Bluff Lake Nature Center

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Impact Statement

In October, 2008, the City and County of Denver conveyed our 123 acres of land to Bluff Lake Nature Center, making us the official owners of the land. This marks an enormous step for the organization, and makes Bluff Lake the largest privately-owned open space in the city of Denver.

Additional accomplishments over the past year include:
- A new formal partnership with The Nature Conservancy of Colorado.
- Nearly 5,000 schoolchildren participated in our science education programs, including more than 80% from free and reduced lunch backgrounds.
- Ten Fireside Chats in 2008 drew more than 400 visitors.
- A partnership with Aurora Parks and Open Space led to eradication of hundreds of invasive Russian Olive trees on the parcel adjacent to Bluff Lake.
- Bluff Lake staff and volunteers reached thousands of people by participating in the Denver Green Festival, National Get Outdoors Day, and the Aurora Fall Festival.
A pilot service learning program engaged 85 high school students from Rangeview High School and Aurora Academy.
- More than 5,000 volunteer hours were given by 857 volunteers.
- An Autumn Open House drew more than 100 visitors.

In the coming year, we plan to launch our $2.3 million Capital Campaign to build a 7,000 square foot science education center on top of the bluff, overlooking the Nature Center. We've received grants to expand our service learning programs, which will engage hundreds of additional middle school and high school students in service projects related to their school curricula. Our family programs have continued to expand, and will include additional evening and Saturday programs to engage children and families in nature-related discovery.

Needs Statement

- Volunteers to participate as Naturalists and assist in leading our K-5 science education programs.
- Corporate groups to become involved in projects to restore Bluff Lake Nature Center.
- Sponsorship for underserved children to attend Bluff Lake's summer Junior Naturalist program.
- Individuals with Capital Campaign experience to serve on the Capital Campaign Committee.

Background Statement

Bluff Lake is a 123 acre site with diverse habitat (wetland, woodland, stream, and prairie) and wildlife (more than 135 species of animals and birds). The site was part of the Stapleton airport property and was cordoned off from adjacent neighborhoods for at least 60 years, serving as a noise buffer zone. When Stapleton airport closed in 1994, the area was opened to the public and Bluff Lake Nature Center (BLNC) was founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency in order to maintain the refuge and provide education for the surrounding community.

On behalf of the City and County of Denver, BLNC began managing the site and providing educational programming at the site fifteen years ago. During the first years, much attention was given to enhancing the wildlife habitat, restoring the banks of Sand Creek (where it flows through the site), building an interpretive trail system, and constructing open-air shelters. In tandem with the conservation work, our education program was developed and began providing science programs for elementary students in the metro-Denver community.

In 2008, Denver transferred ownership of the full 123-acre site to BLNC, making Bluff Lake the largest private park in the City and County of Denver. Ownership of the site will allow BLNC the freedom to increase public programming, expand the trails for our visitors to enjoy, and continue improving conditions for wildlife. BLNC’s ownership also and perhaps most importantly, ensures that the site will be preserved as open space and that BLNC can pursue its mission for decades to come. That mission gives us a dual role of providing education at and being good stewards of Bluff Lake. With that, the goals that inform our programming are to:
• teach natural sciences to schoolchildren, especially from low-income schools
• conserve the wildlife refuge for community use, for this and future generations
• cultivate community members as valuable partners and active stewards

Executive Director Statement

On any given weekday, visitors to Bluff Lake Nature Center are greeted by a variety of sights and sounds. Mule deer forage among the tall grasses and willows in the oxbow that winds through the Center. Excited schoolchildren talk about the fox they saw darting the cottonwoods while visiting with their science class. Red-Tailed Hawks circle above Sand Creek, waiting for the chance to strike at an unsuspecting field mouse or prairie dogs. A group of birders huddle in the morning chill, reviewing a checklist of birds they spotted on their sunrise walk.

Bluff Lake Nature Center's 123 acres of open space stretch along the banks of Sand Creek as it meanders its way from the plains east of Denver to its confluence with the Platte River. The Nature Center is a study in contrasts. From atop the bluff, the Rocky Mountains tower over the city of Denver to the west. A cement factory and water treatment plant abut the Nature Center to the east, while a new urban community develops to the south and west. This very contrast is what makes Bluff Lake Nature Center such a critical amenity to the Denver community. Bluff Lake Nature Center allows young people and families the opportunity to repair broken bonds with wilderness, and offers a welcome respite for humans and wildlife in the heart of a growing city.

Board Chair/President Statement

Bluff Lake Nature Center serves community needs on a number of levels. The science education programs represent a critical partnership with local school districts. They allow students to learn important concepts outside the classroom, while still meeting district standards. The majority of students who benefit from these programs come from low-income backgrounds, providing an opportunity that would not have existed without Bluff Lake's partnership.

The center itself serves a unique niche in the city of Denver. Bluff Lake is the largest privately owned park in the city, and gives Denver and Aurora residents an additional option for enjoying the outdoors. The Nature Center serves as a valuable buffer from the industry to its east, and provides a much-needed natural area for residents of the Original Aurora neighborhood to the south. Bluff Lake's public and family programs nurture a sense of love for the outdoors and care for our natural surroundings.

Information from teachers, parents