News Release

August Activities and Special Events 2019

Date: July 26, 2019
Contact: Jeff Wolin, [phone] ext. 202

Special Event Programs:
 

50th Anniversary Celebration, Saturday August 17, 2019, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Fee Free!)

Take part in a ceremony with keynote speakers, elected officials, and panel guests including people who lived here, people who fought to make a Monument, and people who worked here. Enjoy refreshments and community.

Coffee and Cake with a Park Ranger, Tuesday August 20, 2019 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (Fee Free!)
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and a piece of 50th Anniversary cake and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the bill that made Florissant Fossil Beds a National Monument. Throughout the day, a variety of rangers, interns, volunteers, and former staff will be serving up coffee, tea, and cake. This drop in opportunity offers a chance to learn about the different people and jobs that are involved in operating Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. You will also have an opportunity to sign the 50th Anniversary Card.


Friday, August 23, Night Sky Program, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM. 

Join park staff and members of the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society to gaze at the dark skies above Florissant Fossil Beds in search of planets, galaxies, nebulas, and more. Meet at the visitor center.

Fee Free Day, Sunday, August 25, 2019
Celebrate the 103rd Birthday of the NPS and the 50th Birthday of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Fees are waived all day at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and all other NPS areas that charge fees. Special guest, Teddy Roosevelt, will give a talk on national parks at 11:00 AM in the amphitheater. Kids can have an opportunity to paint casts of fossils.



Daily Interpretive Program Schedule (program schedule subject to change, call ahead for updated daily schedule)

Ranger Guided Walk, Every Day 11:00 AM, 1 mile guided hike on the Petrified Forest Trail

Fossil Learning Lab, Every Day 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM, learn how scientists discover and research fossils in the Yurt

Hornbek Homestead, Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, take a tour of an 1878 homestead

Interpretive Talk, Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, 30 minute interpretive presentation in the amphitheater



Weekly Programs:

Yoga Hikes, Mondays, 9:15 AM – 10:30 PM. Join a certified yoga instructor and a Park Ranger for a 1 hour and 30 minutes, 1 mile yoga hike. This will be a hike interspersed with standing yoga poses. This program is geared for beginner to intermediate yoga enthusiasts. Meet at the visitor center.

Fossil Demonstration Excavation Site, Wednesdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Meet geologist, Dr. Bob Carnein at the demonstration excavation site and see the fossil beds in situ and learn about how excavations are conducted. This site is located off the Petrified Forest Loop approximately 1 mile round trip from the visitor center.

Art in the Parks, Thursdays, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Everyone is an artist! Drop in and join volunteer artists and other visitors to sketch and/or water color paint scenes of Florissant Fossil Beds. Stay as long or as short as you would like anytime between 11 AM – 1:00 PM. Ask at the visitor center desk for location. Limited art supplies and seating available. Interested artists may also bring their own supplies and portable chairs.


There are no additional fees for any park programs beyond the daily entrance fee of $10.00 per adult (15 and younger are free). Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument offers 15 miles of beautiful, yet lesser known, hiking trails to explore, a free Junior Ranger Program, three short self-guided trails, a park video and museum exhibits, and bookstore. For additional information, please call [phone] or visit our website: www.nps.gov/flfo or on Facebook or Twitter at /FlorissantNPS

About the National Park Service: 
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 419 national park units and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history, protect natural and cultural resources, and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov