http://denver.yourhub.com/Aurora/Stories/News/General-News/Story~541013.aspx
Morrison Nature Center celebrate five years
1 of 6NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS
Deanna Curtis, executive director of Wild Wings Environmental Education, catches a red-tailed hawk during a raptor flight program at the Morrison Nature Center, 16002 E. Smith Road in Aurora, on Oct. 25 as children and parents watch at a safe distance.
Provided by: Daniel Smith
Contributed by: Daniel Smith/YourHub.com on 10/28/2008
Tucked away off Smith Road in Aurora, the Morrison Nature Center Star K Ranch is celebrating five years of providing nature education on its historic 200-plus acres.
Oct. 25 and 26, the center hosted special events to mark the anniversary, including kid's programs on wildlife, an opportunity to sample edible insects, a commemorative 'scat' cake and a raptor flight demonstration with a Red-tailed hawk.
Mary Ann Bonnell, lead naturalist for the City of Aurora says the history of the nature center begins back in the 50s - with a gentleman farmer named Virgil 'Pop' Stark who was a sheep farmer, champion sheep shearer and colorful character.
"He kept company with some very interesting animals," Bonnell said.
An edition of the Rocky Mountain News from Dec. 11, 1943 details a beer-swilling pet sheep named Oscar, and a singing cat named Tommy.
One historic photo inside pictures him with several lady friends under a sign at the ranch that declares "This place was built for me and my friends."
Relatives, Bonnel said, also remembered a Florida man who opened up an alligator farm on the property for a couple of years.
After Stark passed away, the building stood vacant and boarded up with a chain line fence around it for a time, until a woman with an idea and the desire began to push the idea of a nature center.
Linda Strand, the former manager of the division of Open Space and Natural Resources saw a nature center in that building and 'could not let go of the idea,' says Bonnell. She stayed with it, however, until it became reality.
Another staff member related that Stand's mother was skeptical where she first heard the from Stand - 19 years before it actually happened.
"She's an amazing woman who can move mountains," Bonnell said of Strand, who was honored at a campfire ceremony Oct. 24.
"I think it's just an incredible story of someone just pushing something forward," says Bonnell.
In 1981, Aurora bought the initial 67 acres that would become the nature center along Sand Creek. The process of renovation of the old farmhouse took time, and was given its biggest boost, including an outlay of about $500,000 from the Morrison Foundation, which created the critical mass for the project.
The riparian forest of the nature center connects with the Sand Creek Regional Greenway that extends all the way to Denver, creating wildlife corridors. Great horned owls, red-tailed hawks and two types of deer are regular visitors to the nature center.
The fall, 2003 edition of the Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership, a major partner in the project, announced the opening of the new center:
" The Star K Ranch portion of the Greenway in Aurora has a newly opened nature center and trailhead that showcases the beauty of the trail and its surroundings . The Morrison Nature Center is built around the old Stark homestead, leaving much of the original building intact. Inside are educational displays about the history of the area, natural surroundings, wildlife, ecosystems in the park, and the wider Greenway beyond. A park ranger answers questions and provides walking tours through 200 acres of wetlands and wildlife area.
December programs at the Center include Snack-n-Story times (ages 3-5), 'Junior Ranger' (ages 6-10), bird hikes (all ages), and a trail cleanup day. Call 303-739-2428 or stop by for a complete schedule. A good way to arrive is by bike via the Greenway trail or by car, turn south on Laredo from Smith Road, 1/2 mile east of Chambers; a great lunch can be had at Emil-Lene's steakhouse (a short walk) before you head back."
Strand wanted it to be the best nature center in the metro region, Bonnell said, and it has become award-winning for both its program and staff members.
"Linda's vision was not only that the best nature center, but that it be very unique, " Bonnell said.
"So when you come in, our exhibits are not made by big exhibit companies, we do all of them ourselves. We have very high standards - we're crazy creative - you find spider costumes in there and 17-foot rattlesnakes, we just go to town."
Naturalist Liz Wickard said she's proud to be part of the center and its programs.
"This is a wonderful jewel in Aurora's park system, and I'm very glad to be a part of it," she said.
Staffing is limited, so volunteers and members are vital, Bonnell says.
"We have three nauralists in Aurora - we would not survive with just that team- we rely very heavily on our volunteer naturalists, and have about a dozen active ones that help us with programs, our event booths they really complement us, and I would hate to think of trying to survive without them, and we get a tremendous amount of support from the Department."
Referring to Richard Louv's book "Last Child in the Woods," about the disconnect between modern kids and the natural world, Bonnell says the nature center is a counter to 'nature deficit disorder,' a place where parents can bring their children for a safe introduction to nature.
For example, the center hosts a weekly preschool as a science literary program that includes hands-on exposure to nature outside. On the other end of the spectrum, the center hosts Colorado Native Plant Society workshops, Bonnell points out, sayings the spread of the audience is from pre-K to 'botany nerds.'
"We think of it literally as this portal - when you walk in the door - either through exhibits or thru interacting or thru discovery or thru talking to a staff member - you can touch Aurora's nature and you can bring it closer to you and your family."
"We teach college-level botany classes there and we teach preschool every week, it's such an extraordinary spot - I think it's such a portal to understanding nature, particularly Aurora's nature. I feel really blessed to work here," Bonnell added.
The Morrison Nature Center is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information, call 303-739-2428 or visit