Nature Studies announces programs
Durango Nature Studies will offer these programs:
The Durango Nature Center will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays through October. The center is free for members and children 12 and younger. The cost is $5 for nonmembers.
Weekly Wee Walk Abouts will take place from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays through August. The preschool nature walks will begin at the pavilion in Rotary Park. The cost is $5 per child and free for members.
A Family Nature Workshop will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Nature Center. The cost is $10 a family and free for members. This program is designed for families with 5- to 10-year-old children. Participants will learn how to engage children in nature. Workshop participants receive free entry to the Nature Center.
“Trapped: When Nature Captures Itself” will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Nature Center. The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members. Participants will hike the trails and learn about some of nature’s traps. Participants receive free entry to the Nature Center.
A full-moon hike under the Sturgeon moon will be held Aug. 29. The hike is free for members, and $10 for nonmembers.
For more information or to register for events, email sally@durangonaturestudies.org, call 769-1800 or visit www.durangonaturestudies.org.
Forest Service to host Hermosa Creek hike
The San Juan National Forest Columbine Ranger District will host the last public field trip this summer to the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area on Aug. 21.
This trip will be a 10-mile round-trip hike on the Upper Dutch Creek/Pinkerton Flagstaff Trail. Topics will include possible motorized use on this segment of trail, reforestation needs in old logging areas and potential for future timber management projects. Participants should be physically fit and bring their own gear.
These trips are to allow participants to explore and discuss issues, concerns and proposals to be addressed during the planning process for the Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Plan. A winter field trip also is anticipated.
To sign up, call Cam Hooley at 884-1414 or email HermosaSMA@fs.fed.us. Details about meeting times and locations will be provided to people who sign up.
Mesa Verde park outlines fall schedule
Masa Verde National Park announces the following fall schedule, which will begin Sept. 8:
Wetherill Mesa will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for hiking and bicycle riding on the Long House Loop, weather permitting. Ranger-guided tours of Long House are offered at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily through Sept. 19. Tickets are required. Step House will be open daily for self-guided discovery from 9:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. with rangers present at the site. Beginning Sept. 20, Long House and Step House will be closed for the season, while Wetherill Mesa remains open for hiking and bicycle riding on the Long House Loop.
Cliff Palace will close for the season Sept. 14 for preservation work.
Balcony House will remain open every day for ranger-guided tours through Oct. 31. Hours vary slightly by day. Tickets are required.
Fall hours at the Visitor and Research Center will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Tickets for ranger-guided tours are available for purchase at the Visitor and Research Center up to two days in advance of a visit. Tickets for ranger-guided tours are also available at the Colorado Welcome Center in Cortez.
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit or call 529-4465.
Herald Staff
