Experience nature in silence at workshop
Durango Nature Studies will offer a “Silent Nature” workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Durango Nature Center.
The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members.
This workshop will teach about the natural world without speaking. After an introduction, participants will be asked to remain silent during a one-hour hike through the nature center. There will be activities and experiences that words are not necessary to describe.
After the hike, participants will discuss what their senses discovered. All workshop participants receive free entry to the nature center, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, visit www.durangonaturestudies.org.
Mesa Verde to offer Balcony House tour
Mesa Verde National Park will offer a Sunrise Tour of Balcony House cliff dwelling Oct. 12.
Tickets will go on sale Thursday at the Colorado Welcome Center, 928 E. Main St. in Cortez. The tour will last about 90 minutes and will be limited to 25 people.
The cost will be $15 per person. Meeting time and location will be printed on the tickets.
To do this tour, people must be able to climb a 32-foot ladder; crawl through an 18-inch-wide, 12-foot-long tunnel; and climb up a 60-foot open cliff face with stone steps and two 10-foot ladders to the exit.
Participants should dress warmly and bring a flashlight. Cameras are welcome, but people must be able to carry their gear while keeping their hands free.
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/meve.
Archaeology conference invites you to register
Registration is open through Monday for the 80th annual meeting and conference of the Colorado Archaeological Society, hosted by the San Juan Basin Archaeological Society, to be held Oct. 9-11 in Durango.
Walk-in registration the day of the conference will be available, however, registrations received after Monday will not include food.
There will be activities throughout the weekend, including an Oct. 9 evening reception at Toh-Atin Gallery and a buffet dinner at the Himalayan Kitchen.
On Oct. 10, events will be held in the Ballroom of the Student Union Building at Fort Lewis College. The program will include archaeological presentations from local and regional presenters.
Douglas Owsley, division head for physical anthropology at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., will give the keynote presentation at the evening banquet. Owsley’s talk is titled “Kennewick Man: The Scientific Investigation of an Ancient American Skeleton.”
Activities Oct. 11 will include field trips to archaeological sites and institutions and a free showing of “Death of Place” by Larry Ruiz at 7 p.m. in the Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum at FLC.
The conference is open to the public. For more information about speakers and events or to register, visit www.sjbas.org.
Contest winners to visit Mesa Verde
Eight people from across the country have won a weeklong adventure from the National Park Foundation and support from partners REI, Subaru, Aramark, Columbia Sportswear and the National Park Service.
The participants were chosen as part of the 2015 Find Your Park Expedition and will travel to Mesa Verde National Park during the week of Oct. 11. They will visit Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve along the way and will share their experiences online.
Andia Winslow, Victor Wei, Mara Grace Cortez, Andrew Lin, Javier Gonzalez, Mellie Davis, Casey Schreiner and Whitney Mitchell were selected.
The expedition marks the third year of the program, which began as the American Latino Expedition, created by the American Latino Heritage Fund and the National Park Service.
Contest winners will spend the week at Mesa Verde participating in tours and presentations led by park staff members, featuring the cultural, natural and historical features of the park.
For more information, visit www.nationalparks.org.
Herald Staff
