Flowers & Weeds
Weed Awareness Campaign
The Community Weed Awareness Campaign (CWAC) is a coalition of the Evergreen Audubon, The Mt. Evans Group of the Sierra Club, and the Evergreen Garden Club.
It all started in a coffee shop in Evergreen when two members of the Evergreen Audubon decided that they wanted to get down and dirty to help the environment.
This initial meeting in 1998 resulted in Community Weed Day. This one-day event quickly evolved into a summer-long series of weeding and education events. In addition to the annual weed pull, CWAC also sponsors Adopt-a-Plot and Weed & Wine at Evergreen Lake. Noxious weed education events are held monthly at various community locations. Our organizational team grew from the two ladies at the coffee shop, Sylvia Robertson and Cathy Shelton, to include Betsy Kelson, Marilyn Kaussner, Bud Weare, Else vanErp, Renee Cormier and Sylvia Brockner.
Why worry about weeds? To start with, we’re not talking about dandelions here. We’re targeting the aggressive invading species that are bad enough to warrant inclusion on the Colorado Noxious Weed List. These plants outcompete our native vegetation and can be toxic or harmful to wildlife, livestock and even humans.
Some weeds are pretty, but all are non-native to Colorado. These plants degrade wildlife habitat and endanger native ecosystems. This year our target species include newer invaders like Orange Hawkweed, Myrtle spurge and perennial pepperweed along with the well-known nemeses knapweed and thistle.
CWAC’s mission is to inspire every resident of Colorado to control the noxious weeds on their property. Please join us in our effort to preserve the natural ecosystems of our mountain communities.
Posey Posse
photo by Kay Niyo
Mid May marks the opening of the Posey Posse field trip season. This year we are planning 12 trips to spots of great floral display from the plains of Colorado up to the Continental Divide. Roughly half of those will be in our own ‘neighborhood’, the Bear Creek Drainage. The trips range from easy walking to some strenuous hiking. Although our excursions have been day or half-day trips in the recent past, this year we hope to spend two nights and three days in Rocky Mountain National Park. With that exception, our trips take place on Fridays between the middle of May and the middle of August.
In addition to providing wildflower identification and education for ourselves on our own trips, Posey Posse members contribute to the community. We are Adopt A Plot participants at Evergreen Lake with the Weed Awareness Campaign and we help identify weeds at Weed Campaign functions. Several members also lead field trips for the Evergreen Nature Center, Evergreen Audubon, various Colorado State Parks and Lookout Mountain Nature Center. Finally, if you have a mysterious plant in your yard, we will help you to identify it.
One of our long term projects is the creation of a xerox herbarium of Evergreen Lake flora for the use of the community. We also wish to provide assistance in reintroducing native plants to the Evergreen Lake environs.
Our members take lots of close-up and medium range flower photographs. Many are displayed on our private space page. John Moyer photographs plants for Plains Conservation Center and Golden Gate State Park. Cathy Shelton and Shira Reiss have also taken some eye opening photos.
Our leaders, Sylvia Brockner, Else Van Erp, Pam Little and Lynne Price have a lifetime of experience between them on the trails of our region. We have other members such as Marilyn Kaussner and Sylvia Robertson who are reluctant leaders but they know their stuff too. If you join us, we encourage your active participation on our trips. However, our activities are ala carte and if your interest is solely in the herbarium or the Nature Center garden, that is fine too.
The Posse is open to teenagers and adults, experienced wildflower enthusiasts as well as beginners and those with a more casual interest. Most of the members live in the Foothills but we also have members from Denver, Lakewood, Aurora and Littleton. Our members also belong to other plant oriented organizations such as the Colorado Native Plant Society, Denver Botanic Garden and, of course, Evergreen Audubon.
The Posse is devoted to its activites but we also really enjoy our selves. If you would like further information please contact Lynne Price at trailwalker63@hotmail.com or 303-910-8817.
Posey Posse Schedule for May and June 2010
- May 14, Friday Elk Meadow
- May 21, Friday Roxborough Park
- June 4, Friday Boulder-Betasso Preserve/ Bluebell Mesa
- June 11, Friday Beaver Ranch
- June 18, Friday Apex Park
- June 25, Friday Deer Creek Canyon
Walks will take place in the mornings; call for exact times.
For details, contact Lynne Price, trailwalker63@hotmail.com or 303-910-8817. Arrangements are subject to change so it is for your convenience that we know if you plan to attend.