Boulder County Audubon Teen Naturalists Highlight Another Successful Year
If you’d searched for the Boulder County Audubon Teen Naturalists in 2018-2019, you’d have found them observing wildlife near and far.
The Teen Naturalists program offers middle and high school students the opportunity to explore many facets of the natural world and their interactions. This group participates in wildlife surveys (birds, bats, butterflies, etc.), bioblitzes, nature photography workshops, and other outdoor activities. All the events are open to middle school students, high school students, and recent graduates and are always free. For more information, please contact Steve Jones curlewsj@comcast.net or 303-494-2468.
In May, 2018, eight Teen Naturalists and accompanying adults camped out at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge in the Nebraska Sandhills, and observed dancing Sharp-tailed Grouse and Greater Prairie-Chickens from two remote photographic blinds. For some of us, it was a life-changing experience. You can also read a personal account of the trip on Teen Naturalist Eva Getman’s Nature Notes with Eva blog.
In August, we photographed recently emerged monarch butterflies and other colorful insects in Boulder's South Boulder Creek State Natural Area.
In October, 13 participants searched for Wild Turkeys and Red Crossbills at Meyers Gulch. We found the crossbills and some Clark's Nutcrackers, along with a large moose carcass, but no turkeys.
In November and February, we completed wintering raptor surveys on the Boulder County Nature Association South Rabbit Mountain route, setting a "modern" record in February, when we counted 42 raptors, including 10 bald eagles.
One of our most popular annual trips takes us to Wheat Ridge Greenbelt in January, when wild ducks in Clear Creek are particularly approachable. We photographed Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Green-winged Teal, dippers, and kingfishers.
Future outings to start the 2019 season include a stargazing and pizza party; a morning session at Golden Ponds learning "what birds eat" from ornithologist David Leatherman in early May; a short backpack into North St. Vrain Canyon to listen for nesting Flammulated Owls; and an overnight survey for owls and other breeding birds near Twin Sisters in mid-June.
Several members of our group have adopted wild areas for the Boulder County Ecosystem Stewardship Initiative and will be leading breeding bird surveys within their special areas in May and June. Some of our participants have gone on to work as wildlife technicians before entering college, and one of our founding members is currently leading bilingual birding trips at Colombia's largest and most remote national park while completing his first year at Prescott College.
Several teen naturalists also have helped out with bird banding, pika population monitoring, and other research while still in high school. Some have given public PowerPoint presentations on topics in wildlife conservation.
We meet about 10 times a year, alternating between Saturday and Sunday mornings, and new participants are always welcome. While the program is targeted at middle and high school students, we also welcome fourth and fifth graders accompanied by a parent. To learn how to join or to see more Teen Naturalist photos, blogs, and stories, visit our webpage. We will offer a short presentation featuring some of our best photos of the year at the Boulder County Audubon annual meeting, Tuesday, May 28.
April 2018-March 2019 participants: Grace Apodaca, Lesly Arellano, Alban Burke, Jasey Chanders, Aidan Coohill, Jasmine Cordova Reyes, Elizabeth Fernandez Salas, Gavin Fisher, Eva Getman, Ian Giles, Ben Guarente, Katie Hartrick, Emma Johnson, Anyll Markevich, Topi Martinez, Holden and Elisa Maxfield, Luke Pheneger, Owen Robertson, Santiago Segura, Annelise Trampedach, Claire and Natalie Vantol, Vienna Walker.
Program coordinators: Dan and Hope Getman, Steve Jones, Carol Kampert, Elena Klaver, and Erin Robertson.