INTEREST

LCF celebrates success of Matching Grant Campaign

By Tanya MercerDaty Redstone Review

LYONS – In August of this year, an anonymous donor presented the Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) with an incredible opportunity: a matching grant campaign.

The donor offered to match any and all donations to LCF, up to $10,000, before the end of October. Halfway to our goal, Planet Bluegrass jumped in to match an additional $10,000 dollars, if we reached our initial goal. Paired with the support from our anonymous donor, this raised our fundraising potential for this campaign to $30,000 dollars.

As of October 11, LCF had reached and exceeded its initial goal of raising $10,000, therefore unlocking both $10,000 matching grants. The LCF Advisory Board is incredibly grateful for the 30+ donors who donated amounts ranging from $5 to $2,500 to make this happen.

As Gail Frankfort, one of the donors, said when she presented her check to LCF, “I love my town. I never had a love affair with a town until I moved to Lyons. It’s like no other town I have lived in. It offers such a great variety of cultural, artistic, social, educational, and recreational activities, most free of charge to me and all Lyons area residents. I want this Lyons experience to continue so I’m doing my part to ensure that happens by supporting the Lyons Community Foundation. And, now is the perfect time to do so as my contribution will be matched by some generous Lyons residents.”

Another donor, David Hamrick, said,

“LCF is one of the many things that makes Lyons a great place to live. A donation to LCF keeps the money here in town to help support local residents, the arts, and provide student scholarships. My family thoroughly enjoys the summer Sandstone concerts and they are a great way to spend Mercer-Daty a summer evening. Due to the matching gift of generous Lyons’ donors, donating now has triple the impact, making this a perfect time to donate to LCF.” Thanks to the many generous residents who responded when asked to contribute to this campaign, LCF can allocate money to future community projects. In the end, it’s the greater Lyons community and its residents who will benefit. We cannot think of a better reason to live where we do. Thank you to all who participated in our matching grant campaign. Donor Gail Frankfort, center, presents her check to Jeanne Moore, chair of LCF and Gil Sparks, vice-chair of LCF.

Squirrel Awareness Month sees an uptick of bushy-tailed patients at Greenwood

By Kaite Fletcher Redstone Review

LYONS – Found hurt under a tree, a fox squirrel youngster was rescued and brought to Greenwood with a possible broken front leg. Luckily, upon her initial exam, the animal care technician discovered the mammal’s leg was intact; however, some soft tissue damage was sustained from the fall. She was otherwise in good condition. Pain and flea prevention medications were given.

A couple weeks later, this squirrel was still smaller than her friends, so her diet was supplemented with avocado for some extra fat nutrients. She was back on track after a few days. Now this feisty fox squirrel spends the day continuously wrestling with her “roommates” and snacking on assorted nuts, leaves, and fruits.

This patient is among the 130 squirrels and counting currently onsite at the center, a fitting time for October’s Squirrel Awareness Month.

Home in Colorado There are nine squirrel species across the state of Colorado. Each inhabits its own distinct ecosystem, from the Eastern plains to the red cliffs of the West. These species are split into subcategories: tree squirrels and ground squirrels.

Fox squirrels, pine squirrels, and Abert’s squirrels live in forest habitats where they construct nests of leaves, sticks, and needles. Rust-colored fox squirrels reside in deciduous woodlands, usually along riverbanks and streams. The pine squirrels are the smallest, yet most territorial of their category, defending their pine cones with physical force. Sporting tufted ears and long, furry tails, the Abert’s squirrels build their homes in the ponderosa pine forests.

Nearly every area of Colorado is home to at least one species of ground squirrel. Across the grasslands are thirteen-lined and spotted squirrels; the rock squirrels live within the western cliffs and canyons; mountain parks are home to the Wyoming and golden-mantled ground squirrels; the white-tailed antelope squirrels occupy the desert shrublands.

At Greenwood, most of our patients are fox squirrels since they have adapted to the urban forests of the Denver metro area. Tree squirrels also have two breeding seasons whereas ground squirrels only have one in the springtime. This contributes to their higher populations.

Tessa Parrish, Greenwood’s Animal Care Assistant, explains that the center helps sustain populations within the ecosystem by caring for and releasing healthy squirrels back into their natural habitat, which helps minimize the impact

of humans on our wild community. All types of squirrels are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day and retreat to their nests at night. Each plays an important role in their own habitats from predatorprey interactions to a natural insecticide. “Sometimes they forget their nuts, so Fletcher they help with reforestation. They are crucial prey animals for species, like our beautiful raptors and other birds of prey along with coyotes and foxes,” said education and front desk coordinator MeLena Truijillo. Squirrels have a habit of burying various seeds, which makes them a huge contributor to plant reproduction and seed dispersal. Their forgetfulness allows a plant’s domain to expand. This year, by the end of September, Greenwood had released 127 squirrels back into their appropriate habitats while more than 130 remained in our care. This is 50 more squirrel patients compared to 2021. More information can be found at greenwoodwildlife.org.

Tree squirrels, like this fox squirrel, produce two litters of young a year.

Kaitlyn Fletcher is the Communications and Content Associate at Greenwood Wildlife Sanctuary in Longmont.

at Hwy 287 & Isabelle Rd. in Lafayette

Pick-Your-Own Pumpkins Straw Bale Mazes Farm Animals Corn Maze Vintage Farm Tractors

Open 10-6 Daily thru Oct. 31

Admission: $5 online $7 for walkup www.cottonwoodfarms.com