Outdoors

I can’t believe it’s September already. But Labor Day is past, yellow school buses roll along our roads, and yellow wildflowers bloom along the shoulders of the road to my house.

There is a small order of birds known as goatsuckers. The scientific name is the Caprimulgiformes, which comes from the Latin Caprimulgus, a milker of goats and forma or form.

Staunton State Park is on track to open to the public in October, as volunteer recruitment, partner development and construction progress.

A firm date for the opening of Colorado’s newest state park — on 3,500 acres north of Shaffers Crossing — will be set sometime in August, said park manager Jennifer Marten.

Community partners and volunteers

The Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife hosted two open houses in April to recruit volunteers to help build and maintain the park and partners to raise money for it.

Snowy February has fairly well lived up to its name. We have not had deep snow here, but frequent light snow and cold weather have kept the ground carpeted in white. Of course, more lies ahead for us for spring snows are usually deeper although less frequent.

March snows are usually deep, wet and heavy. Even April, our second snowiest month, brings this same kind of snow with nice spring days in between. Spring can’t come too soon for me for I have cabin fever and just can’t wait to get outside.