Winter Solstice Sky Viewing in Colorado

tristram hales — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 19:16:44 +0000

The Nature Place

Visit Our Observatory Near Colorado Springs

Blog Collaborated with Simon Lambert, The Nature Place Apprentice 2023

As we approach the annual mark of the darkest and longest night in the northern hemisphere, we are so grateful for the rich history and opportunities our astronomy programming has offered night sky viewings to thousands of campers, guests, and families through the decades.

Our observatory has had many uses across the Light years from educating young minds in the summer camps to astounding stargazers who visit the Nature Place. Throughout Sanborn property’s 75-year legacy, the astronomy program has undergone radical changes starting from humble beginnings until expanding into its vastness as of today.

Its roots go back all the way to the 1950s – the early days of the Big Spring summer camp. Former camper, Dr. Charlie Schweighauser, author of Astronomy A-Z, takes the first looks into the camp’s sky gazing program by providing its very own telescope. At its infancy, campers learned about the stars, cosmos, and constellations.

Founders, Sandy and Laura Sanborn, were avid astronomy enthusiasts themselves and wanted to support and expand the program in any way they could. Encouraging childrens’ sense of wonder is one of the key values at camp and there was no better way to do so than to teach about the expansiveness of the universe and what traverses the night sky. It wasn’t long before they helped get more telescopes in camp to have one be placed in High Trails and the other in Big Spring. (Dr. Charlie Schweighauser introduces first telescope at Sanborn to campers, Right)

Around the late 1960s, a local resident named Alan Raycroft had built a shack on the property to store stargazing equipment. Seeing the benefit this could have on the program, Sandy would later purchase it and have it relocated over to High Trails. Alongside telescopes, it would go on to house a number of other celestial viewing resources and later become the first rendition of an observatory in Sanborn. This would become the site of many night programs for kids during the summers, falls, and springs who would come to learn about the different star arrangements and planetary movements throughout the night. It was also host to one of the camp’s cookout sites whereupon stargazers would revel in the star-studded skies while simultaneously enjoying campfire cooked foods.

The next big addition came when Sandy purchased a sizable telescope – “Big Blue” is the very same that’s housed in the observatory we have today. Acquired in the 1980s, it wasn’t until 1991 that construction of the new observatory would be completed. This came with plans to install a rotating dome to navigate the skies more efficiently and an adjacent classroom to hold lessons and demonstrations on various astronomical subjects. It was further supplied with an assortment of materials to enhance the experience like a multitude of stars charts and a library concerning all things interstellar with more additions added on now and again.
(Left Observatory photo taken upon completion.)

You may be wondering; What can this telescope view with such dated technology from over 40 years ago? Although true, this telescope’s capable view pales in comparison to recent images produced by the James Webb Telescope (click link to explore the technology) and any other modern telescope available to the lay astronomer, we can see quite a great deal of our neighbors in our “local” galaxy: Orion Nebula Cluster, Andromeda Galaxy, Ursa Major & Minor, Merak & Mizar, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Earth’s Moon, Sirius, Betelguese to name a few objects we typically see through the seasons. If you happen to be searching for an observatory in Colorado Springs, we’d be glad to host you and your group!

While we know it is sometimes difficult to appreciate our darkening night sky earlier and earlier in the northern hemisphere, be grateful for the chance to view our ever growing understanding of space through the winter solstice and ensuing winter months. Whether used as a camping destination for our campers at Sanborn Western Camps, classroom full of students with High Trails Outdoor Education Center, or mesmerizing various groups that venture to The Nature Place, the observatory has and will continue to educate and spark wonder in any stargazer who yearns to discover the vastness of our observable universe!

Lunar Eclipse May 2022 as viewed through our telescope. Photo: Mike Rodriguez

(Classroom setting within the Observatory)

(Within the Dome of the Observatory)

(Viewing the night sky in Florissant, Colorado)

The post Winter Solstice Sky Viewing in Colorado appeared first on The Nature Place.

Nature: Mammals of The Nature Place

tristram hales — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 19:48:29 +0000

Mammals of The Nature Place...

“Lions, tigers, and bears, Oh my!” Yes, well two of the three live here in Florissant, Colorado less the tigers. The Nature Place Conference Center and Outdoor Education Center is teeming with wildlife. From the highest level of the food chain as far as mountain predators exist, to the smallest alpine field mice and chipmunks, our Colorado ranch and retreat center is inhabited by many mammals native to the Rocky Mountains.

Black Bears ‘might be’ sighted on the ranch from April through October. These curious animals are attracted to our human impact as a result of the food waste we create during our peak season. A keen sense of smell is hard to keep these persistent bears away, despite the increase in ranch activity through the seasons. It is difficult to resist many of the sweet and savory scents our kitchens offer while we are hosting summer campers and guests.

Elk roam through our ranch meadows regularly. They are the most majestic of our woodland mammals on property, whether viewed individually or grazing as a herd. We are most likely to come into contact with them in the Spring and Fall months when they are in the rut. Once the females have calved they make their way to higher elevations to remain cool and graze on the grasses of alpine meadows for the summer. The dominant male bucks either stay with the herd or head off independently, and oftentimes can be found fraternizing with other bucks in lower woodland valleys.

Mule Deer are our casual neighbors, who are a constant visual reminder of wildlife present through the ranch. They may surprise you on a walk or you might observe them from afar while taking in an evening sunset. As daily grazers, don’t mind them while they enjoy the native grasses, or occasional wild flowers.

Coyotes are seldom seen, but more often heard howling through the nearby valleys of the ranch. Their raucous howls typically ring out in hours shortly after dusk or early morning times. During daylight hours, coyotes on property are seen traveling alone away from their dens, or rarely seen at all escaping the heat.

Abert’s Squirrels are maybe the most unique woodland animal that inhabits the Ponderosa forests of Florissant. Named for the American naturalist, John James Abert, this squirrel is distinguished by pointed tufts on its ears, and dark gray to black fur colorings. These squirrels call the high canopies of Ponderosa Pines home nibbling on the budding pine cones, bark, and forest fungi.

Beavers and Badgers are not often seen noteworthy to be aware of while exploring Florissant and nearby areas. Beavers live in our drainages and delicate valley lowlands. They are not often seen on the ranch property however are in the areas west of Florissant in the Pikes Peak and South Platte regions.

To be clear, Mountain Lions are present in the Pikes Peak region and local Florissant Valley. They are not spotted often, yet make their presence known with the remains of meals past; bones strewn about, carcasses in trees, and fur from scuffles with other animals. While perception remains predominantly negative, spotting a mountain lion should be revered as a cautiously majestic experience. Respect the animal’s space, maintaining an enclosed safe distance from the mountain lion. The mountain lions on our property are usually passing through and keep to themselves. Most sightings have come from vehicles in transit, while the lion was also on the move and moving extremely fast at that. It is rare that a mountain lion will engage with livestock or a larger herd of elk. Big cats prey on smaller mammals from mule deer to cow elk, in turn keeping these growing populations in check. These large feline creatures are cunningly stealthy and more likely than not catch their prey while isolated away from dense populations. Despite their perceived stealthy existence, these predators are integral to regulating the natural mountain ecosystem.

Our mammal species are beloved and we hope that we will continue to coexist with them in the best symbiotic way possible as stewards of over 6,000 acres of Rocky Mountain forest land.

Photos Courtesy of: Nature’s Heroes Photography

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