Nature Studies announces events
The Durango Nature Studies will hold these events:
Winter Volunteer Naturalist Training will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave., and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday at Haviland Lake. For more information, visit www.durangonaturestudies.org/stw_vol_wi.htm. Volunteers will be trained to teach winter ecology to students in grades three to eight on snowshoes during the month of February.
The “Full Moon Snowshoe Hike Under the Wolf Moon” will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Haviland Lake/Chris Park. There is no cost for members, the cost for non-members will be $10. Participants should bring their own snowshoes or can rent them for $3. For more information, visit www.durangonaturestudies.org/fullmoon.htm.
The “Snowshoe Workshop: Tassel Eared Squirrels and Winter Habitat” will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 30 at Haviland Lake/ Chris Park. There is no cost for members; the cost for non-members will be $10. Participants are invited to bring a picnic and to stay for lunch. Participants should bring their own snowshoes or can rent them for $3. For more information, visit www.durangonaturestudies.org/wildwords.htm.
Fore more information and to register, call 760-1800 or email sally@durangonaturestudies.org.
Mesa Verde to honor Park Service’s 100th
Visitors are invited to celebrate the National Park Service’s 100th year by planning a trip to Mesa Verde National Park in 2016.
The National Park Service officially joins the “century club” Aug. 25.
Visitors can walk, drive or take a bus tour through the park. There are opportunities to hike and climb ladders in and out of cliff dwellings, or walk through less rigorous self-guided routes.
There are thousands of archaeological sites across the park with interpretive loops and scenic pullouts. Visitors who plan ahead can even join a ranger-led backcountry hike to explore archaeological sites not normally open to the public.
For more information, call 530-2998 or visit www.mesaverdecountry.com.
Apply now to receive low-cost seedling trees
The Colorado State Forest Service and the La Plata Conservation District are accepting applications on a first-come, first-serve basis for more than 40 varieties of low-cost seedling trees and shrubs grown at the ageny’s Fort Collins nursery.
Seedlings ordered now will be distributed statewide in the spring.
Landowners who are interested in conservation goals such as creating natural windbreaks, improving wildlife habitat or reforesting properties affected by wildfire or floods are eligible to purchase the low-cost seedlings. Colorado-grown species are adaptable, hardy and ideal for a variety of conservation uses.
Seedling trees have many uses and benefits such as increased property values; energy conservation through reduced utility bills; carbon sequestration; reduced soil erosion; wind/snow control to protect agriculture, livestock and roadways; and enhanced wildlife habitat and reforestation.
The only requirement for purchasing trees through the seedling program is that the seedlings be used for conservation purposes only.
For more information, visit www.csfs.colostate.edu/seedling-tree-nursery/seedling-nursery-inventory.
Slash pile burning set for Chicken Creek
The Dolores Ranger District plans to burn slash piles in the Chicken Creek area of the San Juan National Forest, as weather and smoke dispersion allows, beginning as early as Monday.
About 30 slash piles remaining from an old timber sale will be burned to reduce fuel loading. The area is about five miles north of Mancos near the intersection of County Road 41 with Forest Service Road 385. This includes piles within the Chicken Creek Cross Country Ski Area.
During pile burning operations, a short segment of the Lower Bauer Ski Loop will be temporarily closed, however this will not affect access to the rest of the trails in the area, and a bypass trail exists to the west of the burning area.
To complete the project, piles directly adjacent to the ski trail will be burned in late February. Operations typically take place over several days after snowfall.
Firefighters will ignite and closely monitor pile-burning activities.
For more information, call 882-7296.
Herald Staff
