20th annual Earth Day April 22 at Garden of the Gods, Rock Ledge Ranch

20th annual Earth Day April 22 at Garden of the Gods, Rock Ledge Ranch

A photo from fall 2016 shows a wildflower garden at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center.

Westside Pioneer photo

Mother Nature dumped so much snow on last year's Earth Day that the event for it at the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center and Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site had to be canceled.
       But that hasn't deterred Bret Tennis, the city's parks operations administrator, who is planning the free, 20th annual event and is excited that it will be on April 22 - the actual Earth Day.
       The center is at 1805 N. 30 St. The scheduled time frame is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
       “We will have our usual partners and hope to expand a little this year,” Tennis said. Among the offerings, as in past years, will be youth crafts, educational booths, demonstrations, live-animal presentations and guided hikes.
       The center and ranch are on either side of North 30th Street at Gateway Road.
       The day will start off with a cleanup of the Garden. Registration will be at the center, with signups from 8:30 to 9 a.m.
       There will also be a 5K "Earth Day Volksmarch" by the Falcon Wanderers Volksmarch Club, leaving from the Visitor Center. For more information, call 648-9015.
       Attendees are asked to park in the larger lot outside Rock Ledge Ranch, with a shuttle running back and forth between the ranch and the Visitor Center.
       The ranch normally plants trees as part of Earth Day, welcoming volunteer help. For information how that will be handled this year, call Rock Ledge at 578-6777.
       The Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center phone number is 634-6666 x0.

Westside Pioneer article
(Posted 4/8/17, updated 4/15/17; Outdoors: Garden of the Gods/Rock Ledge Ranch)

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