Fireside Chats - 2010

Enjoy a campfire and marshmallow roast as you learn about the animals and ecosystems at Bluff Lake. Watch as nocturnal animals come to life while the sun sets slowly behind the mountains. In 2010, Bluff Lake is proud to partner with several other organizations to bring six Fireside Chats to Bluff Lake supporters.

• Fireside Chats are free for members, but we ask for a $1 donation from each non-member.
• Chats begin about 6 p.m. and last until about 8 p.m.
• These programs are fun for the whole family.

June 10 – Brilliant Beavers, Susan Beckett and Chris Story
Did you know that beavers are one of our smarter wildlife neighbors? Come and learn about how they are nature’s engineers, their funky adaptations that let them live in wetlands, and how others depend on the busy beaver for survival.

June 24 – Creating Backyard Wildlife Habitats, Susan Smith
Discover simple and fun ways to transform your yard into an oasis for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Whether you have a small urban lot or a country acre, you will learn the most important features that attract and support wildlife. Susan Smith has been a naturalist for 18 years and is passionate about creating healthy habitats for wildlife and people. Susan is owner of The Habitat Gardener, a landscape design and native plant business and President of Front Range Wild Ones, a non-profit that promotes native landscaping.

July 8 – Bandits, Bad Guys and Bunglers, John Beach
Through stories and music, John Beach weaves a picture of life in the west in the late 1800s. Characters will come alive as guests imagine Colorado 150 years ago.

July 22 – CSI Refuge, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Eyes on the front, I hunt; eyes on the side, I hide. Use your detective skills with a Ranger from Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to examine skulls, teeth, and bones to learn about animal behavior and adaptations.

August 12 – Wildlife Tracking, Matt Gray
Our urban world often shuts down our senses and turns off our ability to see nature and animal life in more complex ways. Natural settings provide the perfect space for people to return to the basic elements of life. This talk and walk on “Tracking and Nature Awareness” will give participants the opportunity to see Bluff Lake Nature Center through animal tracks and enhanced observation skills.

August 26 –Rocking Reptiles and Awesome Amphibians, Denver Zoo
Come and meet your native Colorado herp neighbors up close and personal! The Denver Zoo will bring live reptiles and amphibians as well as touchable animal artifacts to teach us all about our scaly, and sometimes slimy, herp friends.