Boulder County Nature Association

You’re Invited!

Join Us for a Casual & Fun BCNA Spring Gathering

Come celebrate the season with us on Thursday, May 15, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Cottonwood Marsh picnic shelter at Walden Ponds.

This relaxed get-together is a great chance for BCNA members, friends, and anyone curious about our work to connect (or reconnect), share stories, enjoy the beautiful setting, and soak up the spirit of spring.

We’re eager to see all of you, and especially excited to welcome Steve Jones, one of BCNA’s founders and a beloved and respected naturalist and author. At 6:15, Steve will be sharing inspiring stories from BCNA’s early days and the important role the organization played in shaping the Environmental Resources Element of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan. This work has made a lasting impact on local wildlife and habitat conservation, especially at Sawhill and Walden Ponds.

What to Expect:

A friendly, laid-back evening outdoors
Fun conversations and meaningful connections
Reflections from BCNA’s roots and early visionaries
A “bring-your-own-picnic” dinner (we’ll provide a variety of non-alcoholic drinks)
Time to enjoy the trails, ponds, and spring bird migration—binoculars encouraged!

Please bring your own picnic meal, along with plates, utensils, and a mug. Seating is limited at the shelter, so camp chairs are welcome. Remember, glass bottles and/or containers are prohibited in the park. There is no barbecue grill available.

Come early or stay a little longer to enjoy the trails and wildlife. Bird migration will be in full swing, so bring your binoculars or scopes if you wish. It’s a beautiful time of year to be outside, and we’d love to spend it with you.

Restorative Relationships: Sustainable Responses to Ecological Challenge

Many enjoyed learning more about designing and implementing restoration in a sustainable way for the future on Saturday March 15 at BCNA’s annual ecosymosium. Summaries of the talks, links to the slides, and additional information are now posted.

KGNU Monthly Nature Almanac

Birds of many feathers are in the midst of courtship dances and mating this month, at Longmont’s Golden Ponds, with its wide stretches of water and its picture perfect vistas of the snow-capped mountains. There in Golden Ponds’ sparkling waters, courting ducks include that quintessential male with the emerald head we call a mallard, plus one of Ruth Carol Cushman’s favorites, a diving duck known as the common goldeneye. April is a month for courtship displays. Among the ducks, that often means plenty of head bobs, until, as Boulder Naturalist Steve Jones notes from a comfortable Golden Ponds bench, some of the males get lucky. But while many ducks do pair up in the summer to help raise the young, during this intensive month of courting, the naturalists warn, sometimes duck sex isn’t pretty.

Upcoming Local Events

Calendars with a Local Environmental Focus

Boulder.Earth Climate Action Portal

People and pollinators action network: Upcoming events

CONPS Event Calendar

Boulder County Audubon Events

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

Boulder County Hikes and Events Open Space Calendar

City of Boulder Nature Hikes and Programs

Talks

In this talk about Geo sapiens – The Earth-wise human, Martin Ogle brings a 41-year career as a naturalist, Earth scientist and storyteller to bear in exploring how to see ourselves as Geo sapiens or Earth-wise humans. A special feature will be “mini-vignettes” provided by a scientist, a high school student, a musician, and others to accentuate and focus on important aspects of the the Geo sapiens idea.

A reception at 6:30 pm will precede the program at 7:00 pm and will offer light refreshments, conversation and a display of pertinent books and other items of interest.

Date: Tuesday, May 6 2025

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Location: Canyon Theater, Main Library

BCNA Upcoming Dates

April 15: BCNA Board Meeting, 6 pm

April 17: Education committee meeting, 3:30 pm

May 15: BCNA Social, Walden Ponds Picnic Shelter, 5:30pm. Members and those interested in BCNA welcome.

Gifts for the Naturalist in Your Life

Look for the BCNA books Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range by Janet Chu and Stephen Jones and Dragonflies of the Colorado Front Range by Ann Cooper books as well as CDs published by BCNA at any of these places:

Special events hosted by BCNA
Locally at the Front Range Birding Company: 5360 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, and 10146 W. San Juan Way, Littleton
Wild Birds Unlimited: 2720 S. Wadsworth, Denver; 7370 W. 88th Ave., Arvada; and 1520 S. Hover St., Suite D, Longmont 80501
Wild Bear Nature Center Gift Shop in Caribou Village Shopping Center, 20 Lakeview Drive, Nederland
Covered Treasures Bookstore, 105 Second Street, Monument CO
Boulder Audubon Chapter’s annual holiday sale
Amazon: Butterflies of the Colorado Front Range or Dragonflies of the Colorado Front Range
Brigham Distributing
Some Barnes & Noble stores in the Front Range
Butterfly eBooks are available from Amazon, Apple Books (purchase using the Apple Books app), barnesandnoble.com, and kobo.com.