FCNC Programs

El Paso County’s Fountain Creek Nature Center and Bear Creek Nature Center announce the events and activities for July 2019 which includes: photography, hikes, stories, trout, a tea party and a nature camp.

Fountain Creek Nature Center

320 Pepper Grass Lane, Fountain, CO 80817

719-520-6745, www.ElPasoCountyNatureCenters.com

Fountain Creek Nature Adventures: Forts & Fairies

Friday, July 5, 9:00-10:30 a.m.

Children ages 3-6, with an adult, will enjoy puppet shows or stories, crafts, hands-on activities, and discovery time on the trail. $3 per person including siblings and adults.

Pikes Peak Library Bookmobile at Fountain Creek Nature Center

July 11 & 25, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Read, read, read! The bookmobile will be at Fountain Creek Nature Center for you to explore books and check them out to take home!

Middle School Nature Camp: Wild Child Adventures

July 8-12, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

For students entering grades 6-8. Experience success with outdoor team challenges, survival basics, nature skills, crafts and service projects. Specially designed for middle school students. Pre-paid registration required. $130/member, $140/non-member.

Storytime with Pikes Peak Library District

Saturday, July 13, 10:00 a.m.

Hear special wildlife stories, and then enjoy the trails on your own. Geared towards a pre-school audience. Free.

2’s & 3’s Outdoors: Buggy Wuggy

July 18, 9:00-10:15 a.m.

Explore nature with your 2 or 3 year-old through interactive activities, a story, and a short hike. $3 per person including siblings and adults.

Wildlife Skull Mysteries

July 27, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Ever found a skull and wondered what animal it is? Learn skills to decipher clues on a wildlife skull that reveal its identity. Test your knowledge on a “mystery” skull then take a guided hike to look for wildlife. Ages 8+. Prepaid registration required. $4/member, $5/nonmember. Limit 30.

Bear Creek Nature Center

245 Bear Creek Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80906

719-520-6387, www.ElPasoCountyNatureCenters.com

Sustainability Series: Growing Mushrooms at Home

Saturday, July 6, 10:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.

Make your own mushroom grow-kit using common household “waste” products to fruit gourmet mushrooms in a single-use vessel. Organic byproducts such as coffee grinds and cardboard are often perceived as waste but are actually foods that mushrooms can be produced from. In this workshop you’ll be able to make and take home your own mushroom spawn! Prepaid registration required. $30 per person.

How You and Your Kids Can Take & Make Better Pictures

Thursdays: July 11, 18, and 25, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Do you and your kids like to take pictures? Learn how to improve your photos in this class through discussions and practice sessions on the use of compositional elements. Any camera type is OK, even cell phones. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $25 per session per pair/$20 per session per pair if registered for all 3. Prepaid registration required.

Active Adults: Guided Hike & Nature Study

Saturday, July 13, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Join a Bear Creek Nature Center naturalist for a guided hike and nature study. We will make frequent stops to get to know this place on a deeper level; what native grasses make up our meadows? What causes the gambel oaks to have oddly shaped growths of all sizes? Sign up and find out! $3/member, $4/nonmember. Prepaid registration required.

How You and Your Kids Can Take & Make Better Pictures

Thursday, July 18, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Do you and your kids like to take pictures? Learn how to improve your photos in this class through discussions and practice sessions on the use of compositional elements. Any camera type is OK, even cell phones. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $25 per pair. Prepaid registration required.

Nature Explorers: About the Trout

Thursday, July 18, 9:00 am – 10:30 am & 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

$3 per person including siblings & adults. Children, ages 4-5 with an adult, will enjoy hands-on activities, puppet shows or stories, crafts, and a hike. Accompanying siblings under 2 free. Prepaid registration required.

Pikes Peak Library District & Bear Creek Nature Center Story Time – Birds

Tuesday, July 23, 10:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Join Pikes Peak Library District and Bear Creek Nature Center staff for a story time, craft, and walk or activity focusing on birds. Free!

Little Wonders: Tea Party in the Woods

Wednesday and Thursday, July 24 and 25, 9:00 am – 10:15 am & 1:00 pm -2:15 pm (afternoon session on Wednesday only)

$3 per person including siblings & adults. Discover the world of nature with your 2 or 3 year-old. Interactive activities and a short hike make this the perfect introduction to the outdoors for your child. Prepaid registration required.

Pikes Peak Mycological Society Program: Topic TBD

Wednesday, July 24, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Learn more about the fascinating world of fungi with the Pikes Peak Mycological Society. Free!

How You and Your Kids Can Take & Make Better Pictures

Thursday, July 25, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Do you and your kids like to take pictures? Learn how to improve your photos in this class through discussions and practice sessions on the use of compositional elements. Any camera type is OK, even cell phones. Children must be accompanied by an adult. $25 per pair. Prepaid registration required.

Edwin James: First Recorded Man to Climb Pikes Peak

Saturday, July 27, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

An explorer, doctor, botanist, author, translator and abolitionist, Edwin James has somehow slipped between the cracks of history. With the bicentennial year of Edwin’s successful climb to the summit of Pikes Peak as a member of the Long Expedition approaching, Mark James illuminates the story of his distant ancestor in a fascinating presentation. Followed by a short hike to I.D. some Bear Creek plants, including one named for Edwin James! $10 per person. Prepaid registration required.