Bighorn Day Feb. 17 at GoG center

       Last year the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center decided to hold an event commemorating the 60-year anniversary of the establishment of the area herd of bighorn sheep. A bighorn enjoys some grass.
Courtesy of Division of Wildlife
       The second annual Bighorn Sheep Day will be Saturday, Feb. 17 at the center, 1805 N. 30th St.
       Scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the free event will feature bighorn presentations by Division of Wildlife (DOW) representatives, children's activities, an indoor scavenger hunt, nature walks, a “touch table” with bighorn hides and horns and telescope viewing stations - including shuttles to get people there and back - on nearby Mesa Road.
       The presentations will be in the theater at the Visitor Center. Trina Romero and Brian Dreher of DOW will present “Bighorn Biology” at 11 a.m., and DOW vounteer Jeremy Agnew will discuss the “Dome Rock Herd” at 1 p.m.
       The Children's Interactive Wildlife Program will start at noon in the theater. According to Visitor Center program coordinator Bret Tennis, activities will include a wildlife guessing game and short discussions on each animal.
       Younger kids can draw on coloring sheets.
       The indoor scavenger hunt will take place throughout the day. Those who complete the hunt will receive a temporary DOW tattoo, Tennis said.
       The nature walks will be led by volunteers starting from the Central Garden trail at the Visitor Center's North Parking Lot, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
       The telescopes (and shuttle service) will continue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. “This is a great time of year to view bighorn sheep from the Garden of the Gods Visitor's Center,” said John Koshak of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. “We will have spotting scopes set up, but visitors who have their own binoculars are urged to bring them with them.”
       For more information, call the Visitor Center at 219-0108 or DOW at 227-5221.

Westside Pioneer/press release