Rachel Gehr, Boulder County

Wildflower Hike at Legion Park

Saturday, May 3; 10:00am to noon

Legion Park Open Space; east Boulder on Arapahoe Road; 0.5 mile west of 75th Street

Join volunteer naturalists for a leisurely spring stroll through the pinyon and ponderosa pines at Legion Park. Besides having a great view of the Continental Divide, this park is a wonderful place for early season wildflowers.

Birding Boulder County through the Seasons

Tuesday, May 6; 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Lafayette Public Library, 775 west Baseline Road, Lafayette

Join volunteer naturalists to learn about birding year-round in Boulder County. This program will explore where to find and how to identify some of our local birds, from the plains to the alpine. You will also learn about the many challenges birds face and how they adapt. This seasonal story of birds takes you through an amazing range of ecosystems and habitats, and you will also learn about some of the migratory birds that return to or pass through Boulder County during the year.

Geology of Rabbit Mountain

Saturday, May 10; 9:00am to 1:00pm

Rabbit Mountain Open Space; NE of Lyons on north 55th Street; meet at group picnic shelter

Volunteer naturalists Dick Pratt and Roger Myers will lead a moderate 2-mile hike at Rabbit Mountain, where you will learn about the unusual geology of the area. We'll also watch for spring wildflowers, soaring raptors, and other wildlife. Bring lunch, water, sunscreen, closed-toed hiking shoes/boots, and binoculars if you have them. This program is geared for adults.

Let's Talk Chickens

Sunday, May 11; 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Agricultural Heritage Center; 8348 Ute Hwy 66, Longmont

Join volunteer Barb Kirchner, as she shares experiences and lessons learned from raising her own chickens. Learn why chickens have been popular as pets and livestock for centuries and how they are suited to your backyard today. Kids and adults can learn how to walk, talk, and act like a chicken. Bring your kids and questions to this informal drop-in hen party!

Wildflower Hike at Rabbit Mountain

Saturday, May 17; 10:00am to noon

Rabbit Mountain Open Space; NE of Lyons on north 55th Street; meet at group picnic shelter

Rabbit Mountain is a great place to view spring wildflowers. The transitional foothills life zone is home to Easter daisies, Nuttall's violets, Pasque flowers, spring beauties, cacti, and more. Join volunteer naturalists for a moderate 2-mile hike that will take you from grassland to ponderosa pine and mountain mahogany shrubland in search of early bloomers.

Fossils and Flowers

Sunday, May 18; 9:30am to noon

Meeting location will be provided to registered participants.

Join volunteer naturalists Megan Bowes and Sue Hirschfeld for a short, moderately strenuous hike to explore a landscape created by folding and faulting as the Rocky Mountains uplifted 65 million years ago. You will see fossilized evidence of the Cretaceous seas that once inundated this area, as well as some of the earliest blooming wildflowers in Boulder County. Bring water and hiking shoes/boots. Register by emailing lcolbenson@bouldercounty.org, or by calling 303-678-6214 by Thursday, May 15.

Crafts and Trades of Olden Days

Sunday, May 18; 10:00am to 3:00pm

Agricultural Heritage Center; 8348 Ute Highway 66, west of Longmont

If you were a pioneer settler and there were no stores in the area, how would you get the things you needed for your family? Learn about old fashioned jobs and the traditional arts and crafts that went into making what was needed for life down on the farm. See blacksmithing in action, and try your hand at candle-dipping and working with a drop spindle!

Wildflowers of Boulder County Slide Program

Wednesday, May 21; 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Lafayette Public Library, 775 west Baseline Road, Lafayette

Join volunteer naturalists for a slide program to kick off the spring wildflower season! You'll learn about the variety of wildflowers found in Boulder County, where and when to look for them, and some interesting facts about some of our native plants.

Wildflower Hike at Betasso Preserve

Saturday, May 24; 10:00am to noon

Betasso Preserve; Boulder Canyon (Highway 119) to Sugarloaf Road; follow signs to Betasso Preserve; meet at group picnic shelter

Join volunteer naturalists for a spring wildflower hike in the beautiful foothills west of Boulder. We will hike about 1.5-miles through forest and meadows in search of spring wildflowers, enjoying some beautiful vistas along the way.

Hike for Seniors

Thursday May 29; 10 a.m. to noon; Mud Lake Open Space; 2 miles north of Nederland on County Road 126; meet at parking lot kiosk

The last Thursday of every month, Boulder County Parks and Open Space hosts a nature hike for seniors at a county park. Programs include information about an area's history, wildlife and current resource management projects, unless specified otherwise. NO REGISTRATION IS NECESSARY. For more information and directions to open space properties, please call 303-678-6214.

For information about these programs or to arrange a volunteer-led program for your group please contact: Larry Colbenson, Natural History Program Coordinator, Boulder County Parks and Open Space

303-678-6214 or lcolbenson@bouldercounty.org

Museums

Visit the 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; Groups may make special arrangements for tours.

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.

We will continue to open the site on the first Saturday of each month November through March.

For more information, contact Jim Drew at 303-776-8688 or jdrew@bouldercounty.org.

Visit the James F. Bailey Assay Office Museum

6352 Fourmile Canyon Drive, Boulder

April 1 - October 31

10:00am to 2:00pm

Third Saturday of each month

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.

The assay office was the place where prospectors would take their ore samples to find out whether or not they had potentially "struck it rich." The determination of the assayer could, and often did, make or break a prospector.

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.