BCNA Calendar — Winter-Spring 2012

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Note: Additional events will be posted on the Nature-Net.
Natural events are updated periodically in the Nature Almanac pages.

Thursday, January 12, Colorado Native Plant Society, Boulder REI, 6:30 p.m. White Pine Blister Rust in High Mountain Ecosystems, presented by Anna W. Schoettle, PhD, Research Plant Ecophysiologist, Rocky Mountain Research Station, who will provide an overview of the ecology of limber pine and the Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine, and the factors that threaten them. Both species are currently threatened by a non-native pathogen (that causes the lethal disease white pine blister rust), mountain pine beetle, and climate change.

Tuesday, January 24, 7:15 p.m. Rebecca Safran, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, will discuss her Barn Swallows Studies - Ecological and Evolutionary Connections between Animal Behavior and Population Biology. Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, 5001 Pennsylvania Ave., off 55th St. between Arapahoe and Baseline.

Thursday, February 9, Colorado Native Plant Society, Boulder REI, 6:30 p.m. Born to Burn, presented by Paula Fornwalt, PhD. Colorado's ponderosa pine forests have experienced a marked increase in the frequency, size, and severity of wildfires in the last decade. How might understory plant communities be expected to respond to these fires in the years that follow? This program will explore this question, using the results of studies conducted following the 2002 Hayman Fire as a foundation.

Sunday, February 12, 5:30 to 8:00 pm. BCNA Annual Meeting at the Arapahoe Ridge HOA Clubhouse, 1750 Powell Street in Erie, the same location as last year's gathering. Our program for the evening will be shared by Steve Jones and Jan Chu who will present an inventory of five years of butterfly research which has been supported, in part, by grants from BCNA and will touch briefly on late winter and early spring emerging butterfly species found in Boulder County... and Joyce Gellhorn who will enlighten us with "Mothers of the Forest", the story of the role aspen play as a pioneer species and their function in forest development.
As is usually the case, a potluck supper will be followed by announcements and elections to the Board of Directors. Please bring your own drinks and a main dish, side dish, salad or dessert to share and, in the interest of our environment, bring your own table service and serving utensils.
To reach the Arapahoe Ridge HOA Clubhouse drive east on Arapahoe Avenue to North 111th Street (the first light east of US HWY 287), turn left (north) on North 111th Street to your first right at Morris Court, then immediately left on Hughs Drive to Powell Street (second stop sign). Turn left on Powell (you will see a large park, pool and the clubhouse on the left), a short distance to a circular drive and the entrance to the clubhouse on the left. A large parking lot is immediately south of the circular drive. Drop-offs may be made at the entrance to the clubhouse from the circular drive, but no parking is allowed in the driveway. All are welcome!
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Tuesday, February 21, 7:00 pm. Jan Chu and traveling companions will present a travelogue of their recent 17-day China trip, which included tracking the wild Giant Panda and Giant Flying Squirrel in the QinLing Mountains and hiking in the Pudacao National Forest, Tebetan Prefecture. Their tour emphasized natural places and sights, flowers, butterflies, and birds. The extremes between the ancient and modern were evident in every small town. Meadows Branch Library, 4800 Baseline Rd.

Thursday, February 23, 7-8:30 p.m., George Reynolds Branch Library, South Boulder. Driving to Alaska: Wildlife and Wildflower Viewing off the Beaten Track, presented by Leslie Larson. Nature photographer and videographer Leslie Larson will present information for those planning to drive to Alaska, or those wishing they could! Find out what plants and animals you might see along the way. Get some travel tips about road and weather conditions, seasonal attractions, and border crossings. Learn how to stretch your travel dollars.
Leslie is a naturalist and serious photographer who takes delight in every aspect of the world around us. Since retiring, she has traveled the globe in search of birds, animals, plants, and remote hideaways. She makes DVDs about each experience to share with others to help them plan their own trips.

Tuesday, February 28, 7:15. Arvind Panjabi, International Program Director, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO), will present a program on Birds of Two Worlds, the Mexico-Colorado Connection. Twenty-nine of 34 grassland-obligate species that breed in the western Great Plains overwinter in the limited grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert. Many of these grasslands have been radically altered through grazing and cropland agriculture. RMBO is cooperating with Mexican and U.S. NGOs and others to develop and implement plans for protecting these beleaguered grasslands and their unique community of birds, offering hope for conserving this critical habitat. Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, 5001 Pennsylvania Ave., off 55th St. between Arapahoe and Baseline.

Saturday, March 10, 7:30 to 11:00 am. Spring welcoming breakfast hike at Sawhill Ponds. Meet at 7:30 at the Sawhill Ponds parking area (west of 75th St. between Valmont and Jay roads). Bring something warm, nutritious, exotic, or passionate (and definitely portable!) to share at a potluck picnic beside Boulder Creek. Expect to see ducks, raptors, and early-singing passerines. Steve Jones (curlewsj@comcast.net).

Saturday, April 21st. Boulder County Ecosystem Symposium: Water Pure and Not So Simple. The event is free and open to all, and will be held at the University of Colorado Ramaley Auditorium in the Ecology Department building, just east of Norlin Library.
The 2012 symposium will highlight local water issues and projects including:
Climate change research relating to water
Water contamination studies of Boulder Creek
History and overview of local water sources
Lower Boulder Creek Project
Panel discussion of issues surrounding the proposed Gross Reservoir Expansion project, and much more.
The annual symposium is sponsored by the Boulder County Nature Association, Boulder County Audubon Society, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, and the Colorado Native Plant Society.
We are seeking volunteers to help set up and clean up and to help with food preparation at the event. Ideas for places to publicize the symposium will be greatly appreciated too.

Saturday, April 28th, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Exploring Colorado’s Lichens. Join Ann Henson in a leisurely walk to learn about lichens of trees, soil, moss and rocks. Bring your hand lens and be prepared to crawl around and get close to small things! For further information and to register contact Ann: 2henson@kwabena.us or call 303-772-8962. Classes will also be held on June 10, September 22, and November 4, 2012. The April 28 and June 10 classes are now full ( as of Feb 2).

To get more information on these events, or to send a message to any of the above leaders where email address is not given, click here to email us.. Be sure to specify the intended recipient, preferably in the subject line.

B.C.N.A.
P.O. Box 493
Boulder, CO 80306