Ann & Mary Ann at the Lookout Mtn Nature Center 2018

Ann Bonnell Lived A Life of Service

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Ann Bonnell head shot

Ann Bonnell’s death on December 26th, 2023, at the age of 85, left a gaping hole in the heart of the Jefferson County birding community and in the hearts of her fellow PLAN Jeffco Board members.

Ann’s life was focused on family and service. As a high school biology teacher and volunteer Water Safety Instructor for those with special needs, she was able to reach into the lives of many, passing along her belief in service, empathy, and passion for the outdoors and all that it encompasses. Her specific focus, as we at PLAN Jeffco knew her, was birds – birding, leading Tuesday Birders, and teaching about bird life. Read more

Pioneer PLAN Jeffco Board Member John Litz

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John Litz head shot, OS Volunteer Picnic

Pioneer PLAN Jeffco Board Member John Litz Served 51 years

By Vicky Gits

John Litz’s death on Dec. 29 at 87 marked the end of an epic career in the service of PLAN Jeffco and the cause of preserving natural lands in general.

A metallurgical engineer by profession, John was a remarkably prolific volunteer who donated most of his free time over the years to various charitable organizations and land stewardship causes.

He is survived by three daughters, Kari Litz, Kirstin Litz, and Denise Litz and by three grandchildren.  His wife of 49 years, Karen, died in 2007.

He was a member of nonprofit PLAN Jeffco for 51 years from 1972 to 2023 and treasurer for most of that time, working closely with longtime chair Margot Zallen.  He was a member of the Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee for 30 years, from 1993 to 2023.

John was known for his spreadsheets and mastery of finance and operations, said Ralph Schell, executive director of the open space division from 1998 to 2009.  But he was also approachable. “John was just someone that everyone could appreciate and get along with.”

He was a tireless workhorse on behalf of the outdoors and a living history record of the open space saga.

At the beginning Read more

In Memoriam – John Litz, PLAN Jeffco Founder

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John Litz at the PLAN Jeffco 40th Anniversary celebration, 2012

John Litz at the PLAN Jeffco 40th Anniversary celebration, 2012

It is with heavy hearts that we come to you with news of the passing of one of our own, John Litz. There are some people for whom words are just not enough.

John was an original founder of PLAN Jeffco, the keeper of Open Space histories and teacher of conservation methods. His accomplishments are too numerous to list, his encyclopedic knowledge of land and conservation opportunities profound. Read more

In Memoriam – Ann Bonnell, PLAN Jeffco Board Member

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Ann Bonnell, PLAN Jeffco Board Member

It is with heavy hearts that we come to you with the news of the passing of one of our own, Ann Bonnell.

Ann was a cherished PLAN Jeffco Board Member, joining in 1997. She had been an active participant until recently, when her health took a serious downturn. She passed on Tuesday, December 26, 2023.

As we bid farewell to one of our long-time Board members, we ask that, if you wish to remember Ann Bonnell, bird and conservation advocate extraordinaire, in lieu of flowers please donate in her name to Denver Audubon, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, EarthJustice, or the Nature Conservancy. Read more

In Memoriam – Sue Davis, JCOS Volunteer

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Sue Davis, a long-time Jeffco Open Space Volunteer, passed away this last summer.  She will be sorely missed by her many OS colleagues. Teddy Newman, Senior Customer Service Representative and one of those colleagues, wrote a lovely tribute to Sue and her accomplishments:

“We learned yesterday afternoon that one of our volunteers, Sue Davis, passed away. As an Open Space volunteer for 20 years & 7 months, Sue is a member of our Open Space family who will be missed by many. She served as a Park Patroller, an Information Specialist & Nature Educator at the Lookout Mountain Nature Center & as a Welcome Center Information Specialist.

From her home on Lookout Mountain, Sue had incredible views of some of our parks and she never tired of pointing them out to her visitors. Sue had a great love of & passion for all things Jeffco Open Space. I’m sure she & her honey Jake, who was also one of our volunteers, will be keeping a watchful eye over our parks.”

Teddy Newman

Customer Service Representative, Senior

 

Rest in Peace, Sue.

 

Sylvia Brockner, 1919-2021, In Memoriam

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Sylvia Brockner, author, long-time nature columnist for the Canyon Courier, co-founder of the Mountain Area Land Trust and the Evergreen Audubon Society, passed away on September 3rd, 2021, just shy of her 102nd birthday.

An Evergreen resident since 1965, she and her husband Bill, who pre-deceased her in 2008, founded the Evergreen Naturalists, which eventually became Evergreen Audubon. She was instrumental in founding the Evergreen Nature Center and in assisting Jeffco Open Space when they acquired the 319 acres of land that became Lair O’the Bear Open Space park.  She was a founding member of Mountain Area Land Trust in 1992 and fought to ensure that the wetlands north of the Evergreen Lake House weren’t destroyed when the building was constructed in 1993.

Sylvia was an avid writer, authoring a weekly column on birds, flowers, and the natural areas around Evergreen for the Canyon Courier for 45 years. She also authored two books on bird life and nature in the Colorado Mountains. The first one, published on January 1, 1974, titled Birds in Our Evergreen World: A Layman’s Guide to the Mountain Area, is still available in paperback at Amazon. The second book, Mountain Birds of Colorado: A Layman’s Guide to Birdwatching in Colorado’s Mountain Areas, published in 2017(?), doesn’t seem to be available from any online vendor at the time this article was written.

There is a video interview of Sylvia, done to celebrate her 100th birthday, available on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/CVmxrc842mc

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to this pioneer of conservation and environmentalism.

Paul Kilburn, In Memoriam 1929-2021

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Paul Dayton Kilburn, born in Hibbing, Minnesota, June 28, 1929, died April 12, 2021.

“His strong interest in the environment, particularly plants, allowed him to become a leader and environmental activist in Jefferson County, Colorado. As the president of the Jefferson County Nature Association (JCNA), he and fellow members successfully advocated for maintaining the natural vegetation along Ralston Creek and  northeast North Table Mountain. His final project for JCNA involved picking local, native grass seeds for revegetation of specific areas of Rocky Flats. His knowledge of Colorado native prairie grasses and his work with local volunteer groups contributed to the success of this project. He was also co-founder of the North Jeffco Area Group (NJAG), a discussion forum for the conservation of lands in and around Rocky Flats.”

Paul’s full obituary can be found here.

Memorial gifts in Paul’s name can be made to two of Paul’s favorite organizations: PLAN Jeffco, https://planjeffco.org, or the Colorado Native Plant Society, https://conps.org.

 

Bruce Bryant, In Memoriam 1930-2021

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Bruce Bryant, 90, passed away on January 12, 2021, in Boulder, Colorado. Bruce was a passionate supporter of open spaces and natural resources; he was a member of PLAN Jeffco in its early days, as well as a member of the Clear Creek Land Conservancy, which is now part of Colorado Open Lands.

Bruce’s full obituary can be found here.

Memorial gifts in Bruce’s name can be made to Colorado Open Lands, 1546 Cole Blvd. #200 Lakewood, CO 80401 https://coloradoopenlands.org/

 

“Bruce was truly a champion of the natural world. His work in Geology in Co and AZ is extensive and excellent. He has been missed in the neighborhood.” — Jeff Bogard, CCLC/COL-AB Board Member