for details and weekly trail work reminders, sign up for Trail 2000’s EList at .
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. Multi- day projects are scheduled Aug. 19-25 in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness; Sept. 29-30 at Shelf Road; and Oct. 13-14 at Indian Creek, Utah. Regular workdays are scheduled in the fall at Garden of the Gods. Contact RMFI at 719-471-7736 or e-mail rmfibox@ . for information.
Morrison Museum | The Morrison Natural History Museum, 501 Colorado 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 .
Park weeding and trail maintenance | Roxborough State Park, 4751 N. Roxborough Drive, Littleton, needs volunteers to work with trained crew leaders to pull, snip and collect noxious weeds and help maintain the hiking trails. For information, call 303-973-3959.
Air and Space museum | Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd., needs volunteers to help with youth and adult education programs offered by the Museum’s Education Department. Volunteers conduct tours, assist with hands-on activities, teach in the flight simulator lab and conduct our Project Pilot course. Project Pilot is a team building course in which students learn the basics of flight planning and then fly a mission in the Museum’s Flight Simulator Lab. Wings offers progressive training for all of these volunteer positions. Aviation experience is a plus, but is not required. Contact the Education Department at 303-360-5360, ext. 106 or 116, or education@wings . for information.
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 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.
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 . 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 .
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.
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 . or call Kris Desmarais, 720-974-1868.
TWICE WEEKLY
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 ., or call 303-871-5172 for reservations.
ONGOING
Dinosaur tracksite tour | The USDA Forest Service Comanche National Grasslands is offering guided auto tours of Picket Wire Canyonlands, approximately 25 miles south of La Junta in southeast Colorado. Stops on the tour include visits to the largest dinosaur tracksite in North America, prehistoric Native American rock art, and more. Day-long tours are offered Saturdays in September and October. Cost is $15 per adult, $7.50 per child. Due to rough roads, participants must have their own four-wheel drive high clearance vehicle. Call the Comanche National Grassland at 719-384-2181 or visit .
Guided flowerbed tours | Denver Parks and Recreation will host five guided flowerbed tours throughout the summer focused on perennials, annuals and new features at City Park. Park horticultural experts will guide the tours. Each tour is $15 for adults, $7 for seniors 60 and older and youth 17 and younger. Tour costs include transportation, refreshments and a small gift. Register for the tours by calling 720-913-0700.
River table | Visit South Suburban Parks and Recreation’s Carson Nature Center in South Platte Park, 3000 W. Carson Drive, the first Saturday of each month and manipulate a river in the 12-foot stainless steel river table. The table is filled with plastic sand and recirculating water powered by pumps that can be controlled by participants. Visitors can create a city landscape and see how natural river actions affect their creation. Naturalists are on hand from 2-3 the first Saturday of each month to guide individuals and families through the free, hands-on experience. For information, call 303-730-1022 or visit .
Nature movies | Morrison Nature Center, 16002 E. Smith Road, offers a free nature movie, popcorn and hands-on projects at 2 p.m. the 3rd Sunday monthly. To register, 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 5 and under every Thursday at 9 a.m. with puppets, stories, activities and outdoor exploration. For information, call 303-739-2428 or visit .
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. 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.
Map and compass class | The US Geological Survey hosts a free map, compass and orienteering class at 1 p.m. the first and third Fridays monthly 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 .
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 . 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 . or call 303-730-1022.
“Wet and Wild Wednesdays” kids nature program | Morrison Nature Center is offering a free plants and animals program for kids ages 6-10 the third Wednesday monthly. To register, call 303-739-2428. For information, visit .
Kids nature program | “Beach Mania,” a program featuring games and crafts on a different theme each week, is offered at 1 p.m. Sundays at the swim beach in Chatfield State Park, 11500 N. Roxborough Park Road. Meet under the tent at the swim beach. A daily State Parks pass is required for all vehicles entering the park.
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 .
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 .
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 .
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 .
Nature programs and hikes | “Rox-Revealed,” a program featuring naturalist-led programs and hikes, is at 11 a.m. Saturdays at Roxborough State Park, 4751 N. Roxborough Drive. A $5 daily State Parks pass is required for all vehicles entering the park. For information, call 303-973-3959 or visit .
TODAY
Geology program | “Creating the Canyon – A Look at the Dynamic Geology of the Park,” a 4-mile guided hike, will be at 9 a.m. in Castlewood Canyon State Park, 2989 South Highway 83, Franktown. Volunteer Naturalist Peter Laux will discuss rocks, cliffs, the creek and some dam history, too. Meet at the Event Facility Shelters. Register by calling 303-688-5242. A $5 daily State Parks pass is required for all vehicles entering the park.
Family hike | Volunteer Naturalists Mike and Sonia Zipparo and their family will lead a hike in Castlewood Canyon State Park, 2989 S. Highway 83, Franktown, after a tour of the Lucas Homestead ruins. Meet at 11 a.m. at the Lucas Homestead Parking Lot on the Park’s Westside, accessed via Highway 86. Register by calling 303-688-5242. Do not take strollers, they will not work on the sandy, rocky terrain.
Guided trip to Buffalo Peak | Beth Widman, CGS, will lead a full-day of driving, hiking and exploring on Buffalo Peak. Meet at 8 a.m. at Dinosaur Ridge Visitor’s Center, 16831 W. Alameda Pkwy, Morrison. Cost is $40 per person, includes box lunch and Dutch treat dinner in Fairplay. To register, call 303-697-3466.
Zip A De Do at the Zoo | The 8th annual Zip A De Do at the Zoo event, a family adventure, will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and will benefit Denver Zoo’s Red Apple Fund for life long learning. Prices are to be announced. Tickets can be purchased at 303-376-4860 or by visiting .
TUESDAY
Space ethics lecture | “Interplanetary Contamination: Is the Andromeda Strain a Stretch?” the third lecture in a four-part lecture series titled “Beyond Earth: Ethical and Political Choices in Space,” will be at 7 p.m. in the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Phipps IMAX Theater. Cost is $12 members, $15 nonmembers. For information, visit .
Boulder Green Building Guild brownbag lunch program | The two authors of Sustainable Residential Interiors will give a presentation focusing on materials at 11:30 a.m. at the East Boulder Rec Center, 5660 Sioux Drive. Topics covered include: product certifications; the key criteria to pay attention to in discerning how green a product or material actually is; why to consider sustainable manufacturing practices and locally manufactured materials; how to select cradle to cradle products; and ways to reduce sampling, packaging and shipping impacts. Cost is free for BGBG members, $10 for non-members. Register by e-mailing info@bgbg.org with IAQ in the subject line.
WEDNESDAY
Sunset stroll | Morrison Nature Center is offering a free evening walk with chances to spot wildlife is at 7:30 p.m. Directions will be given upon registration. Register by calling 303-739-2428. For information, visit .
THURSDAY
Naturalist training | South Suburban Parks and Recreation invites ages 16-adult to gain skills in tracking, wildlife and bird identification, ecology and nature interpretation in a six-session program held Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 23, Sept. 6 and 20 and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 25, Sept. 8 and 22. Cost is $105 ($85 District rate). Volunteer for six months and the cost will be refunded. Call 303-730-1022 for information. To register, visit . or call 303-347-5999.
FRIDAY
Campfire nature program | South Suburban Parks and Recreation is having a naturalist- led campfire event with roasting marshmallows, naturalist entertainment and a family sing-along. Cost is $9 adults, $7 youth, $25 family ($6 adults, $5 youth, $17 family District rate). Call 303-730-1022 for information. To register, visit . or call 303-347-5999.
Leadville field symposium | The Colorado Chapter, Friends of Mineralogy, is sponsoring a “Leadville Field Symposium,” Aug. 24-26, with lectures, field trips, banquet, and tour of Leadville and of the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum. Cost is $20 (banquet and lodging extra). For information, e-mail Richard.parsons@att.net or pmodreski@usgs.gov.
SATURDAY
Volunteer day | Volunteers are needed to remove noxious weeds in Castlewood Canyon State Park, 2989 S. Highway 83, Franktown. Meet Ranger Sarah Holton at 8 a.m. at the Visitor Center to learn about weed identification before declaring war on the noxious weeds in the park. Register by calling 303-688-5242.
Trailwork volunteer event | Help Northern Colorado Grassroots maintain the Carey Springs Trail in Horsetooth Mountain Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants will meet at the Horsetooth Mountain Park parking lot. To sign up and receive map and instructions, call Dutch Fla Havhan at 970-6794552 or e-mail dflahavhan@larimer.org.
Fall colors hike | Castlewood Canyon State Park, 2989 S. Highway 83, Franktown, is offering a hike to Flattop for viewing of fall colors. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Homestead Parking Lot on the west side of the park and be prepared for a 30-minute steep hike to the top and an easy meander around the flats once up there. Wear good shoes or hiking boots. Register by calling 303-688-5242.
To publicize upcoming events geared toward and open to the public, please mail details at least two weeks in advance to Andrea Labak, Scientifically Speaking, The Denver Post, City Desk, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, CO 80202, or e-mail to Scispeak@denverpost.com.
