Colorados Wild Treasures

8/3/2019 Colorados Wild Treasures

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ColoradoNtu n Heitge Tesues

8/3/2019 Colorados Wild Treasures

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12 A May-J 2011 May-J 2011 A

Birdwatchers andnature enthusiastsvisit Colorado forits diverse wildlie heritage, and

every corner o the state has

something wonderul to

discover. Tucked into all that

scenic beauty, are wonderul

treasures o culture and history.

Framed by the Sangre de

Cristo and San Juan Mountain

Ranges, southern Colorados

San Luis Valley is rich in eco-

logical diversity. A birdwatchers

paradise, it boasts wetlands

with abundant waterowl,

songbirds, waders and raptors.

Shrublands attract sage thrash-

ers and Brewers sparrows;

oothills are home to spotted

and green-tailed towhees;

orests are lled with Stellers

jays, pygmy nuthatches and

Williamsons sapsuckers; and

high mountain peaks are home

to white-tailed ptarmigan,brown-capped rosy-nches and

American pipits.

The Valleys Great Sand Dunes

National Park and Preserve

(www.nps.gov/grsa) boasts the

tallest dunes in North America.

Where else but Colorado would

visitors use modied skis and

snowboards to rush down

towering mountains o sand!

Southeastern Colorado boasts

400+ bird species, rivaling just

about any other inland area in

North America. Endangered

least terns and threatened

piping plovers both nest in

John Martin Reservoir State

Park, one o 42 Colorado state

parks (http://parks.state.co.us).In winter, bald eagles and snow

geese are common visitors.

Nighttime on the Eastern

Plains oers a display o

celestial light, making the area

popular with stargazers and

astronomy enthusiasts.

Southwest Colorado is home

to our national parks and

monuments, including Mesa

Fields oF wAving grAin and blue skies rarely marred

by clouds create a picture o serenity. But the quiet

prairie whispers stories about the people who came here,

survived here and ultimately created multigenerational

ties here.

The people o the Central Plains want you to learn their

story, called Our Journey, then create your own Journey

to the Plains. With museums and attractions, shops and

events, theres always more history to discover.

One ticket grants entry or ourteen sites: Hedlund

House Museum, Hugo; Limon Heritage Museum & Rail-

road Park, Limon; Worlds Wonder View Tower, Genoa; Ar-

riba Museum and Grampa Jerrys Clown Museum, Arriba;

Elbert County Museum, Kiowa; Flagler Hospital Museum

and Hal Borland Room and Second Central School Mu-

seum, Flagler; Kit Carson County Carousel and Old Town,

Burlington; Kit Carson Museum, Kit Carson; Cheyenne

County Museum and Mountain States Telephone and

Telegraph Museum, Cheyenne Wells; plus a new museum

to be unveiled this year300-plus saddles at a ranch

near Simla (watch or details!).

Visit .jy.f to begin discovering the

wonderul heritage o Colorados Central Plains.

Th d p sps thS Ls Vll f dlmx s ds, hststs, d ltl htg.Three wildliFe reFuges encompass more than

100,000 acres o wetlands and nutrient-rich habitat

perect or grazing, roosting and eeding by resident

and migrating wildlie, including loons, pelicans,

herons, egrets, swans, hawks, eagles, alcons, sandpip-

ers and owls. In all and spring, as many as 20,000sandhill cranes pass through. The geographic isola-

tion o the San Luis Valley and abundance o public

lands provides a coveted place or exploration, adventure, and solitude. Visitors can hike, camp, rock climb,

mountain bike, horseback ride, ice climb, snowshoe and backcountry ski.

In the shadow o the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges, the Valleys small towns and historic

churches are testament to the earliest Hispanic settlement o Colorado as well as a vibrant contemporary

culture. The Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, comprised o Alamosa, Conejos, and Costilla counties,

celebrates this rich heritage. Here an indigenous nomadic liestyle converged with Mexican land grants and

Penitente moradas (sacred meeting houses). This area includes the oldest town in Colorado (San Luis), and

the oldest parish in Colorado (Our Lady o Guadalupe in Conejos). Visit .aama. or more ino.

WIld TrEaSUrEColoradoSLooking for great CoLorado trip ideas? Let our guide to some of CoLorados most historiCaLLy riCh & speCtaCuLarLy sCeniC destinations provide you with the insp

Verde National Park

ascinating cli dwe

The parks pion-jun

hosts ash-throated f

western scrub-jays, b

throated gray warbl

raptors such as goldand peregrine alco

Ater a day watch

searching or moose

ing a scenic byway,

nd all kinds o histo

cultural attractions.

In South Central C

the historic town o

was once a main sto

Santa Fe Trail. The d

National Historic Dis

includes stunning a

along with museum

proessional reperto

Visitors can then dri

the Highway o Lege

Byway. Set in the sha

the Spanish Peaks, it

Trinidad, La Veta and

burg, carrying visito

towns that still refec

mining and immigra

Perhaps best know

annual Chile and Fri

val, Pueblo is also th

Union Avenue Histo

the Riverwalk and a

arts and cultural att

including the Sangr

Arts & Conerence C

the nationally recog

Buell Childrens Mus

El Pueblo Museum c

the areas history an

diversity while the N

Raptor Center oers

along the Arkansas

Caon City is hom

the largest suspensiin the world, a classi

passenger train, the

Gorge Route Railroa

award-winning wine

Winery at Holy Cross

Whitewater rating a

Royal Gorge is amon

in the state.

The birds hereAre as varied as the terrain, bringing together

southwestern species like Scotts orioles and Gambels quail,

canyon birds like canyon wrens and white-throated swits, and

mountain birds such as mountain bluebirds and dusky grouse.

A range o landscapes spans more than a mile o vertical el-

evation: rom desert red rock canyons below 5,000 eet, across

expansive sagebrushlands, through high mountain orests and

meadows to alpine tundra atop 14,000-oot mountain peaks. Hikein the Rio Grande National Forest, explore the back-country o the

Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Areas or drive along

the San Juan Skyway or Trail o the Ancients Scenic Byways.

Theres plenty in the way o cultural heritage to discover, too.

Visit the upscale resort o Telluride or a small arming town in

the shadow o the Grand Mesa. Explore a ghost town rom min-

ing days by jeep, discover ancient native history at Mesa Verde

National Park or experience a wine tasting at a vineyard. Ater a

day on the trail, soak in a natural hot spring in Ouray, Durango,

Ridgway, Crestone or Pagosa Springs. .cta.

The southwest regionof Colorado is rich in natural heritage. From the

sheer depths of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison

National Park to the vistas from Grand Mesa, the

regions richly varied terrain provides habitat

and sanctuary for hundreds of species of wildlife.

The Central PlainsIn the counties of Elbert, Kit Carson,

Lincoln and Cheyenne, the small towns are

still welcoming and the history of the Westis still intact.

The Sangre de Cristo

National Heritage area

v San Luis Valley

discovern

The Southeast

mc s .430 470 b c c b l .The playa lakes o LakeHenry and Lake Meredith in Crowley County are important

stopovers or migrating shorebirds and a great place to look

or eagles. Boggsville, a non-military settlement along the

Santa Fe Trail, is amous among birders as a great place to

hear, and (with luck) spot, elusive black rails. Near Granada,

lesser prairie-chickens can be seen on private ranches in

spring on an Arena Dust Tours excursion.Then there are the

Fowler Lagoons, Rocky Ford State Wildlie Area, Kiowa Creek

Natural Area at Eads and the Great Plains Reservoirs.

Canyons on the prairie? Picketwire, Cottonwood and

Carrizo canyons oer terric chances to see wild turkeys,

roadrunners, all kinds o songbirds and raptors, and even

bighorn sheep.

Colorados western history is alive at Bents Old Fort (which

boasts the highest bird density o any National Park in the

Southern Plains,) and Sand Creek national historic sites. For

more recent history, visit Camp Amache, a World War II intern-

ment camp or Japanese-Americans, and Depression-era WPA

buildings in the town o Kim, located on the western reaches o

Comanche National Grassland. .cata.cm.

Kt CaCty Ca

Brian HawkinS

Don BaiLey

Tony Gurzick

S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E A T U R ES P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E A T U R E

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1] Gold Belt tourThe roads to richesbegins and ends near Caon City andentices you to explore old mining camps,ossils, the picturesque Royal Gorge and

spectacular scenery. Other communities on

the route: Florence, Penrose and Pueblo.

2] HiGHway of leGends interweaves itshistory and legends into a tapestrymade o Native American lore, disappearing

Spanish Conquistadors, tales rom early set-

tlers and geological wonders that you wont

nd elsewhere. Explo re Walsenburg, La Veta,

Trinidad and Cuchara on this journey.

3] santa fe trail scenic and Historic Bywayeatures areas where you can stilldiscern the wagon-wheel ruts o the Santa

Fe Trail wending their way across the prai-

rie. This historic byway is a portion o the

amous route that opened up the west, and

includes Trinidads National Historic District.

4] frontier PatHwaysmirrors thetrails orged by American Indians,Spanish, French and American explorers.

This drive takes you rom Pueblo to the

scenic town o Westclie and the silver-

mining town o Silver Cli with breathtak-

ing views o the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

and the Wet Mountain Valley. Ringed by

peaks soaring to more than 14,000 eet andbrightened by sunshine 320 days a year,

this green-pastured valley is vibrant with

options or hiking, horseback riding, ATV

and snowmobile riding, museum-hopping

or just taking in the jaw-dropping view. In-

terested in history? Custer County has eight

Centennial Farmshistoric arms or ranches

still operated by the amilies that established

them over one hundred years ago.

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Experience yourown Coloradowildlife adventure

WEN ISIS ENE to watch wildlife, they easily discover an

abundance of the state's cultural heritage along the way. After a day scouting forbighorn sheep, visitors stop in local communities to dine, relax, shop and explore.

he Colorado Birding rail (.cata.cm), a

network of sites where visitors can observe birds and other wild-

life, also invites discovery of towns, people, outdoor recreation,

scenic byways and history in communities throughout the state.

Nothing introduces a community to visitors like a wildlife festival. At the

Karval Mountain Plover Festival, visitors stay with local families and gather for

community meals. Put on by community groups and volunteers, these festivals

also offer craft and art shows, historic tours and talks by local experts. he Monte

ista Crane Festival, now in its 28th year, has been joined by Eckert Crane Days

on the Western Slope. hen there are the igh Plains Snow Goose Festival in

Lamar, Eagle Day Festival in Pueblo, Bent n Birding in Bent County, te

Mountain-Mesa erde Birding Festival in Cortez, Elk Fest in Estes Park, Grand

Mesa Moose Day in Grand Junction, the ummingbird Festival in Colorado

Springs and more.

For a complete listing of wildlife festivals, visit the Colorado Division of Wildlifeonline at: ttp://f.tat.c./v/etFta .

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For a free copy of the 2011 Colorado fcial State acation Guide,

call 1-800-CLAD or visitwww.Colorado.com

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