PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner

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PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner 
with the County Commissioners to Celebrate 43 years of Conserving Jeffco’s Open Spaces

“Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts”

Date: September 21, 2015

Location: The Vista at Applewood Golf Course, 14001 W 32nd Ave, Golden, CO 80401

Honorees: Clear Creek Land Conservancy, Colorado Open Lands and Mountain Area Land Trust.

Their efforts have protected over 11,000 acres in Jeffco and over 290,000 acres in Colorado.
For this we all owe them a big THANK YOU!

The September 21 dinner in the Vista Room at the Applewood Golf Course was enjoyed by the almost 100 attendees. The dinner was also attended by the three County Commissioners and Tom Hoby, the Open Space Program Director who joined with PLAN Jeffco in honoring the Mountain Area Land Trust, Clear Creek Land Conservancy and Colorado Open Lands. All of these have been actively protecting Jeffco open space lands and two of these also focus their efforts on preserving lands throughout Colorado.

Representatives of the land trusts received framed photographs of properties that they have conserved. Peter Morales, a member of the PLAN Jeffco board, volunteered his services as photographer.

Claire Riegelman received the award for the Clear Creek Land Conservancy. The conservancy has protected lands on both sides of Clear Creek.

PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner - Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts - Claire Riegelman received the award for the Clear Creek Land Conservancy. The conservancy has protected lands on both sides of Clear Creek.

Dan Pike and Tony Caligiuri receive the award for Colorado Open Lands. Colorado Open Lands has protected lands along North Turkey Creek and adjacent to Golden Gate State Park.

PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner - Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts - Dan Pike and Tony Caligiuri receive the award for Colorado Open Lands which has protected lands along North Turkey Creek and adjacent to Golden Gate State Park.

Kurt Ballantyne receives the award for the Mountain Area Land Trust. MALT got its start with an easement on Noble Meadow and since then has protected many properties within the county, including a large area of Resort Valley.

PLAN Jeffco 2015 Annual Dinner - Celebrating Jeffco Land Trusts - Kurt Ballantyne receives the award for the Mountain Area Land Trust. MALT got its start with an easement on Noble Meadow and since then has protected many properties within the county, including a large area of Resort Valley.

Birds of Mount Falcon

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On September 29, seventeen members of the “Tuesday Birders” spent four and one-half hours looking for and counting birds at the West (upper) end of Mount Falcon Open Space Park. One hundred ninety-five individual birds, representing 31 species, were sighted. At the upper park’s elevation, about 7800 feet, both plains and mountain species can be seen.

The most common mountain species were:

nuthatches – 18 pygmy, 6 white-breasted, and 2 red-breasted; and

dark-eyed juncos – 18 gray-headed, 1 pink-sided, and 1 Oregon.

The most common plains species were:

robins – 15 American and

sparrows – 10 chipping and 2 juvenile whitecrowned.

Coopers Hawk. Photo by William H. Majoros (Wikipedia.org).

Cooper’s Hawk. Photo by William H. Majoros (Wikipedia.org).
Black-Capped Chickadees. Photo by CheepShot (Wikipedia.org).

Black-Capped Chickadees. Photo by CheepShot (Wikipedia.org).

Hawks included:

1 Cooper’s,

2 red-tailed, and

1 American kestrel (it really is a falcon).

Woodpeckers included:

2 Hairy and

3 northern flicker.

Jays included:

2 pinyon and

6 Steller’s.

Chickadees included:

16 mountain and

3 black-capped.

Bluebirds included:

39 western and

6 mountain.

Finches:

22 Cassin’s and

2 lesser goldfinch

Other birds identified were:

1 turkey vulture,

1 black-billed magpie,

3 American crow,

1 common raven,

2 brown creeper,

6 Townsend’s solitaire,

1 yellow-rumped warbler,

1 western tanager, and

1 pine siskin. 

See also:

Mount Falcon Park 

Copyright © 2015 Ann Bonnell