Bears rummaging through garbage

Be Bear Aware

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Bears rummaging through garbage2026 has been a rough year for our bear population. Normally used to foraging for insects, nuts and berries in the forests, the persistent, multi-decade megadrought that’s been plaguing Colorado since around the year 2000, low mountain snowpack and even wildfires have resulted in a significant reduction in available natural food for bears.

With the forest depleted of foodstuffs, mother bears’ milk will dry up, encouraging them to move toward other food sources – where humans live – and they bring their cubs with them.

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Mountain Pine Beetle, photo courtesy of UC Boulder

THE BEETLES HAVE FLOWN – NOW WHAT?

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Mountain Pine Beetle, photo courtesy of UC Boulder

In January’26, a blog post titled “Mountain Pine Beetle Infestation 2026” appeared in this blog.

https://planjeffco.org/mountain-pine-beetle-infestation-2026/ 

Eight months later, sometime toward the end of summer, the Mountain Pine Beetles (MPBs) will have flown. They began their yearly exodus around the middle of June. A day or two after the beetles flew, the females began to burrow under the bark of pine trees – mostly Ponderosa and lodgepole pines in Jefferson County.

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PLAN Jeffco Monthly April 2026

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PJ Monthly Newletter April 2026

Download your copy of the PLAN Jeffco Monthly April 2026

 

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SLASH 2026

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SLASH 2026 full schedule

It’s SLASH season again!

The 2025 SLASH (Sustainable Lands and Safer Homes) season is upon us. From May 15th to October 25th, four SLASH collection sites will be open for business, mostly on Thursdays thru Sundays, 9AM to 4PM, unless otherwise posted. You should plan to arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to closing. Read more

Information Specialist Judy Smetana, Volunteer Program Coordinator Ronnie Terry, and Volunteer Gardeners Michelle Poolet and Sandy Bates stand in front of the Boettcher Mansion display at this year’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair, which was held at JCPOS Headquarters in Golden.

OPEN SPACE VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT FAIR 2026

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Information Specialist Judy Smetana, Volunteer Program Coordinator Ronnie Terry, and Volunteer Gardeners Michelle Poolet and Sandy Bates stand in front of the Boettcher Mansion display at this year’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair, which was held at JCPOS Headquarters in Golden.

Information Specialist Judy Smetana, Volunteer Program Coordinator Ronnie Terry, and Volunteer Gardeners Michelle Poolet and Sandy Bates stand in front of the Boettcher Mansion display at this year’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair, which was held at JCPOS Headquarters in Golden.

Volunteerism isn’t anything new – it’s been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. Officially, volunteerism can be traced back to the 12th century in Britain, where more than 500 hospitals were staffed by volunteers.

The word “volunteer” stems from the Latin voluntarius – “willing, of one’s own free will”. It became part of the English language via Middle French, initially referring to someone who willingly offered themselves for military duty. Today, it has evolved to mean anyone entering service freely, whether military or community service.

Every year, Jeffco Parks & Open Space (JCPOS) hosts a Volunteer Recruitment Fair, during which time folks who are interested in becoming more engaged with our parks can investigate what being a hands-on part of Open Space might be like, i.e. entering service freely. 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