Happy 45th Birthday PLAN Jeffco!

PLAN JEFFCO CELEBRATES ITS 45^TH BIRTHDAY ON AUGUST 29 WITH A SUMMER PICNIC IN THE PARK

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Public Picnic and Guided Tours at Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve Open to All Ages

PLAN Jeffco is pleased to announce it will host a Summer Picnic in the Park to celebrate its 45^th Birthday on Tuesday, August 29 from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. All ages are invited to attend the celebration at Lookout Mountain Nature Center, located at 910 Colorow Rd. in Golden. The event will be free to attend and open to the public.

 Guests can pack their own picnics, or will be able to purchase food from SmokeStack70 BBQ, vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free cuisine from WongWay Veg, and ice cream from Happy Cones, on-site at the Nature Center. PLAN Jeffco is providing birthday cake for all. There will be children’s nature-based activities, scavenger hunts indoors and out, and three guided hikes will be available for attendees of all ages. Enjoy one or all of the hikes, and do remember to bring picnic blankets and folding chairs if you want to picnic in the meadow.

4:15-4:45 PM: Bird-watching guided hike with PLAN Jeffco’s own Ann Bonnell, 2nd Vice President of the Audubon Society of Greater Denver. PLEASE BRING YOUR BINOCULARS. Due to the specialized nature of this hike and the hands-on instruction involved, this group will be limited in size to the first dozen attendees. If there is demand, Ann has agreed to guide a second group of bird-watchers, from 5-5:30 PM. ASSEMBLE ON THE STEPS OF THE BOETTCHER MANSION and be ready to leave promptly at 4:15 PM, and again at 5 PM.

5-5:30 PM: Natural History & Bio-diversity Tour lead by Alicia Vermily, Naturalist and Education Specialist at JeffCo Open Space since 2006. Join Alicia for a fun nature walk and see the oldest tree on Lookout Mountain. ASSEMBLE NEAR THE PICNIC AREA and be ready to leave promptly at 5 PM.

7-7:30 PM: Lookout Mountain Nature Center Site History Tour with Andrea Keppers, Jeffco Open Space’s own history educator. Andrea will delight you with stories of the history of Lookout Mountain and the Nature Center itself. ASSEMBLE IN THE PARKING LOT NEAR THE GATES TO THE NATURE CENTER and be ready to leave promptly at 7 PM. Don’t forget a jacket or a sweater, as the evenings on Lookout Mountain can be rather cool.

 Mary Ann Bonnell, Jefferson County Open Space Visitor Services Manager (also known as Ranger1), will provide a keynote talk at 6PM where she’ll discuss the stewardship of the land and its inhabitants, including the increase in the populations of coyotes, rattlesnakes and moose (yes, moose!) in Jefferson County. Mary Ann will be speaking in front of the Nature Center, or – if weather demands, inside the main room of the Nature Center.

Advance registration is encouraged so that we can be certain to have enough food; birthday cake will be served. Register here!

More information will follow by email and on this website as we complete the details. Sign up now so you don’t miss a thing!