Roamin' the Range for Feb. 2013

In the month of hearts, flowers and presidents’ birthdays, you’ll find plenty to do around the area. Enjoy the unseasonably warm weather and at the same time, do a little rain (or snow) dance.

Guided hikes and programs

Join volunteer naturalists on snowy mornings to investigate animal behaviors in this fun and interactive program held at Devil’s Backbone, Horsetooth Mountain and Eagle’s Nest open spaces when conditions are good for tracking. An excellent program for kids, the county sends email notification — including the time, location and what to bring — the night before a program is to be held. Email Heather Young at [email protected] or call 970-679-4489. Guided hikes and programs for February include:

Feb. 6 and 20, Nature Notes club meeting. Three-hour program. Easy walking. Contact Heather for time and location.

Feb. 12 and 25, 9:15 a.m.  Tiny Trekkers at the Loveland library. A morning filled with crafts, stories, fun facts and outdoor time, weather permitting for parents and toddlers. Free. One hour. No registration required.

Feb. 16, 10 a.m. Wildlife Valentines. How do wildlife woo one another? Naturalists Caroline and Jay look at interesting mating habits of local critters at Devil’s Backbone. One hour easy hike. Free. Registration required. Sign up at www.larimer.org/natural resources/ registration.

Feb. 25, 6 p.m. Moon Over My Open Space. Moonlit walk at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space west of Fort Collins on 38E to look for nighttime critters and learn about owls. Two hour easy hike. Free but $6 day pass fee applies. Registration required. To learn more about Larimer County’s parks and open spaces visit larimer.org/naturalresources. Follow on Facebook and Twitter.

SHEL in concert

Colorado State University and the Bohemian Foundation will present SHEL, a Fort Collins all-sister quartet as part of the new contemporary artist music series at 8 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington St., Fort Collins. Tickets $7 for CSU students, $1 for youth under 17, $12 for the public at UCA ticket office in Griffin lobby, online at CSUArtsTickets.com, or call 970-491-2787. Tickets cost more at the door. SHEL has toured nationwide and first appeared backing their singer-songwriter Andrew Holbrook in 2005. Their concert is the first in a series of five sponsored by the Bohemian Foundation of Fort Collins.

Stars of Tomorrow
Twenty-three acts by local students grades K through 12 will make for a gala Kiwanis Stars of Tomorrow show, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 2 at the Lincoln Performance Hall in Fort Collins. Jamie Cawthorn, chair for the show, described a line-up which includes opening by Jimmy Harrington, a jazz pianist who writes his own songs and last year became the first middle schooler ever to win the overall $1,000 cash award in the Stars of Tomorrow show. Hannah Porter, 2012 Miss Colorado, and former Stars of Tomorrow participant, will serve as a judge and hand out awards. Vincent Burkhardt of KRFC radio will be master of ceremonies assisted by tenth grader Jonny Holsten. In addition to the overall award, students will compete for $200 awards at elementary, middle school and high school levels. The audience will vote by cell phone for a $100 “people’s choice” award. Tickets are $12, available at Lincoln Center box office. Fifty percent of proceeds will go to Poudre School District student services team which addresses anti-bullying, school safety, and drug and alcohol issues.

Mmmmmm. Cookies.
All through the month of February, and until Mar. 3, local Girl Scouts will be giving you the opportunity to indulge. As a “super six” council, the girls will offer the six most popular cookies: thin mints, samoas, tagalongs, dos-si-dos, trefoils, and Savannah smiles, a special lemon cookie. Debi Metheny, product manager for northern and northeastern Colorado for the Girls Scouts of Colorado, says the traditional method of ordering cookies, then waiting to pay on delivery, is a thing of the past. Cookie sellers will carry their products with them making for instant gratification and added efficiency. Some cookie sellers will have the ability to accept your credit card although most young sellers will benefit from the experience of making change as necessary. Booth sales at local merchants begin on Feb. 8, designated National Cookie Day by the Girl Scouts of America.