On the Grand Mesa Events

CEDAREDGE, COLORADO (May 24, 2002) –The Grand Mesa Visitor Center on the Grand Mesa National Forest, in partnership with Western Colorado Interpretive Assoc., will be hosting numerous interpretive programs this summer on various aspects of the Grand Mesa. The programs slated at this time include:

  • June 2 Better Bird Watching in the Grand Mesa National Forest with Joe LaFleur – 8:30 to10 am Bird Walk; 10:30 to 11:30 Multi-media Program, 12 to 2 Q & A, Grand Mesa Visitor Center
  • June 8 Basic Colorado Water Law – 6-8 pm, Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Aaron Clay
  • June 22 History of the Grand Mesa – 6-8pm, Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Jim Wetzel
  • June 29 Fishing on the Grand Mesa – 6-8 pm, Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Lori Martin
  • July 6 Geology of the Grand Mesa – 6-8 pm, Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Robert Young.
  • July 13 Forest Fire Management – 3 pm, Camp Kiwanis, presented by Craig Warren.
  • July 20 Black Bears on the Grand Mesa – 6-8 pm, Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Renzo Delpiccollo
  • July 27 Photography on the Grand Mesa – 6 pm Photo Walk, 7 pm Slide Show; Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Jon Sheppard.
  • Aug. 3 Forest Health on the Grand Mesa – 6-8 pm, Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Tom Eager.
  • Aug. 10 Mushrooms of the Grand Mesa – 5 pm Guided Walk, 6 pm Slide Show; Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Jim Worral
  • Aug. 16 Our Place in Space – 8 pm Slide Show, 9 pm Star Gazing, Powderhorn Ski Area, presented by Dan Rosen.
  • Aug. 24 Folklore on the Grand Mesa – 6-8 pm, Alexander Lake Lodge, presented by Ronna Lee Sharpe.
  • Aug. 31 Indians of Colorado – 6-8 pm, Grand Mesa Visitor Center, presented by Sally Crum.

All events are free of charge. Please call the Grand Mesa Visitor Center at 970-856-4153 to get more information about specific events.

Better Bird Watching in the Grand Mesa National Forest

Joe LaFleur, wildlife biologist and author, will conduct the first summer program at the Grand Mesa Visitor Center on Sunday June 2, 2002 from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm.

  • 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. – Meet Joe LaFleur at the Grand Mesa Visitor Center (on Highway 65 north of Cedaredge) for a guided bird walk for hands on learning on how to identify birds. In addition, find out what birds to expect in the different types of habitat such as lakes and conifer forests.
  • 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – Back at the Grand Mesa Visitor Center, LaFleur will provide a multimedia slide program about breeding birds and their habitats in the Grand Mesa National Forest. This program uses photos and sounds to help you identify many of the more common birds of the area. Habitat types where each species is most likely to be encountered will also be reviewed.
  • 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. – LaFleur will be in the Grand Mesa Visitor Center to answer your questions about wildlife and outdoor travel using software that provides photos, video, and sounds for travel destinations, birds, and their habitats. Joe LaFleur is a wildlife biologist from Fort Collins and author of Better Bird Watching and Pioneer Nature – software, videos, and books about outdoor travel and nature in the Mountain West and Alaska. He has been an avid birdwatcher for over 13 years and has degrees in Wildlife Biology and Technical Communications from Colorado State University.

Basic Water Law on the Grand Mesa

Basic Colorado Water Law on the Grand Mesa CEDAREDGE, COLORADO (May 24, 2002) – During this season called the “worst drought in 50 years,” water rights issues on the Grand Mesa are about as clear as mud. As the reservoirs on the Grand Mesa get lower and lower, the questions of who owns the water and who has a right to use it abound. Few know more about the frustrating disputes these questions can cause than Aaron Clay, guest speaker at the second summer interpretive program held by the Grand Mesa National Forest and Western Colorado Interpretive Assoc. Join us on Saturday, June 8th at 6 pm at the Grand Mesa Visitor Center (on Highway 65 north of Cedaredge) for this free program.

Water belongs to the state of Colorado, by constitution, but the people have the right to use it. If they think someone is using what they think is theirs, they have a right to dispute each other’s rights. During his presentation, Clay will explain absolute, conditional, and reserved water rights and discuss other issues revolving around the water on the Grand Mesa.

Aaron Clay has vast experience in water disputes and has spent 22 years as a Delta County lawyer. Clay acts as a magistrate for people who apply for water rights as the Division 4 water referee. He has held this position the last 19 years. He makes decisions about whether their application is appropriate to the water right for which they are applying. His jurisdiction includes the Gunnison, Uncompahgre and San Miguel basins and the Delores River drainage.

History of the Grand Mesa

Stories of Grand Mesa abound, and the listener is due for a special evening from Jim Wetzel, colorful local historian. Join us on June 22 at the Grand Mesa Visitor Center for History of the Grand Mesa. This third summer interpretive program held by the Grand Mesa National Forest and Western Colorado Interpretive Assoc will be at 6 pm at the visitor center on highway 65 north of Cedaredge.

A favorite area of the Ute’s until 1881, the Grand Mesa, with its many lakes and pastoral scenery, has been a favorite visiting spot for residents on all sides of the mesa for over 100 years. Jim Wetzel will bring its early history to life with stories of visits by Teddy Roosevelt; the brutal murder of William Womack in 1901 and the connection to Alexander Lodge; the short-lived running of the Lands End Hill Climb in the early 1940's; how some of the lakes and creeks were named; and the building of the first road up the south side of Grand Mesa. These stories and others will amuse and interest listeners of all ages. Jim is not only entertaining, but also promises to present this early history in the context of Delta’s early pioneer spirit.

Though a relative newcomer to the Western Slope, Jim Wetzel and his wife, Nancy, came to Delta County just 7 years ago from the Front Range. For the past four years, Jim has been the Director and Curator of the Delta County Historical Society Museum in Delta. Known throughout the Western Slope as one of the finest small-town museums, Wetzel has created new exhibits and enhanced others, as well as upgrading the museum archives, a valuable resource for family history research. An avid historian, Wetzel has already discovered and documented new facts regarding the 1893 Delta bank robbery and is currently writing a book about the event with a focus on the peripheral characters who played out their role in this historic event. Wetzel is also researching the Delta connection to the legendary Cyrus Wells "Doc" Shores, Sheriff of Gunnison County from 1884-1892, a connection heretofore undocumented.

 

Back to Main Events Page

© Copyright 2002 Grand Mesa Scenic ByWay