Durango Nature Studies announces programs

Durango Nature Studies will host these programs:

Weekly Wee Walk Abouts, preschool nature walks, will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. July 10, 17, 24 and 31 at For the Birds. The cost is $5 per child and free for members.

A New Moon Astro-Tour will be held from 9:30 to 11 p.m. Tuesday at Durango Nature Center. The tour is free for members and $10 for nonmembers.

A Dutch Oven Cooking Workshop will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. July 13 at the Nature Center. The cost is $10 for nonmembers and free for members. Participants should bring a dutch oven and fruit.

A bird walk will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. July 17 at For the Birds.

Kids’ River Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 25 at the Nature Center. The program is open to children ages 8 to 12. The cost is $20 for members and $30 for nonmembers.

A Full Moon Hike under the Buck Moon will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. July 22 at Falls Creek. The hike is free for members and $10 for nonmembers.

The Nature Center is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 26. The center is free for members and children 12 and younger and $5 for nonmembers

To register or for more information, email sally@durangonaturestudies.org, call 769-1800 or visit www.durangonaturestudies.org/wildwords.htm.

Native Plant Society to host hike Sunday

The San Juan/Four Corners Native Plant Society will host “Wetland of the San Juans” on Sunday at Andrews Lake wetlands, 40 miles north of Durango.

The group will identify common wetland plants, discuss their adaptations for life in wetlands, and examine changes in plant communities and soil conditions as the group moves from uplands into wetlands.

After studying the wetlands and eating lunch, the group will return along the south shore of Andrews Lake and identify plants in dry meadows and open spruce forests.

For more information and reservations, call 385-8949 or email robertlpowell@durango.net.

Black swift birds arrive in Ouray

Visitors to Ouray can view the arrival of the black swift.

Box Canyon Falls Park in Ouray has been named to the National Audubon Society’s important bird-watching areas as one of the largest black swift colonies in Colorado.

The black swift makes its own nest close to waterfalls. The birds fly from their winter stay in Brazil to Colorado.

Black swifts cling to vertical surfaces such as the walls of Box Canyon.

A birder will be available most days to help bird-watchers catch sight of black swifts’ camouflage plumage.

Other birds that can be seen in Ouray include ptarmigans and other alpine dwellers as well as high-elevation forests birds, such as the dusky grouse, chickadees, gray jays, Clark’s nutcrackers, goshawks and more.

Agency increases flow from Navajo Reservoir

The Bureau of Reclamation has increased the release from Navajo Reservoir to 1,000 cubic feet per second because of decreasing tributary inflows into the San Juan River, along with a hot, dry weather forecast.

Releases are made to support habitat critical to the endangered fish of the San Juan River.

For more information, call Ryan Christianson at 385-6590 or email rchristianson@usbr.gov.

Herald staff