June 2020
Friends of Bluff Lake-

We are so thankful for your continued support which allows Bluff Lake to continue serving as a safe place for you to Explore , Discover , and Enjoy nature. The past few months have really shown us how important Bluff Lake, and places like it, are for our community. We just input the visitation numbers for the months of March, April, and May, and the numbers tell the whole story. In January-May of 2019, Bluff Lake had just over 21,000 visitors. In January-May of 2020, Bluff Lake had almost 35,000 visitors . We are thrilled that so many people were able to enjoy the site! We also know that this major increase in visitation has had impacts on our site that we are still learning about such as needed trail restoration, increased site maintenance costs, and more. Our staff is hard at work to keep Bluff Lake in great shape, but we need your help to do so! A donation of any amount helps Bluff Lake continue to provide free educational programs and manage our 123-acre site.

Hope to see you (at a distance of 6 feet) on site soon!

Rachel Crouch
Executive Director
Summer Camp
On June 1st we kicked off summer camp for the 2020 season! Camp looks a little different this year with small group sizes of 4, mask usage, and lots of hand washing but that hasn't stopped us from having an incredible time. Campers have been busy exploring, practicing using new tools such as binoculars, learning about animal shelters, examining animal biofacts, and much more!

If you are interested in signing up for camp, we do have a few remaining spots. If a week you are interested in is full please register to be on our waitlist. There is always a chance a spot will open up! If you have any questions about camp or how to register please contact [email protected].

"I wanted to express my appreciation for your wonderful staff at camp. They were so accommodating & helpful with us to help ease our 6 year old into camp. He really struggled coming & it was challenging for us but I wanted to applaud your staff at how helpful they were in making him feel safe & have fun!"
Bird Count Update

This past year we have had 10 new bird species sighted at Bluff Lake! That brings our bird count up to 203 bird species. The new species include the Brant, White-winged Dove, Franklin's Gull, Caspian Tern, American Bittern, Short-eared Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Magnolia Warbler, and the Palm Warbler!

If you'd like to try your hand at bird watching, join our Bird Walks on the first Saturday of each month at 8 am to learn from experts. You can also visit our kiosk onsite and receive a bird checklist to complete during your visit.
Nature Play at BLNC
Have you seen our awesome new Nature Play areas? Construction is finally underway on this project, which is funded through Great Outdoors Colorado. The idea of the Nature Play areas is to provide kids and families fun and safe spaces to engage and play with nature, while not disturbing animal habitats. Our play areas will be built out of natural materials and will blend in with the site. Soon, educational signage will be placed near the stations to help families better engage. There will be 5 stations throughout the site, the first 2 have been built!

Stumpitheatre - This is a new space down by the creek, designed for jumping, climbing, and sitting. Schools can use it during field trips, families can play on it, and it looks cool!

Teepee Structure- This is an improvement of a previous structure onsite, which provides much needed stability and safety updates. Help build a shelter or play in a fort!

Thanks to Denver Parks and Rec for donating the stumps and branches!
Summer Programming
Bluff Lake has adapted our 2020 calendar of programs and events to provide safe options for families to engage with our nature center. All of these programs will be facilitated with social distancing and group size limitations.

We have decided to cancel all larger events for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, that does mean that there will be no Summer Solstice Celebration on June 19th.

DROP IN- These programs you do not need a reservation, you can come anytime during the program and many of the activities will be self guided.

RESERVATION REQUIRED- These programs are facilitated and will have group size limitations. Please email [email protected] to reserve your spot!

  • Fireside Chats (2nd Thursday of each month 6:30-7:30 pm) Drop in, free
  • Family Nature Adventure Days (last Saturday of each month 9 am - 12 pm) Drop-in, free
  • Bird Walks (first Saturday of each month at 8 am) Drop-in, free
  • Qigong and Mindfulness Walks (last Sunday of each month at 7 am) Reservation Required, limited to 10
  • Forest Bathing (as scheduled, at 8 am) Reservation Required, limited to 4
Family Volunteer Groups

Our site has been experiencing increased usage since the onset of COVID-19, with more people desiring a safe location to get out of the house. We have greatly enjoyed seeing more community families around Bluff Lake but it certainly has had it's impact on our site. We have had to cancel many of our large volunteer groups that typically help us with larger projects around the site. If you and your family are looking to get outside and a little dirty, please email [email protected] to learn more about family volunteer group opportunities. We would greatly appreciate the support!

Paint Donation Request

We are doing several upcoming “tree painting” opportunities with campers, to help protect our trees from our very active beavers. If you have any cans of exterior latex paint (any color) laying around your garage, please contact [email protected] to arrange for pick up. Read more about this method of tree protection below!
Donations are important now more than ever
The team at Bluff Lake is working hard to keep the park open and provide for our community. We can only do this with your support!
Bluff Lake is there when you need us.
Come visit our site, connect with nature, and practice social distancing by using our trails.