Hello COBirders,
We all enjoy seeing, hearing, and studying Colorado birds. But we also enjoy getting together with other birders—at Christmas bird counts, the annual CFO convention, and monthly bird club meetings. Thanks to Joe Roller for setting up another occasion for birders to get together, this time not to bird but to clean up some bird habitat, and meet & greet the local residents--today’s Last Chance Oasis Clean-up Day. Last Chance is a little cross-roads prairie town 75 miles east of Denver with a real frontier name. As you probably know it has a legendary bird oasis, a mysterious pond at the southwest corner of highways 36 and 71 which attracts many rare migrating species, like the Hermit Warbler Steve Mlodinow found October 8. The dozen or so residents of Last Chance are very friendly and welcoming to birders. In recent years Joe has taken the time to meet most of the residents there, as well as folks at their big brother town 17 miles north called Woodrow. The two towns share a school system and a Lion’s Club, which for many years has maintained a roadside park with bathroom facilities next to the bird oasis pond. After the devastating June 25th prairie fire destroyed most of the area, Joe offered to recruit birders to join the residents in a clean-up day and social get together, so we COBirders could get to meet the local residents and express our solidarity and appreciation. About 20 birders from up and down the Font Range and 12 local residents gathered at Last Chance this morning to collect old bottles, cans, concrete blocks, a tire, and various other debris that used to be hidden by vegetation before the fire. At noon we enjoyed a great lunch hosted by the Howard United Methodist Church, “your best chance in Last Chance.” Joe could not be with us as he was taking care of his lovely wife, Mary Anne, who is recovering from recent gall bladder surgery. Best wishes to them both. Next year…let’s do it again, with Joe! Efforts are underway to acquire and spread seed and straw on burned slopes next to the oasis pond. To contribute please mail a check to the Woodlin Lions Club, 25435 County Road L, Woodrow, CO 80757. At the bottom of your check write “Last Chance pond restoration” and the club will reserve your funds for that work. Next year think of donating again, to help the Lions Club maintain the park and bathroom facilities we birders all use. Thank you very much to Jim and Mary Kleinschmidt, neighbor south of the oasis; Tom Thompson, pastor of the church; Rose Cronk, school superintendent; the Miller family, and all the friendly residents of Last Chance! Here are nine photos I took today: http://bit.ly/X9Hcyg Cheers, Tom Wilberding Boulder, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/cobirds/-/X-RMUmEIRJIJ. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
