ENOR group hiking in the park

ENOR Environmental Discovery Camp Has Scholarships

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ENOR group hiking in the park

You’re hiking or cycling in one of our Open Space parks. You encounter a group of kids with a couple of adults, and they seem totally engrossed in a patch of shrubbery. You stop for a moment, you hear children’s voices exclaiming about what they’ve found – they seem so excited about everything around them.

Welcome to ENOR – Eagle’s Nest, Owl’s Roost – Environmental Discovery Camp, which is sponsored by the Jeffco CSU Extension office. ENOR has been in the business of getting kids outdoors for more than 50 years.

Jeffco Parks & Open Space was so impressed with ENOR’s achievements that, in 2024, they presented ENOR with the Gambel Oak Award, as a Pioneer in Environmental Education, at that year’s Conservation Awards Ceremony. Read more

2026 Conservation Awards nominees

2026 Conservation Awards

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2026 Conservation Awards nominees

By Vicky Gits Staff Writer                  Photos: Jefferson County Parks and Open Space

Conservation Awards night Jan. 29, 2026, at the Lakewood Cultural Center did not disappoint, with inspiring videos starring parks volunteers raving about how much they enjoy their duties, even cleaning toilets for Jefferson County Parks and Open Space.

The annual awards night is a tradition that has taken place since 2018 with the exception of 2021, when it was suspended because of COVID.

Currently there are about 550 regular, ongoing volunteers donating thousands of hours per year to educate visitors, build and maintain trails, restore vegetation, give advice to hikers, supply toilet paper, pick up litter and welcome visitors. A couple of thousand also turn out for one-time projects.

Emceeing the event this year was the newly appointed director of JCPOS, Aaron Roth, former National Park Service deputy regional director of eight states, in Lakewood for 20 years. His responsibilities there included oversight of Rocky Mountain and Great Sand Dunes national parks in Colorado. Read more