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The Science Behind Fly Fishing

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Are you an angler? Do you have a the passion and patience to bag that trophy? Have you ever wondered why fish and insects behave the way they do? Join Walking Mountains Science Center for The Science Behind Fly Fishing on May 15th.

John Packer, owner of Fly Fishing Outfitters, in Avon CO, will share his love and appreciation for the science of fly fishing. At the presentation, he will talk about both the natural and technological elements of the sport. Water conditions, habitat, insects and the native/non-native fish species will be some of the main topics covered. Learn how clean water plays a role in the environment needed for trout to survive and thrive and get introduced to space age polymers and composites that go into the equipment. Get your hands on almost instant fishing information that will give you an edge. The evening also includes a hands-on Fly casting clinic. John has been a guide in the Vail Valley since 1996 and owner of Fly fishing Outfitters since 2009.

The Science Behind series of classes highlights useful and fun skills that have underlying scientific principles. Each class provides a hands-on, interactive component with instruction from a local subject matter expert and a Walking Mountains educator. Classes are held once a month at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon.

IF YOU GO…
What: The Science Behind Fly Fishing
When: May 15th, 6:30pm
Where: Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon
Cost: Free!

Seating is limited, please call to reserve your spot today! (970) 827-9725

Filed Under: Events, The Science Behind Series Tagged With: , , ,

Discovering Double Stars

April 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Eagle Valley Astonomical Society Presents…
Discovering Double Stars
Thursday, April 11, 2013—7:30 to 9:00pm

Discovering Double StarsColorful double and multiple stars are among the most popular targets for backyard telescopes. Thanks to their orbital motion and the laws of physics, they’ve been fundamental keys for understanding the true nature of stars. Amazingly, the actual masses of double-star systems have been weighed by balancing them, effectively, on delicate spider web! Local astronomer John Briggs will explain and demonstrate this with actual historical instruments. He will also show how to find and see some famous star systems by eye, binoculars, and telescopes. Seeing them well involves a revelation of the wave nature of light, a  profound aspect of Nature. This will be underscored by the unsurpassed eloquence of several nineteenth century scientists who described the colorful beauty of these objects. An additional highlight will be the story of HUT Observatory’s recent role in the discovery of a new “contact binary” double star system — an extreme example of a double star that is nevertheless only beginning to hint at the exotic astrophysical nature of many of these systems.

For more information please contact:

Walking Mountains Science Center: (970) 827-9725 | info@walkingmountains.org
John W. Briggs, HUT Observatory: (970) 328-6228 | john.w.briggs@gmail.com
www.walkingmountains.org

Filed Under: Astronomy, Events, Family Activities Tagged With: , , ,

The Science Behind Coffee Roasting

February 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The Science Behind Cofee Roasting at Walking MountainsAre you a coffee lover? Do you depend on the dark, warm beverage to get your mornings started? Have you ever wondered about why various coffee brands and roasts taste differently? Join Walking Mountains Science Center for The Science Behind Coffee Roasting.

Travis Colbert, owner of City on a Hill Coffee & Espresso, in Leadville, CO, will share his love and appreciation for the fine details of coffee. At the presentation, he will talk about coffee origins including the regions where coffee plants grow and why coffee tastes different depending on where it comes from and how you roast and prepare it. Travis will demonstrate a sample coffee roast and talk about the roasting process.  This program includes the opportunity to taste various coffees.

The Science Behind series of classes highlights useful and fun skills that have underlying scientific principles.  Each class provides a hands-on, interactive component with instruction from a local subject matter expert and a Walking Mountains educator.  Classes are held once a month at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon.

IF YOU GO…
What: The Science Behind Coffee Roasting
When: March 20th, 6:30pm
Where: Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon
Cost: Free!

Seating is limited, please call to reserve your spot today!  (970) 827-9725

The Science Behind Series is made possible by Slifer, Smith and Frampton Real Estate Company.

Filed Under: Events, Fun, The Science Behind Series Tagged With: , , ,

High Country Speaker Series “Colorado River District” with George Sibley

February 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

George Sibley - High Country Speaker SeriesGeorge Sibley will speak about the history of the Colorado River District, focusing on Eagle County, in the second installment of the High Country Speaker Series on Tuesday, February 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Walking Mountains Science Center.

The Colorado River District commissioned Sibley, a freelance writer and editor, to write its history on the occasion of its 75th anniversary.  The end result was Sibley’s book, Water Wranglers: The 75-Year History of the Colorado River District.

“I have long been interested in the Colorado River and the human culture that has so aggressively developed it,” states Sibley.  “I’d long had in mind a book about the development of Colorado’s share of the Colorado River, and the tensions between the urban-industrial society growing on both sides of the River’s headwaters region—the metropolis growing up around Denver and seeking headwaters water, and the obligations to the urban-industrial society downstream in the River’s Lower Basin, and the West Slope’s own visions for both agrarian and industrial development.”

Created in 1937 by the Colorado General Assembly, the Colorado River District was born out of conflict between Colorado’s Eastern and Western Slopes. It was established to protect the interests of the state of Colorado and to defend local water interests in Western Colorado.  In the 1930′s, a coalition of East Slope interests pressed the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to construct a massive diversion, Colorado-Big Thompson Project, to drain the headwaters of the Colorado River and divert it to northeastern Colorado to provide water for agriculture.  This concerned the West Slope, since the diversion would diminish the Colorado River flow and affect West Slope farmers.

Sibley’s story of the Colorado River District is the story of the embattled Colorado River and the growth of the West. He also establishes that today’s issues, an arid climate and an imbalanced population, were issues of 1937.  The Colorado River continues to be a target for water development.

“Every physical water development—dam, ditch, what have you—had a huge infrastructure of legal, political, economic and even cultural activity,” says Sibley. “Working out that infrastructure for, say, something like the Colorado River Storage Project, was a huge, multi-year process involving many compromises among cultural beliefs, legal interpretations, political factions and of course economic costs, with every belief system and political faction coming to a different bottom line.”

Sibley moved to Crested Butte in 1966 to work ski patrol, quickly moved to the newspaper there and then worked his way through various mountain jobs before settling into a teaching career at Western State College for 19 years.  While at the college, he taught journalism and some interdisciplinary courses, and also took charge of various special projects, including the annual Water Workshop.

This year the High Country Speaker Series, a partnership between the Eagle Valley Library District and Walking Mountains Science Center, is collaborating with Eagle River Watershed Council to bring environmental speakers focusing on water issues to our community.

Other speakers in this series on water include:  Feb. 27: Zak Podmore will present his documentary film Down the Colorado.  Mar. 11: Jim Lochhead, Chief Executive Officer/Manager for Denver Water, will discuss the delicate balance of water issues between West Slope and Front Range residents.

What: High Country Speaker Series with George Sibley, author of Water Wranglers: The 75 Year History of the Colorado River District
When: Tuesday, February 12 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Walking Mountains Science Center
Cost: FREE

The High Country Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended but not required. For more information, or to make a reservation, call Walking Mountains Science Center at 970-827-9725 or the Avon Public Library at 970-949-6797.

Filed Under: Events, High Country Speaker Series Tagged With: , , ,

The Science Behind Natural Cleaners

February 5, 2013 By 1 Comment

Learn how to make your own natural cleaners — and learn why they work — during the Science Behind Natural Cleaners Wednesday, February 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Walking Mountains Science Center. Owners of Organic Housekeepers Tim Szurgot and Cassie Pence will show you how to use simple household ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, lemon, borax and essential oils to make cleaners for every surface in the house. They will also explain how natural cleaning works and what chemical reactions are responsible for disinfection, extracting dirt and creating shine. Finally, they’ll shed light on why natural cleaning is so much better for your health — and the environment’s health — than using nasty, toxic chemicals.

This is a hands-on program. Expect to roll up your sleeves and mix up cleaners to take home with you. You’ll leave equipped with an all-purpose cleaner and other natural cleaning recipes and tricks to try at home.

Organic Housekeepers started with one man and his crusade to clean up the world — literally! When Tim Szurgot was 8 years old, his mother put a vacuum in one hand and a dollar bill in the other and told him to clean the living room. To make it even more glamorous, she dubbed him “Captain Vacuum,” and the superhero of cleanliness has scrubbed, mopped and rinsed ever since. In 2005, Szurgot parlayed his self-proclaimed anal retentiveness into Organic Housekeepers, a cleaning company that uses only nontoxic, natural and organic cleansers. Now with 50-plus housekeepers, Organic Housekeepers serves as the housekeeping departments for many vacation rental companies, vacation clubs, penthouses and small hotels, as well as cleaning commercial buildings up and down the Vail Valley.

Organic Housekeepers’ mission is to provide communities with quality cleaning in a sustainable way. By choosing to clean with green cleaning products, Organic Housekeepers promotes the idea that positive change in the world begins with you making educated and informed choices. Organic Housekeepers is more than a cleaning company. We are cleaning with a conscience, saving the earth one tub at a time.

The Science Behind series of classes highlights useful and fun skills that have underlying scientific principles.  Each class provides a hands-on, interactive component with instruction from a local subject matter expert and a Walking Mountains educator.  Classes are held once a month at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon.  Spaces are limited, please call to reserve your spot today (970) 827-9725.

IF YOU GO…

What: The Science Behind Natural Cleaners
When: Feb. 13, 6:30 pm
Where: Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon
Seating is limited, please call to reserve your spot today!  (970) 827-9725

Filed Under: Events, The Science Behind Series Tagged With: , ,

Conquering the English Channel with Dr. Tom Hackett

January 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Join us for an event in partnership with the Education Foundation of Eagle County (EFEC) on Wednesday, February 6th at 5:30pm.  Dr. Tom Hackett will be here to discuss conquering one of his lifetime goals, to swim across the English Channel – a mission he completed in August of 2012. Join Walking Mountains and the Education Foundation of Eagle County in raising funds for local school children.  100% of all donations go directly to EFEC’s Walking Mountains program, allowing new students to be exposed to a wondrous educational science experience for the first time this year.

On August 24, 2012, Tom stepped from the water onto the French coast, triumphant after a near 13 hour and 34 mile crossing of the English Channel.  His harrowing attempt included 6 foot swells, regular bouts of vomiting and nausea from seasickness, two tangles with stinging jellyfish and 62 degree water with no wetsuit.  Despite the obstacles his success was bouyed by an unfaltering belief that his energy was best spent on a positive focus.  “It takes more energy to think negative than positive – we are capable of tremendous feats if we set our minds to it!,” says Hackett.

In addition to being one of the few individuals to successfully swim the English Channel, Dr. Hackett was recently honored with Physician of the Year Award for VVMC.  He is the team physician for the U.S. Snowboard team and a medical consultant to the Colorado Rockies. Dr. Hackett was also just named one of the most handsome doctors in America by the NBC daytime talk show, The Doctors. Hackett is the face of October in the 2013 calendar, a benefit for the Red Cross.

The bottom line – this is one impressive man. Come find out how the power of positive thinking has helped drive him to success.

SPEAKER: Dr. Tom Hackett, Conquering the English Channel
WHEN: Wednesday, February, 6th, 5:30pm reception, 6pm talk
WHERE: Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon
COST: Suggested donation, $15 at the door (fee to send one child on a Walking Mountains field studies program!)

Reservations required, please call or email to save your space!  (970) 827-9725 or info@walkingmountains.org 

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Free Vail Snowshoe Tours Daily!

January 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Moonlight snowshoe tours on Vail MountainWalking Mountains provides naturalist guided snowshoe tours from the Nature Discovery Center on top of Vail Mountain and from the Science Center in Avon!

Nature Discovery Center, Daily at 2pm thru April 14th
Join a Walking Mountains Naturalist for an introductory educational snowshoe through the forest atop Vail Mountain. Learn about winter ecology and animal adaptations as you gaze at majestic mountain views. Please come prepared to spend an hour outside in the mountainous winter environment with appropriate clothing and water.  Snowshoes provided.  All ages, FREE.

Walking Mountains Science Center, Monday – Saturday at 2pm
Join a Walking Mountains Naturalist for a gentle educational hike through aspen and riparian communities.  Learn about the ecology and animal adaptations of this mountain environment. Walks will be conducted on snowshoes as necessary due to snow levels.  Snowshoes provided.  All ages, FREE.

For more information please contact the Nature Discovery Center at (970) 754-4675, or Walking Mountains Science Center at (970) 827-9725.

Filed Under: Environmental Education, Events, Family Activities, Fun, Kids Activities, Nature Discovery Center, Nature Tours Tagged With: , , ,

Walking Mountains Community Programs

December 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There is something for everyone here at the Science Center in Avon.  While Walking Mountains is instrumental in teaching natural science education to the kids of Eagle County through field studies programs and summer camps, we also offer many programs just for the Vail community.  Did you know that we also operate the Vail Nature Center in the summertime and the Nature Discovery Center at the top of Vail Mountain during the winter season?  There are many, many fantastic and fun things to do with your family and friends right here in the Vail Valley.  Take a look:

Nature Walks and Snowshoe Tours
You can join a Walking Mountains naturalist almost every day of the week at one of our location for a free, guided hike in summer or a snowshoe tour during winter.  You will enjoy the outdoors while learning about our ecology and animal adaptations in our natural mountain environment.  Tours are free and available from WMSC (Mon-Sat) or the Vail Nature Discovery Center (Daily) at 2pm

Family Naturalists Club
Future naturalists explore the forest as they learn to observe, identify and understand the unique aspects of the plants and animals in our ecological community. $10/per adult/child pair

EarthKeepers Preschool Program
Children practice using their senses to explore the natural world and have fun with others while participating in activites such as songs, stories and games.  Indoor and outdoor activities.  $10/per adult/child pair

Eagle Valley Astronomical Society
Anyone at any age with an interest in astronomy at any level is invited to attend and learn about features in space using telescopes and interpreting the night sky.  These classes are free and open to the public.

The Science Behind Series
In the monthly Science Behind series a member of the Walking Mountains staff and a guest presenter explore the science behind factors in our everyday lives.  Previous topics have included brewing beer, worm composting, gluten-free cooking, and herbal salves and balms.  This series is made possible through a generous donation from Slifer, Smith and Frampton Real Estate.  Classes are typically free unless materials are required.

Walking Mountains Science Center is Now Open!The High Country Speaker Series
Offered in partnership with the Eagle Valley Library District, this series brings you experts from around Colorado to discuss important environmental issues.  The series is offered four times during the winter season, specific dates and times are posted on our events calendar as they become available.  These sessions are free to the public.

Wildflower Walks, Beaver Pond Tours, Bird Watching Tours in the Summertime
During the summertime, our naturalists lead many tours from the Vail Nature Center.  Always engaging and appropriate for locals and visitors alike, these treks are very low cost to attend.

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival
This environmental film festival typically happens in the fall.  Engaging, environmentally conscious films for adults and kids alike.

Fall Festival
This year we welcomed Nature’s Educators during our Fall Festival on campus.  The live raptor show and booth was awesome!  There was also much to be learned from the Walking Mountains educators at our own fun, family-friendly booths.

Partnered Events
We often hold special speaker or film events in partnership with other local entities.  In the past we have partnered with:

  • Eagle River Watershed Council
  • Vail Symposium
  • Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
  • Denver Museum of Nature and Science
  • Education Foundation of Eagle County

For events such as:

  • John Fielder Photography Tour
  • Jon Kedrowski, “Climb Your Own Everest”
  • The Robert Redford film, “Watershed”
  • Digging Snow Mastodon
  • Talks with Dr. Mark Varien on Pueblo Indian life

These are always one-of-a-kind events – an awesome collaborative effort and huge value to the community.

Come on out and explore your curious nature – there is so much to do right here in your own backyard.  Help us in our mission to become better environmental stewards and explore the natural wonders of our incredible mountain environs.

Please visit our events calendar online, sign up to receive news from our blog or call (970) 827-0725 for more information

 

Filed Under: Buck Creek Campus, Events, Family Activities, Film Series, Fun, High Country Speaker Series, Kids Activities, Nature Tours, The Science Behind Series, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Counting the Christmas Birds

December 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When I first heard of Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) I envisioned bird lovers sitting in the dark and cold, waiting for midnight on Dec. 24th and then lifting their binoculars to begin a 24 hour period of non-stop birding. The day ended, I imagined, with them falling into bed, cold, exhausted and hungry – having given up presents, eggnog and turkey, as well as the good will of their families. But I had the CBC confused with the Big Day, a self designated 24-hour period in which a birder attempts to log a personal best in number of different birds seen and secretly hopes to shatter the record of someone else. Though the Christmas Bird Count can bring out the same competitive drive that lurks below the mild-mannered surface of the Big Day counter, the CBC serves the noble purpose of citizen science and brings birdwatchers together in their favorite activity and for later bonhomie as they tally up their results. And it doesn’t involve tramping around in the cold for 24 hours.

Christmas bird counts are organized by compilers, who select a geographic circle 15 miles in diameter, divvy it up among their volunteers and pick of a 24-hour period sometime between December 14 and January 5 in which to count. Hours spent counting and numbers of people recording provide the basis for the comparisons from year to year within the same circle. The tallies include number of species seen and total numbers of birds of each kind counted. Compilers report their totals back to the Audubon CBC and the data is used to spot long term trends in winter bird populations in North America.

The counters are all volunteers, as they were when ornithologist Frank Chapman organized the first Christmas Bird Count in 1900 as a counter to the traditional Christmas day “side hunt.” In that latter event, a household’s holiday guests would choose up sides, sling their guns over their shoulders, and spend Christmas day competing to see which team could bring home a larger pile of dead birds. The first CBC involved only 27 people, but it stretched from Toronto, Ontario to Pacific Grove, California. Eighty-nine species and approximately 18,500 individual birds made the first CBC list. Unlike the side hunt, the CBC tradition hung on and grew. The data from the 112th CBC in 2011-12 came from 63,227observers in 2,248 separate counting areas in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and several Pacific islands and included 2,298 species and 65 million birds.

Because creating lists of birds can bring competitive drives to the surface, some CBCs are organized with military precision to maximize the opportunities to find unusual birds as well as to count as many birds as possible within a given circle. In addition, personal quests drive some people to participate in as many CBCs as possible in the two week time frame.

But you need not be an experienced birder or hiker to participate in a CBC. Birders are typically delighted to share their passion with newbies. Organizers of the CBCs pair inexperienced people with those who’ve spent a lot of time behind the binoculars. Each circle is divided into territories and many are drivable. Clothing appropriate for a day outside, binoculars, water and food are the only things you need, though a bird identification and guide and notebook would be helpful. The CBC is also a great opportunity to share the fun of bird watching with children and to develop a new holiday tradition. And who knows? You could be introducing the next Roger Tory Peterson or Ken Kaufman to the world of birds.

How do you find a CBC? The National Audubon society maintains a list of compilers and active circles on its website at http://birds.audubon.org/get-involved-christmas-bird-count. For locals, the third annual Eagle CBC will be on January 5, 2013. Participants meet at 8AM at the Eagle Visitor’s Center parking lot (100 Fairgrounds Road), head off to count, and then convene for a pot luck meal at 2pm to compile their data.  Contact Jill Stange at 970-827-5165 or jill@voc.org to sign up.

Article written by Betsy Holter who is a volunteer at Walking Mountains Science Center.

Filed Under: Birds, Curious Nature, Events Tagged With: ,

Events at Walking Mountains

December 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There are many events happening at Walking Mountains on a regular basis – speakers, films, Science Behind classes and special partner programs.  Please check our online events calendar for event and registration information.  The Science Center in Avon is open Monday – Friday from 10am to 6pm.  Admission is free to the public.

Walking Mountains Science Center
(970) 827-9725
www.walkingmountains.org

Vail Nature Discovery Center
Located on top of Vail Mountain at Eagle’s Nest
(970) 754-4675

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