The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc.

The Friends sponsor and organize a variety of events, including a yearly Summer Seminar Series (which provides optional teacher recertification credits and/or graduate credit through Adams State College), a fall/winter Community Seminar Series at Colorado College (CC), an annual picnic, and various special events. For a schedule of additional events and special programs held by the park, visit the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Schedule of Events.

More information about the Summer Seminar Series for teachers and regular visitors is currently available at the park website. Seminar registration is currently OPEN. Teachers who wish to be on the seminar notification list should contact the park at 719-748-3253. Seminar registrations must be made through the park.

The Community Seminar Series has been held at CC since 2003. 4-5 talks are held from November to April on the nature, science, and history of the Pikes Peak region. The purpose of this lecture series is to “bring the Monument to the Springs.” Recordings of some past talks can be downloaded from CC’s website; scroll down for more information. Information about the 2008 Community Seminar Series to come.

June 2008

Friends Board Meeting
When: June 12, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Woodland Park Library

July 2008

Florissant Heritage Day
When: Saturday, July 26
Where: Pikes Peak Historical Society Museum and the Hornbek Homestead, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
What: Join the Pikes Peak Historical Society, the Friends, and Monument staff for heritage activities, craft demonstrations, and a historic homestead tour.

August 2008

Tabeguache Ute Dancing
When: Saturday August 9, 7:00
Where: Stump Shelter, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
What: Join us at the park for the annual visit of the Tabeguache Utes, sponsored by the Pikes Peak Historical Society. For more information, call the park at 719-748-3253.

September 2008

Friends Annual Meeting and Potluck
When: Saturday, September 20
Where: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

October 2008

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods
When: Friday, October 3 - Sunday, October 5
Activities throughout the area all weekend that “leave no child inside.”

August 2009

40th Anniversary of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
When: August 22-23, 2009
What: The Planning Committee headed by retired Superintendent Jean Rodeck is already busy. If you would like to help with this very special upcoming event, please call the Monument at 719-748-3253.

Past Events

June 9-10, 2006 - T.D.A. Cockerell Expeditions Centennial (1906-1908 / 2006-2008)
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, The Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc., and the University of Colorado Museum
An article about the 2006 Cockerell celebrations

June 29, 2007 - Natural History and Ecology of the Flammulated Owl
Dr. Brian D. Linkhart, Colorado College
Read an illustrated account of this exciting seminar

July 28-29 - The Eocene Life of Florissant
Dr. Herb Meyer, Dr. Dena Smith, Dr. Jaelyn Eberle, and Mary Ellen Benson, M.S.
Some photos from the second day of the seminar

Downloadable recordings of some past lectures are available through Colorado College’s podcast and multimedia websites:

January 25, 2007 - Managing Front Range Ponderosa Pine Forests
Dr. Wayne D. Shepperd, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
Forest ecosystems in the Colorado Front Range have evolved to thrive in the unique climatic conditions of the region and natural disturbance regimes that existed prior to European settlement. Knowledge of how forests were structured in the past and the factors that affect their establishment and growth is essential to their management. Dr. Wayne D. Shepperd is a research silviculturist at the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in Fort Collins. He holds degrees in outdoor recreation and silviculture. He has been with the Forest Service since 1969. The author of more than 100 research publications, he is a recognized expert on the ecology, growth, and management of Rocky Mountain forests. (m3u file or mp3 file)

February 22, 2007 - A Geologist’s View on Global Change: How Does it Impact Colorado?
Dr. Bob Raynolds, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
In this talk, Dr. Bob Reynolds places Colorado in the context of worldwide geological changes. While a long way away from sea level, and in a setting where slightly warmer winters might be welcomed by many, Colorado already has been dramatically impacted by recent changes that may be tied to global patterns. Raynolds has been a principal investigator in the Denver Museum’s research project to study the geology and groundwater resources of the Denver Basin. One of his specialties is sedimentation in active orogenic areas. (m3u file or mp3 file)

You might also be interested in this interview with park paleontologist Dr. Herb Meyer about his book, The Fossils of Florissant:
Author Herb Meyer, Colorado Matters, Colorado Public Radio, September 25, 2003 (podcast, launches automatically in software such as Windows Media Player or iTunes)