We have moved to Substack. You can find our new content HERE The post NATURE FIX HAS MOVED first appeared on Nature Fix ..read more

caption: A Great Blue Heron Contemplates an Icy Fishing Hole – copyright 2023 Heather Valey Do you enjoy Nature Fix? Join our bi-weekly newsletter with exclusive content and conversation about Colorado wildlife and nature. Join us! Introduction When winter socks into Colorado’s Mountains and plains, our wildlife undergoes some remarkable adaptations to cope with the challenges of the season… so let’s dive in and look at some of them.  Hibernation: Most people are familiar with the concept of hibernation. The animals we always think of are bears. While bears truly do hibernate, many anim ..read more

Caption: A Summer Shower in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Photograph by Heather Valey 2023 If you like the content on Nature Fix, subscribe to our substack newsletter for bi-weekly exclusive content that you won’t find on this website! First Name: Last Name: Email: I agree to receive email updates. Submit Conservation is a Collaborative Effort When conservation issues come up very often I am reminded that hunters and fisherpersons fund the conservation in Colorado. But, Colorado’s conservation system operates through a combination of government agencies, non-profit organizations, private land ..read more

In the third week of September I visited the Banding Station at Barr Lake operated by the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. This is one of two sites where the BCOR bands and monitors birds migrating through the area in spring and fall. I checked in and took a seat on a shaded deck along the shore of the lake that acts as the bird banding station. Not long after I had a seat. , the volunteer coordinator Meredith McBurney appeared on the deck and apologized for not having a single bird in their mist nets to show us that morning. (What is Bird Banding?) “It’s a bad year for birds here” she explain ..read more

While I was up on Mount Blue Sky this summer, one of my favorite pastimes was marmot watching. And this summer I got a lot of marmot watching in. No thats not a weird euphemism! I really watched marmots this summer. But before we dig in on some fun behavior… You Might be Wondering… What is a Yellow-Bellied Marmot? Yellow bellied marmot, rockchuck, and whistle-pig are some of the names you’ll hear these animals called. They are essentially a really big ground squirrel. They range from about 3 to 11 lbs full grown and males are longer and weigh more than females. They are found in the western US ..read more

An adult and baby black-tailed prairie dog chase each other around their burrows. – Copyright 2021 Heather Valey Remember my summer post regarding the bulldozing of the black-tailed prairie dog colony in Centennial, Colorado? Well, here’s the latest update on the neighboring colony that managed to survive. Prairie Dog Activist Persists Centennial Prairie Dogs activist, Karen Carter has been tireless in her pursuit of getting the prairie dogs at the corner of Blackhawk and Arapahoe in Centennial, relocated. The lot the animals are currently on is scheduled to be developed this coming spring. Bu ..read more

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Wildflowers; American Bistort & Queens Crown glow in the afternoon light at Summit Lake, Colorado. Photo by Heather Valey copyright 2023, all rights reserved NOTE: As of September 15th, effective immediately. Mount Evans’ name has been formally changed to Mount Blue Sky! Summer on Mount Evans The summer went by quickly, quicker than normal. Mostly, because I spent many days in the Colorado alpine on the Mount Blue SKy Scenic Byway (formerly Mount Evans) where the summers last barely two months. While the season of the sun is short there, the summer days are long. The scenic byway goes th ..read more

Second Creek swells with spring runoff in the Colorado River watershed – photo by Heather Valey – copyright 2023 Where Does Your Water Come From? Where does your water come from? Many of folks might just say “the tap”. I turn the faucet on and there is water. But where does the water that flows from your faucet come from? Does it come from a river? A well? Is that water source in danger? Do you think much about your daily water usage? I live in the Colorado Front Range and my water comes from the Colorado River and the Platte River. Over 40 million people rely on the Colorado River for their w ..read more

Back in January, a friend of mine invited me to join her at the Biggest Week in American Birding Festival. I of course agreed with gusto before I noticed that it was in Ohio. Ohio? Really? Are there even birds in Ohio? Just kidding of course, but every time I think of Ohio I think of politics and bad Mexican food. The idea that there might be great birds to be had there was not something I ever entertained… but boy was I proven wrong! Black-Throated Gray warbler perches on willow branches at Magee Marsh – © 2023 Heather Valey The Biggest Week in American Birding Festival (BWIAB), is an annual ..read more