FCAS Presents
JJ Audubon
"The gay bunting erects his white crest, and gives utterance to the joy he feels in the presence of his brooding mate; the willow grouse on the rock crows his challenge aloud; each floweret, chilled by the night air, expands its pure petals; the gentle breeze shakes from the blades of grass the heavy dewdrops."
J. J. Audubon, engraved by H. B. Hall, based on a painting by Henry Inman. Engraving from The Life of John James Audubon, the Naturalist, edited by his widow. New York: G. P. Putnams' Sons, 1894.
"Life as a Naturalist"
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Fort Collins Senior Center, 1200 Raintree Dr.
Social Time: 7 p.m.; Program 7:20 p.m.
To know what Horned Larks do on windy days, one must go afield on windy days and look for Horned Larks. To know what Flammulated Owls do on rainy nights, one must go into the mountain forests on rainy nights. To know how much blizzard a White-tailed Ptarmigan will tolerate before even it takes shelter, one must explore the high willow carrs in a blizzard or two. To know what pollinates a tiny twayblade flower, one must lie on wet ground where mosquitos outnumber stars in the sky. Some details about life and living can be gleaned from books and journals and websites, but the life of a naturalist requires more than just reading a lot. Being a naturalist is about engaging life as richly and fully as possible then sharing the experiences with others.
Kevin J. Cook moved from Iowa to Colorado in 1974 to attend Western State College where he earned his BA in biology before moving on to Colorado State University where he earned his MS in wildlife biology. He began writing professionally by freelancing for the Gunnison Country Times; he began guiding nature tours to show people Whooping Cranes in the San Luis Valley; and he began teaching when he spent five years as a seasonal naturalist with the National Park Service. He is now the longest running columnist for the Ft. Collins Coloradoan (since 1981), and he has been doing monthly nature programs at the Ft. Collins library since 1991. He teaches natural history courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSU, and he teaches more than a dozen seminars for the Rocky Mountain Conservancy at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Download a PDF of the event announcement.
Join us! This program is free and the public is welcomed. 