Southwest Colorado Winter Ecology Series

FEBRUARY 2015 (con’t)
MARCH 2015
Experiencing and Predicting Winter
Weather at Haviland Lake (DNS)
Winter Plant Identification Hike
at Mesa Verde National Park (SJFCNPS)
Saturday, February 21
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday, March 7
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Explore winter weather, both in real time and learn
to predict future winter weather conditions. We will
explore the Haviland Lake area on snowshoes and
investigate current atmospheric conditions, as well as
learn weather prediction tips.
Winter months strip many plants of their foliage and
make winter identification of these plants difficult.
Join the San Juan/Four Corners Native Plant Society
on a winter plant identification hike in Mesa Verde
National Park to learn how to identify plants in the
winter.
• Limited to 20 people, ages 11 to adult.
• For directions, contact DNS or visit
www.durangonaturestudies.org.
• Advance reservations requested. Contact Sally at DNS.
• DNS members are free; $10 non-members.
• Limited to 15 people. Recommended for high school
age to adult.
• Advance reservations required. For information and
reservations contact Al Schneider with SJFCNPS.
• Park entrance fee of $10.00 per vehicle.
Plant & Animal Adaptations
at Morefield Campground (MVNP)
Durango Nature Studies (DNS)
www.durangonaturestudies.org
• For reservations contact:
Sally Shuffield
970-769-1800
sally@durangonaturestudies.org
Mesa Verde National Park (MVNP)
www.nps.gov/meve
• For reservations contact:
Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum
970-529-4631
meve_education@nps.gov
www.sjma.org/education/Education/education.htm
• For reservations contact either:
Gabi Morey
MK Thompson
970-759-1170
970-759-9113
gabi@sjma.org
mk@sjma.org
Join park staff as they
explore the amazing ways
animals and plants survive in
the cold winter environment
of the Four Corners region.
The hike will tour the winter
habitats of plants and
animals in the Morefield
Campground.
• Limited to 20 people, ages 7 to adult.
• Meet at the Morefield Village parking lot at Morefield
Campground, 4 miles from the park entrance.
• Advance reservations required. Contact MVNP.
• Park entrance fee of $10.00 per vehicle.
Contact and Reservation Information
Southwest Colorado
Winter Ecology Series
2014-2015
San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA)
Saturday, February 28
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Bobcat
Southwest Colorado
Winter Ecology Series
San Juan/Four Corners
Native Plant Society (SJFCNPS)
www.swcoloradowildflowers.com
• For reservations contact:
Al Schneider
970-882-4647
Mule deer doe and fawns on a wintry day
Want to learn more?
The Mesa Verde Museum Association and San Juan Mountains
Association offer a selection of winter ecology books and field
guides for sale in their bookstores.
Mesa Verde Museum Association
800-305-6053 or visit www.mesaverde.org
San Juan Mountains Association
970-385-1210 or visit www.sjma.org
Hikes may be rescheduled due to inclement
weather. If you have questions or want to sign
up for a hike, use the information above to
contact the appropriate organization.
Visit www.nps.gov/meve for maps and information
on self-guided snowshoeing and cross-country
skiing opportunities in Mesa Verde National Park.
Snowshoes are available for loan during the winter
at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum and
the Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center.
Mesa Verde National Park, San Juan Mountains
Association, San Juan/Four Corners Native Plant
Society, Durango Nature Studies, and Colorado
Parks and Wildlife have teamed up to offer
a series of winter hikes during the 2014-2015
winter season. Come enjoy the outdoors during
this special time of year while exploring the local
winter ecology. See inside for hike descriptions,
dates, and times.
Snowshoes and poles will be available during
each hike for those who need them.
Sponsored by:
DECEMBER 2014
JANUARY 2015 (con’t)
JANUARY 2015 (con’t)
FEBRUARY 2015
Critter Curiosity at Chris Park,
North of Durango on Hwy 550 (SJMA)
Weathering Winter: Ancestral Pueblo
Adaptations to Winter at Mesa Verde
National Park (MVNP)
Winter Ecosystems and the Snowpack
at Chris Park/Haviland Lake (DNS)
Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe at
Morefield Campground (MVNP)
Saturday, January 24
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Sunday, February 1
6:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Learn how animals use the snowpack to survive during
the winter by digging and examining a snow pit and
going on a nature walk to look for evidence of animal
activity.
Enjoy a unique opportunity to explore Mesa Verde’s
Morefield Campground and Meadow Bliss trails in
the moonlight. The trails will be lined with glow
sticks. Join us out on the trail for complementary hot
beverages and cookies. For more information, contact
MVNP or visit www.nps.gov/meve.
Saturday, December 27
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Search for signs of life in the winter stillness. Look
closely, and you will realize that life lives on in the cold
and snow of winter.
Saturday, January 17
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
• For families with children ages 4 and up. Limited to
20 people.
• For directions, contact SJMA or visit www.sjma.org.
• Advance reservations requested. Contact MK at SJMA.
JANUARY 2015
Discover some of the winter survival strategies used by
pueblo people who lived at Mesa Verde. Dress warmly
and be prepared to walk approximately 3/4 mile.
Saturday, January 10
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
• Limited to 20 people, ages 7 to adult.
• Meet at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum,
about a 45-minute drive from the park entrance.
• Advance reservations required. Contact MVNP.
• Park entrance fee of $10.00 per vehicle.
Learn how to look for and identify animal tracks and
sign, and then explore the hillsides around Morefield
Campground. Past animal tracks observed in the area
include weasels, rabbits, coyotes, and mountain lions.
Exploring the Winter Wonderland
at Mancos State Park (SJMA)
Animal Tracks and Signs
at Morefield Campground (MVNP)
• Limited to 20 people, ages 7 to adult.
• Meet at the Morefield Village parking lot at Morefield
Campground, 4 miles from the park entrance.
• Advance reservations required. Contact MVNP.
• Park entrance fee of $10.00 per vehicle.
Monday, January 19
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Abert’s Squirrels and Winter at
Chris Park/Haviland Lake (DNS)
Saturday, January 17
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Learn about Abert Squirrels from the nation’s expert
while on snowshoes. Explore their habitat and learn
about their adaptations.
• Limited to 20 people, ages 6 to adult.
• For directions, contact DNS or visit
www.durangonaturestudies.org.
• Advance reservations requested. Contact Sally at DNS.
• DNS members are free; $10 non-members.
Winter exploration
Bring your family to Mancos State
Park and use all your senses to
discover the peace of nature in
the winter. We’ll use snowshoes
if there is snow, and if there is
safe ice depth, we’ll go out on the
lake to learn about ice fishing and
frozen lake ecology - there’s a lot
of life going on under the ice!
• Program presented by San Juan Mountains Association
and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
• For families with children ages 4 and up. Limited to
20 people.
• For directions, contact SJMA or visit www.sjma.org.
• Advance reservations requested. Contact Gabi at SJMA.
• Park entrance fee of $7.00 per vehicle.
• Limited to 20 people, ages 6 to adult.
• For directions, contact DNS or visit
www.durangonaturestudies.org.
• Advance reservations requested. Contact Sally at DNS.
• DNS members are free; $10 non-members.
Mesa Verde Winter Festival at
Morefield Campground (MVNP)
• Meet at the Morefield Village parking lot at Morefield
Campground, 4 miles from the park entrance.
• Park entrance fee of $10.00 per vehicle.
Trees, Trees, Trees
at Old Cherry Creek Road (SJMA)
Saturday, January 24
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday, February 7
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Join Mesa Verde for the park’s winter festival. Events
include a Nordic fun race, kids’ snowshoe race, primitive
skills demonstration, and other activities for the whole
family. For more information, contact MVNP or visit
www.nps.gov/meve.
Explore the variety of trees in our area and see how
they survive the winter as well as what critters depend
on them for their own survival.
• Meet at the Morefield Village parking lot at Morefield
Campground, 4 miles from the park entrance.
• Park entrance fee of $10.00 per vehicle.
• For families with children ages 4 and up. Limited to
20 people.
• For directions, contact SJMA or visit www.sjma.org.
• Advance reservations requested. Contact MK at SJMA.
Become a Junior Snow Ranger at
Chicken Creek Cross-Country Area,
Mancos (SJMA)
Monday, February 16
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Become a Forest Service Junior Snow Ranger during
this winter adventure! Discover animal tracks, examine plants, and conduct snow experiments to receive
your official Jr. Snow Ranger booklet and badge!
• For families with children ages 4 and up. Limited to
20 people.
• Meet at Chicken Creek Cross-Country area, County
Road 40, Mancos. For directions, contact SJMA or visit
www.sjma.org.
• Advance reservations requested. Contact Gabi at SJMA.