Most female mountain lions give birth every two or three years between April and July, bearing an average of two to four kittens. The birth place may be a secluded spot beneath an uprooted tree or in a rocky depression. The kittens are born blind and completely dependent on their mothers. At six weeks old they will begin to accompany their mother out into the world.

There is also excellent viewing of wildlife youngsters near the Endovalley picnic area of Rocky Mountain National Park, where people commonly see elk calves and sometimes hiding in the tall grasses mule deer fawns. Female mule deer give birth to one or two fawns in late spring. The newborn fawns are golden brown with mottled spots that act as camouflage.

Black bear cubs are born in dens during winter dormancy and emerge with their mothers in spring. The cubs will grow to be about 500 pounds for males, 200 pounds for females. A black bear’s home range can extend anywhere from 10 to 250 square miles.

Sometimes in spring visitors have to be patient as a busy duck mom holds up traffic crossing with her chicks in tow. Make your reservations now to come up to the nursery. Spring babies are out and about all around the Estes Valley. Come on up and enjoy the view!

PLEASE NOTE THESE ARE WILD ANIMALS! Keep your distance and proceed with caution and respect while viewing any of these awesome but sometimes dangerous creatures.

For the first time it is now possible to adopt your duck online for the May 7th 23rd Annual Estes Park Duck Race.

A wave of rubber ducks float down the Fall River during last year’s 22nd Annual Estes Park Duck Race. (Photo: Walt Hester)

The Estes Park Duck Race also now has a Facebook page that could prove beneficial at http://www.facebook.com/EPDuckRace. “If I have 500 friends on Facebook and I send the Duck Race Facebook link to them and they send it to 500 of their friends, and there are 500-million Facebook pages in the world, who knows how many ducks will be adopted,” said Scott “Big Duck” Thompson, chairman of the Duck Race Committee. “This is just another move to take the Duck Race beyond the borders of the Estes Valley, give it broader exposure, make it easy and convenient to purchase ducks, and the ones who truly benefit are the 69 participating charities and organizations, and all the people they help.”

Supporters can adopt as many ducks as they like. Each duck costs $21.00 and has numerous opportunities to win a prize. “The more ducks you adopt, the better your chances of winning a prize and the charities will thank you,” said Widrig.

Prizes include:
46-inch SAMSUNG LED TV
Macbook Computer
iPOD 32GB with iLive wireless pod speaker system
ASUS NetBook
Wii + extra controller w/ exercise program
NOOK e-reader with WiFi access and cover + gift card
TomTom XL 350M GPS
FLIP video camcorder
SONY 9-inch portable DVD player

For more go to: www.EPduckrace.org, www.facebook.com/EPDuckRace, or www.rotaryclubofestespark.org/DuckRace/

The results were compiled from online surveys completed by nearly 3,300 visitors. The surveys show 38% of respondents possessed a college degree and another 38% a Master’s or Doctorate degree.

The household income for almost half of the visitors (43%) exceeded $100,000/year.

The most exciting result came under the category of overall satisfaction with their experience where a whopping 94% rated their visit as “excellent”; the highest ranking from five choices. Again and again, Estes Park has proved to be an unparalleled vacation destination.

90% of the visitors chose Estes Park because they desired a “relaxing mountain getaway”. The proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park and the easy availability of wildlife viewing opportunities were also cited as predominant reasons for visiting the area. When asked what other destinations they considered before Estes Park, 64% responded they did not consider any other location for their trip. 25% indicated considering other popular Colorado vacation spots like Breckenridge, Vail, Boulder and Denver.

The Department of Public Works for the Town of Estes Park recently completed an inventory of road conditions for 58 miles of roadway owned by the town, and found that improvements needed to be made on approximately half of them.

Town Administrator Jacquie Halburnt says the town will “consider every option to fund roadway maintenance for our citizens and visitors.”

In related news, the highest paved road in the Continental United States at 12,183′ elevation, trail Ridge Road, is now closed for the season.

But recently the doors have been shut up tight as the major players felt they needed a break. It’s not easy keeping the quality and reliability at peak standards year after year, decade after decade, so the break was healthy for all involved. During the hiatus Chef Brown took on the position of head chef at Dunraven’s and Crowley moved on to Nicky’s.

Locals and visitors missed the restaurant above the Wheel Bar where everybody did know your name, your order, your favorite table, and how to make you smile and laugh. Now the re-opening of Orlando’s has excited the community with Chef Tandy Brown returning to whip up more of his delicious sautéed mushrooms, herbed chicken breast, and, of course, the most mouthwatering, buttery steaks and filets in the high country.

Orlando’s Steakhouse and the Wheel Bar are within very close walking distance of Silvermoon Inn. No need for a designated driver, just take a leisurely stroll down the street.  Orlando’s Steakhouse is located at 132 E. Elkhorn Ave. in the heart of downtown Estes Park. Their phone number is 970.586.6121 and you can email them here, web address: http://thewheelbar.com.

The wildlife of Estes Park can be cute, funny, quiet, regal, placid, curious, and playful. Remember that they also can be territorial, belligerent if provoked, and unpredictable. Try to follow the guidelines below for safe viewing.

Downtown Encounters
Problems arise when visitors do not give the wildlife enough space. Often in their excitement of discovering an animal, viewers get way too close. It is important to remember to keep a very healthy distance between yourself and the animal. This isn’t Disneyland – the animals here are all totally wild. None of the creatures you might come across are tamed or domesticated in any way and therefore can be quite unpredictable.

For the most part if you stay back from an animal, move slowly, speak in hushed tones, and do not make eye contact, the experience will be pleasant for the humans and the critters alike.

Roadside Viewing
If you stop along a roadway to view elk or other wildlife minimize disturbance to the animals by turning off your car engine immediately. Shut car doors quietly and keep conversations to a minimum. Move slowly, don’t make any large gestures. Observe and photograph from a distance that is comfortable for the animal, not what is a good range for your photograph.

If the animal moves away or if their attention is diverted from what they were doing before you arrived, you are too close. Do not assume that an animal with its back to you is not aware of you. Know that the animal is critically watching you too, no matter how nonchalant it may seem as it grazes or lounges.

Wildlife viewing in Estes Park is half of the fun of coming here. Just be smart, careful, and always respectful of the animals.

It is illegal to use artificial lights or calls to view or attract wildlife. Go to http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm for more useful tips and information.

Sometimes visitors who normally live at lower altitudes experience altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness (AMS).

The higher you climb above sea level, the less oxygen there is in the air. This can cause a problem with some folks whose bodies aren’t used to working on so little oxygen. If you stay at a high altitude for a week or more, your body gets used to the lower levels and functions properly.

The most common cause of altitude sickness is ascending elevation too rapidly and can usually be prevented by ascending slower. How high you go, the amount of physical activity performed at high altitude, as well as individual susceptibility are also contributing factors to the onset and severity of high-altitude illness.

If you have a heart or lung condition, consult your physician before going to high altitude. He or she can tell you whether your condition will let your body adjust to the lower oxygen in the atmosphere.

PREVENTION

Take your time traveling to higher altitudes. When you travel to a high altitude, your body will begin adjusting right away to the lower amount of oxygen in the air, but it takes several days for your body to adjust completely. The closer you live to sea level, the more time your body will need to get used to a high altitude.

First 24 Hours at High Altitude:
1.    eat lightly
2.    avoid alcohol
3.    keep exercise to a minimum
4.    drink plenty of fluids
5.    rest and relax at 6,500 to 8,000 ft., if possible, before ascending slowly to higher altitude

Get a good nights sleep at an altitude that is lower than the altitude you were at during the day. For example, if you ski at an elevation of 10,000 feet during the day, sleep the night before and the night after at an elevation of 8,500 feet.

SYMPTOMS

Some of the signs of high-altitude illness are:
•    headache
•    lightheadedness
•    shortness of breath
•    fatigue or weakness
•    trouble sleeping
•    rapid pulse
•    nosebleed
•    upset stomach
•    pins and needles feeling

If you have these symptoms stop going up or go back down to a lower altitude until your symptoms go away. More severe symptoms include difficulty breathing even while you’re resting, coughing, confusion and the inability to walk in a straight line. If you get these symptoms, go to a lower altitude right away and get help from a doctor.

TREATMENT

The best treatment for high-altitude illness is to go down to a lower altitude right away. But if you only have mild symptoms you might decide to wait it out until your body adjusts. If you do this, don’t exercise at all – just rest until you feel better.

If you have severe symptoms, go down 1,500 to 2,000 feet right away to see if your symptoms get better. Keep going down until your symptoms go away completely and seek medical attention.

Don’t ignore signs of high-altitude illness. People can die of this if they don’t recognize the signs or if they don’t believe their illness is caused by the high altitude. When you have signs of high-altitude illness, don’t go higher until you feel better and your symptoms have gone away completely.

The folk remedy from Ecuador and Peru in the Andes Mountains is coca tea, or mate de coca, made from the leaves of the coca plant, it is said to soothe the stomach and headache.

Sources: American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)  and American Heart Association (AHA)

Nesting Golden eaglets. Photo: Carol McIntyre, NPS

Since the1960’s raptor populations have severely declined in numbers both in the park and nationwide. RMNP has excellent habitat for Golden eagles, Cooper’s hawks, kestrels, peregrine falcons and turkey vultures, all of whom are especially suited to the Park’s craggy rock outcroppings. The presence of climbers negatively impacts the nesting success of raptors. Each year trail closures by Park rangers insure that the magnificent raptors remain undisturbed during their critical reproductive period.

Rock Climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo: RMNP

Areas currently closed include Twin Owls, Sheep Mountain, Alligator Rock, Checkerboard Rock, Thunder Buttress- the Parish, Batman Rock and Pinnacle, Rock One and Lightening Rock.

The rock face, outcroppings, cliffs, all ascent/descent trails and the area surrounding the base of the formations within a 100 yard perimeter is closed to the public and within the protected space. At Alligator Rock restrictions apply to a 200 yard radius.

Red Tailed Hawk. Photo: Jim Wiegand

The temporary closure of these areas is tentatively slated to end July 31, but that could change according to the discretion of wildlife management officials. They will lift the ban when they feel public presence in the area will not stress the nesting raptors. Rock formations not listed are presumed to be open but checking with the Park prior to heading up is advised.

Notice of closures will be posted around RMNP. Entering closed areas is a violation of 36 CFR 1.5. Violators are subject to a fine of $5,000 and/or 6 months imprisonment.

For more information go to the Rocky Mountain National Park website at: nps.gov/romo or call (970) 586-1206.

Originally an initiative of the American Honda Education Corporation, Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center has received well-deserved attention for its successful methods in education since opening its doors in 1993. Designed as an intervention program for high school age students and a training facility for adult educators, Eagle Rock puts the emphasis on integrity, community service, communication and respect.

“The Rock” Students

The Eagle Rock campus and development center hosts educators from all over the country who want to learn the innovative concepts employed by the Eagle Rock staff and take them back to their own students. As a SSOC school, Eagle Rock has been featured in Teacher Magazine, the New York Times, professional journals and books: The Other Side of the Curriculum: Lessons For Learners, and Engaging the Disengaged – How Schools Can Help Struggling Students Succeed, both authored by Lois Brown Easton and Small Schools Big Ideas – The Essential Guide to Successful School Transformation by Mara Benetiz, Jill Davidson and Laura Flaxman.

For more: http://www.eaglerockschool.org and http://www.character.org