Dec 28, 2011 Headed to the valley to check-up on the horses…they look happy (as usual). Glad to see they are finding their way to the drinking pond. Standing in the valley with horses on a brilliant winter morning is a great way to start the day.
Thank you to all who joined us for our Candlelight & Carols celebration on December 23rd. It was another sold out experience filled with good friends, tasty food, and melodious music. If you didn’t make it this year be sure to mark your calendar for 2012. We always sell this event out well in advance so call soon after Thanksgiving. And if you haven’t been to our Thanksgiving celebration, or even better, our "More than Pumpkin Pie" getaway, you should come discover what you’ve been missing! Have a wonderfully blessed new year!
If you didn’t receive our Winter Meanwhile you can view it here. To receive our ranch specials and updates newsletter go here.
Written by
Sarah Jane Kyle
Students in Amy Schmer’s sixth-grade science class at Preston Middle School are taking a hands-on approach to science this semester to improve not only their education, but the lives of local wildlife.
In August, the students partnered with Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch by installing a guzzler on the ranch’s property to provide a safe, readily accessible water source for bears, deer, elk, mountain lions and other animals.
Three black bears are caught on film at a guzzler Preston Middle School students installed at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. Courtesy of Preston Middle School
Hi, my name is Connie Kogler and I have the privilege of leading bird walks at the ranch.
This coming Saturday, Nov 19th, we will be meeting at 8:30 at the Hilltop Parking lot, that is across the bridge and and up the hill at the ranch. We may split into 2 or more groups depending on numbers with a couple friends helping me lead. We will be birding different areas of the ranch. After birding we will meet back at the Hilltop for a campfire and hot drinks. Cost is $12 and includes drinks. If you are writing a check, make it out to Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch. Please email me at zblueheron@gmail.com to reserve your spot!
Like every 16-year-old, getting a license to drive is an important marker in Hunter Aleman’s life. Although muscular dystrophy has confined him to a wheelchair, the Mountain View High School sophomore hopes to someday have the freedom to travel from place to place on his own
… (Joyce Davis For the Reporter-Herald) Read the full article from the Reporter Herald
published by BMNN on Wed, 2011-10-19 23:59
Dr. Banjo: “After many years hosting camps at the lovely Boulder Inn, I was a little slow to try the Sylvan Dale Ranch as a camp venue. But when I saw the Wagon Wheel Lodge, it almost spoke to me, saying, ‘There can’t be a better venue than this for a jam camp!’”
There are 13 guest rooms in the Lodge, and a short walk away, along the Big Thompson River, is another lovely building where they serve a very nice breakfast that comes with your room. Then back to the Lodge, where we’ll be playing music all weekend!
The hot days have given way to cooler nights and 3-½ inches of rain! What a blessing to the hills and the pastures and all the critters that rely on their forage. Soon the cottonwood will bathe the valley in bright yellow. Fall is here! And the geese are gone!
It’s time to reflect on the 65th anniversary summer season that brought so many good friends back “home” and so many new friends through the Ranch entry gates. We continue to relive the memories of your visit as we go about our daily routines—jingling horses, serving pancakes, making beds, and greeting guests. We hope you will turn to those memories when you need a bit of encouragement or a hug in your day.
View the Fall Meanwhile Newsletter here
Visitors attuned to the natural world (as most Sylvan Dale guests are) often comment on the diversity of the Ranch—wildflowers, butterflies, birds, and mammals. Sylvan Dale lies at a sort of “crossroads,” between the mountains and the plains and also between north and south. And in recent decades there have been subtle changes.
Fifty years ago, there was one jay here, Stellar’s jay, a bird typical of ponderosa pine woodlands. Then folks increasingly noticed blue jays—birds of the eastern deciduous forests—in the riparian corridor of the Big Thompson and in ornamental plantings. Soon thereafter, hybrids between Steller’s and blue jays began to appear along the foothills of the Front Range, first in Boulder and now more widely, including Sylvan Dale.
Then this week, Susan saw a pinyon jay in the yard. Native to the pinyon-juniper woodland of southwestern US and México, these birds occur mostly from the southwestern half of Colorado, in pinyon-juniper woodlands. Sylvan Dale has the junipers, but not the pinyon. Nonetheless, this season at least the Ranch apparently is attractive to these birds. Perhaps it’s because the junipers (“cedars”) are particularly beautiful this year, with a huge “cone” crop. Whatever the jays’ inspiration, bienvenida, amigos!
- David Armstrong
Sylvan Dale Resident Naturalist
Mammals of Colorado, 2nd edition is now available:
Check your hometown bookstore or use the link above
Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch is excited to be attending both Bixpo and the Governor’s Tourism Conference this month. Please visit our booth to say hello and introduce yourself if you’ll be attending either of these local events.
http://www.ncbr.com/ncbr_events.asp?nID=28
Unknown Feed