Denver Audubon

School Programs: In the classroom, our school programs introduce bird adaptations, the scientific process, critical thinking, and observation skills. Students learn ecological and conservation principles, human impacts, and the importance of daily conservation actions. Our experiential Project Based Learning and STEM-structured Birds and Conservation program, in partnership with Earth Force, continues for the tenth grade at Collegiate Academy of Colorado and the sixth grade at Lone Tree Elementary. We work with over 25 schools each year on programs at the schools and at the Audubon Center at Chatfield State park.Audubon Nature Center: Classes, events, and field trips are offered to all ages, with a goal to promote more families and adults being active outdoors. Programs include family night hikes, monthly Walk the Wetlands, Habitats for Homeschoolers, school field trips, and adult education series. We also offer the 9-day Audubon Community Naturalist Training. Corporate groups also help with garden and trail projects in the spring. We partner with Colorado Academy on summer camps.Bird Banding-Scientists in Action: Our major attraction each spring is the Bird Banding Research and Education Station. A wildlife biologist from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies captures and tags songbirds to study migration. Banding has introduced thousands of children and adults to birds and the importance of protecting habitats, including seniors, homeschools, and participants with developmental disabilities. It is exciting to watch the transformation of those who visit the banding station. The station is open to schools and the public.Community Outreach: Denver Audubon offers numerous customized classes and field trips for adults and families. Our Birding Without Barriers program works with mobility challenged community members to establish accessible birding in local parks. We are identifying accessible birdwatching locations throughout the metro area.Children's Hospital in Highlands Ranch: We installed bird feeders in 2018, and every week our volunteers provided binocular viewing and education for children awaiting treatment.Conservation: Our staff and volunteers, through all of our programs, focus on messaging to encourage our community to improve urban and developed habitats in the Denver metro area. We participate in local issues that impact birds and their habitats in the community. We offer programs about creating bird friendly habitats in our yards and taking action in our personal lives to help keep our environment healthy for birds and people.Research: The Lois Webster Fund relies on the contributions from generous donors to enable researchers to find answers to questions important for conservation; to engage learners of all ages in research; and to educate about Colorado non-game wildlife and helping provide information about techniques for restoring habitats and populations of our beloved Colorado non-game wildlife.Volunteers: Although we have professional staff to lead many of our programs, we could not accomplish what we do each spring without our amazing volunteers and we have over 100 of them! They lead our birding field trips throughout the metro region. They assist with school and public programs, including bird banding, events, and programs at the Audubon Center, at the schools, or at venues in the community. Many of our volunteers have been trained in our Audubon Master Birder program and/or the Audubon Naturalist training. And volunteers help assist with the gardens, office tasks, and so much more. They give over 5000 hours each year.