The purpose of the Evergreen Nature Center and Evergreen Audubon programs is to foster contagious enthusiasm and life-long respect for the natural world by providing fun and inspiring educational experiences for people throughout the entire Bear Creek Watershed.
Vision: An engaged community aware of the natural world and
embracing conservation of natural resources.
Mission: To conserve wildlife and natural ecosystems,
provide citizen science experiences, and inspire and educate our
community to benefit all people and biodiversity.
The Evergreen Naturalists Audubon Society, Inc. was incorporated in 1968 as the "Evergreen Naturalists" and has been in existence since that time. In the 1970s, we became a chapter of the National Audubon Society and more recently took on the trade name of Evergreen Audubon to increase our recognition and branding within our Mountain Community. Evergreen Audubon has always focused on the conservation of and public education about natural resources in Jefferson County and surrounding areas. We believe our mission aligns well with SCFD's mandate of presentation, advancement, and preservation of the natural history of Jefferson County. Over the last few years, we have had 225-250 local members.
In 2008, Evergreen Audubon established the Evergreen Nature Center (ENC). We worked cooperatively with the Evergreen Park and Recreation District (EPRD) to house the nature center in the "Historic Warming Hut" at Evergreen Lake. Since 2008, we have operated the ENC seasonally for about 90 days between April and October. In early 2016, we renewed our use agreement with EPRD to continue operations in the Warming Hut through December 2020. In addition to providing displays and interpretation in the Warming Hut, we offer numerous programs to the public and have been working with local schools and other community groups to provide custom environmental education programs. Beginning in 2016, we offered monthly meetings, after-school programs and summer camps. Evergreen Audubon members have invested in the development of the ENC and are committed to making Evergreen Audubon a sustainable institution of our Mountain Community. Development of the ENC are perfect venues to present Evergreen Audubon's interests in citizen science, environmental awareness and natural history education. More than 50% of our local members volunteer for various programs and projects, including as Visitor Assistants at the ENC.
