Events
Hikes
Colorado Public Lands Day
Beaver Creek Wilderness Study Area HikeSaturday, May 219:00 AM to 4:30 PM
CANCELED. Predicted snow and high of only 40 makes fording the creek no fun as well as dangerous!
Watch for a new date.
Beaver Creek view from the high slope.
Photo Jim Lockart
Hikers, please read this!Gear and Safety
- Participants should bring lunch, plenty of water and snacks, clothing suitable for the weather condition, including rain gear, and good footwear.
- Keep your fellow hikers and yourself safe. Wild Connections practices coronavirus precautions, including wearing masks in traveling to the trailhead and maintaining social distance during the hike. We suggest that people use caution in carpooling with others who are not members of their household.
- Keep your public lands safe. Stay on the trail, pack out all trash, leave your pets at home, leave wildflowers and lovely pebbles in place, and move quietly. Even hikers will affect wildlife and the surrounding environment.
Events
Colorado Public Lands Day Arkansas Headwaters
Recreation Area
Cleanup-Greenup
Saturday, May 21
8:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Registraion required
The Arkansas River. Photo CPW
The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) and Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA) invite you to the 31st Annual Cleanup-Greenup in conjunction with Colorado Public Lands Day!
Join us as we work along the banks of the Arkansas River from Leadville to Cañon City and below to clean up trash and debris from our river corridor in preparation for run-off.
Pre-register online at: https://tinyurl.com/ChaffeeCUGU2022.
For more information, contact the AHRA at (719) 539-7289 or GARNA at (719) 539-5106.
Join us as we work along the banks of the Arkansas River from Leadville to Cañon City and below to clean up trash and debris from our river corridor in preparation for run-off.
Pre-register online at: https://tinyurl.com/ChaffeeCUGU2022.
For more information, contact the AHRA at (719) 539-7289 or GARNA at (719) 539-5106.
Kick off your summer ....
Rock Creek Trails Hikes
and Optional CampingLost Creek WildernessFriday and SaturdayJune 3 and 4, 2022
Rock Creek work day volunteers. Find out how the restoration is going and enjoy the wild flowers. Photo John Stansfield.
Hikes
Short hike, Friday PM
Longer hike, Saturday.
Our moderate trail hikes are based from the Rock Creek Trailhead on the southwest edge of Lost Creek Wilderness Area. We will visit Ben Tyler Trail, the scenic, little-known Johnson Gulch, and examine the extensive vegetation recovery area restored by the Forest Service and Wild Connections volunteers in 2018-2019.
Friday afternoon’s hike will be four miles maximum with elevation gain of less than 500 feet. Saturday’s trek will cover a maximum of six miles and a gain of 700 feet max. Participants can join either or both of the hikes. Please review the Hikers Gear and Safety on this page.
Camping
For those wanting to camp out on Friday night, Rock Creek Trailhead has about ten developed first-come, first-served campsites, some for motor homes. No rest rooms are provided. There are also many informal camp spots in the nearby area. Campers must provide their own gear. Campers are at their own risk and independent of the hiking guidance provided on hikes by Wild Connections.
Travel
The Forest Service routes, FSR 56 from U.S. 285, and FSR 39 from Park County 77, are dirt, sometimes muddy, and often bumpy.
Pre-trip registration with leader is required by 5:00 PM, Thursday, June 2. To register and obtain trip information, contact John Stansfield at 303-660-5849 or jorcstan@juno.com. For trip days, my cell phone is 720-732-9511.
Endangered Species Week
May 15-22
American Pika
Wild Connections will join our friends at Rocky Mountain Wild as they host Colorado Endangered Species Week, May 15-21!
We'll celebrate, learn about, and protect species like greater sage-grouse, black-footed ferrets, bats, American pikas, pollinators, and more!
RMW's Most Awesome Environmental Online Auction in the Front Range has auction items donated by a business with a green coalition membership or items that are environmental in nature. The online auction closes on May 21 at 12 pm MT, so be sure to register and bid often, bid high – it’s for a great cause!
Lunch & Learn Webinars
12:00-1:00 pm
Click on a link for details and to register
Sunday, May 15
Save the Greateer Sage Grouse!
https://rockymountainwild.org/ceswmay15
Monday, May 16
Black-footed Ferrets
https://rockymountainwild.org/ceswmay16
Tuesday, May 17
American Pika
https://rockymountainwild.org/ceswmay17
Wednesday, May 18
Colorado Bats
https://rockymountainwild.org/ceswmay18
Thursday, May 19
Protecting Pollinators
https://rockymountainwild.org/ceswmay19
Friday, May 20
Wildlife Crossing Structures
https://rockymountainwild.org/ceswmay20
Saturday, May 21
Belonging in the Outdoors Roundtable
https://rockymountainwild.org/ceswmay21