Wild Connections is proud to be a sponsor of Films for a Green Planet, a Cañon City community environmental film series. Some movies may be prefaced or followed by a guest speaker and brief discussion. Wild Connections' John Sztukowski spoke before the April 25 showing about local public lands issues and opportunities.
These films are free and open to the public!
Wed, March 27: Bag It
Thursday, April 25: Symphony of the Soil
Thursday, May 30: Food, Inc, an investigation of the modern American food industry. This Oscar-nominated documentary exposes a system rife with corruptive, secretive and abusive practices, and whose products contribute to the rising epidemic of obesity and all the deadly diseases that result.
Thursday, June 27: Last Call at the Oasis, a powerful documentary that shatters myths behind our most precious resource, exposes defects in the current system, shows communities already struggling with its ill-effects and highlights individuals championing revolutionary solutions. The film posits that we can manage the water problem if we act now.
Thursday, July 25: Uranium Drive-In brings to light an American West whose iconic landscape is subject to the immense destruction that is the consequence of our national energy policy decisions. The film offers a range of perspectives that will spark dialogue about where our energy comes from and what sacrifices we make to meet our growing energy demands.
Films For A Green Planet Film Series.
Badger Creek Day Hike, A BLM Wildlands Outing
Sunday, June 2, 2019
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Trailhead to Trailhead Time)
Badger Creek, an area along the Arkansas River between Royal Gorge and Salida and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is an area with interesting geological features and diverse biology, representing a complete ecosystem, with approximately 3000 feet of elevation differential, comprising several complete life zones.
It has been identified by Wild Connections, and the BLM, as “Lands with Wilderness Characteristics” warranting protection, and we will learn how we can promote its protection in the ongoing BLM Eastern Colorado Resource Management Plan. This moderate hike of about 5 miles with elevation gain of approximately 1000 feet will explore a portion of this area west of the Sand Gulch road looking for signs of human impacts.
This hike is sponsored by Wild Connections, the Pikes Peak Sierra Club Group, and Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition. We will carpool from Colorado Springs (carpool meeting time 8 A.M.) or meet near the trailhead, at participants’ option. For more information and to register, contact Jim Lockhart at 719-385-0045 or jlock@datawest.net.
Sangre de Cristo Mountains over Badger Creek South with Tributaries. Photo EcoFlight.
Cooper Mountain Ridgetop Hike,
A BLM Wildlands Outing
Friday, June 14, 2019
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (Trailhead to Trailhead Time)
Just west of Phantom Canyon stretches a long plateau of forests, meadows, and wilderness-quality lands known as Cooper Mountain. This moderately strenuous hike of six miles and 1,000 feet elevation gain will follow a ridge top trail dating to early ranching and mining days and explore little-visited Milsap Creek.
Learn about BLM Lands with Wilderness Characteristics and the Eastern Colorado Resource Management Plan currently awaiting its final draft. This trip is sponsored by Wild Connections, Pikes Peak Group Sierra Club, and Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition. Maximum 15 participants.
A Colorado Springs carpool will meet at 7:30 AM. For more trip information and to register, contact John Stansfield, 303-660-5849 or e-mail jorcstan@juno.com by 5:00 PM, Thursday, June 13. Signup Provisions: Because this event is posted on multiple media, participants must contact the leader by phone or e-mail to register. Please notify the leader promptly if you must cancel after registering.
Scenic Views at Cooper Mountain overlook. Photo Kate Spinelli.
Refrigerator Gulch
Climate Education Backpack, A Pike National Forest Wilderness Outing Tuesday, June 18 - Wednesday, June 19, 2019 Meeting 9:00 AM from Wigwam Trailhead
Join Wild Connections for our first ever climate backpack in Refrigerator Gulch in the Lost Creek Wilderness. This outing is located in the high elevation of Pike National Forest, southwest of Deckers, just over an hour from southwest Denver or Colorado Springs.
This moderately strenuous overnight backpack hike will cover approximately 15 miles, with 2000 feet of elevation gain. This hike begins at the Wigwam Creek trailhead and ascends Wigwam Creek and a tributary drainage, then descends 1000 feet to Refrigerator Gulch where we will camp for the night. Day 2 we will return the way we came. Prior backpacking experience is required. No heavy packs >30 lbs (not counting water) please as we will move at a moderate pace.
We will also enjoy great views of Wigwam Park and Peak and of the amazing jumbled topography of the Lost Creek Wilderness. As a special feature of this hike, we will study how the heavily dissected topography of this area lends itself to cold air pools that scientists are identifying as wildlife and native plant refugia and climate corridors. We will record microclimate temperature changes in differing topography locations and photograph the corresponding plant life on a citizen science app for smartphones. On day 2, we will return, taking additional measurements. Cold air pools serve not only as areas where plants and animals may persist in a warmer, drier climate, but also as climate corridors where they may migrate northerly or altitudinally.
Participants should bring 2 lunches, one dinner, one breakfast and snacks, the ten essentials including water treatment, lightweight camping gear and extra clothing, comfortable hiking footwear and raingear.
This hike is co-sponsored by Wild Connections and the Colorado Mountain Club. For more information or to sign up, contact Wild Connections' Board Member, Karl Ford at earthford@aol.com. Carpools will leave Denver and Colorado Springs or meet at the trailhead at 9:00 AM on June 18.
Lost Creek Wilderness. Pike National Forest. Photo USFS.
Grape Creek Day Hike:
Temple Canyon to Ecology Park,
A BLM Wildlands Outing
Saturday, June 29, 2019
9:30 AM to 3:30 PM (Trailhead to Trailhead Time)
This hike will explore Grape Creek from Temple Canyon, a Cañon City park, to Ecology Park, a recreation area near Cañon City and south of Royal Gorge, which is jointly managed between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Fremont County.
We will learn about the BLM’s Resource Management Plan, and how it could affect the area and also how these areas are threatened by oil and gas development and proposed mining.
This hike, sponsored by Pikes Peak Group Sierra Club, Wild Connections, and Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition, will cover about five miles and is rated moderately strenuous because most of it is off-trail along a stream bottom, with numerous stream crossings and some easy climbing over obstacles.
Bring lunch, water, clothing suitable for the weather conditions, and footwear suitable for hiking with repeated stream crossings (with no time to change in and out of wet footwear).
For more information or to register for the hike, contact Jim Lockhart at 719-385-0045 or jlock@datawest.net.
Grape Creek at Grand Canyon Hills. Photo Wild Connections.
South Park Alpine Restoration Projects are Back!
Sheep Creek - Road Removal Saturday, July 20, 2019 - Sunday, July 21, 2019
For more information and to register for the Sheep Creek Restoration Project, visit WRV's pagehere.
Beaver Creek - Trail & Boardwalk Friday, Aug 16, 2019 - Sunday, Aug 18, 2019
For more information and to register for the Beaver Creek Trails Project, visit WRV's page here.
Registration is now open for two of our 2019 South Park Alpine Restoration Projects!
In the summer of 2018, Wild Connections, along with long-time partners, USFS South Park Ranger District, Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative (MRHI), and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV), completed two large South Park Alpine restoration projects, in a series of South Park restoration projects that will continue into 2019.
Learn more about our 2018 South Park Alpine Restoration Projects here and other of our restoration projects here.
Volunteers spread beetle-kill wood straw over newly seeded track at our 2018 South Park Alpine Project at North Tarryall Creek. Photo Misi Ballard.
Wild Connections' mission is to identify, protect, and restore wildlands, native species,
and biological diversity in the Arkansas and South Platte watersheds
