Josephine, Madilynn and Lucas Bunkelman of Loma enjoy lunch at Highline Lake with cousins Winston, Spencer and Lennon Vaughan visiting from Steamboat Springs. Photo by Lynn Lickers.
Highline Lake State Park manager Alan Martinez would love to see the number of kids coming to his park double every Wednesday morning. He’s on track to do just that with the park’s free weekly outdoor fun programs geared for kids ages 7 to 13.
“Our big push is to get kids involved in the outdoors,” Martinez explained. “Kids have lost contact with the outdoors. We want to draw them into a safe environment with fun things to do.”
Each Wednesday morning at 10 a.m, nature interpreter Alexis Holmes meets the kids at the main picnic area and they set off for a two-hour adventure throughout the park. Activities vary and include a series on dinosaurs, a presentation by the Division of Wildlife dubbed “Skins and Skulls,” and an upcoming scavenger hunt.
“We’ll show the kids how to orient with a compass, use a GPS device and do some geocaching. We’ll have different treasures hidden around the park for them to find,” said Martinez about the scavenger hunt.
Another program will introduce the kids to the birds of Highline Lake. “There are 200 different species of birds in the park. The Audubon Society has classified this as an important birding area,” said Martinez. “People don’t realize how much wildlife there is in this park.”
The outdoor fun program will help change that, Martinez hopes. “We have a herd of about 50 to 60 mule deer and the fawns are just starting to come out. I saw a pair of twin fawns yesterday. People mostly think of this park as just a place to boat and picnic. This is a great program for kids to learn something, to spend some time together as a family and then jump in the lake to cool off.”
The last program is scheduled for August 5 and includes a barbecue for kids who have participated throughout the summer. There is no cost to attend the program and registration is not necessary. Visitors just need to pay the $6 per vehicle park entry fee. More information on the outdoor fun program can be found at www.parks.state.co.us or by calling the park at 858-7208.
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