WebDurango Special Sections: Southwest Summer Guide 2004

Home Back to Durango Events Nature Studies Cowboy Culture D&SNGRR

Durango - Go wild on nature tours

San Juan Mountains Association
Call (970) 385-1210
or visit: www.sjma.org

Llama Treks Llama Treks allow you to have wine and cheese with a furry friend at a spectacular alpine vista. A San Juan Mountains Association volunteer will talk about the local flora and fauna during four llama treks at Durango Mountain Resort this summer: July 9, July 30, Aug. 14, and Sept. 4. Ride up the chairlift, then hike alongside the wine and cheese-toting llamas (bottom photo). Lunch is included at an overlook. Naturalist Hikes at DMR take place every Friday during the summer season, and hikes (top photo) are guided by SJMA volunteers. Ride the chairlift up and learn about the flora and fauna. Field Seminars: Contact SJMA for a schedule of geology hikes, edible- and medicinal-plant walks, Missionary Ridge burn area tours, bird walks, and more.

Naturalist Hikes at DMR take place every Friday during the summer season, and hikes are guided by SJMA volunteers. Ride the chairlift up and learn about the flora and fauna.

Field Seminars:
Contact SJMA for a schedule of geology hikes, edible- and medicinal-plant
walks, Missionary Ridge burn area tours, bird walks, and more.

Pumas on Parade
July - October

"Pumas on Parade" is a public art/ environmental education project timed to help celebrate the San Juan National Forest Centennial in 2005. The finished pumas will prowl down Main Avenue as part of the Fourth of July parade.

From July through October they will be on display at locations throughout the region. A free map will serve as a game and guide. Call 247-4874 or visit: www.sjma.org

Mike McPherson pays homage to the importance of the puma, or jaguar, in the cultures of Meso-America. His design is an interpretation of a mixture of Oaxacan painted animals and Huichol bead work, intensely patterned with vibrant colored paint. Mike worked as a commercial illustrator, graphic designer, and art director for 24 years and has received regional awards for his watercolor paintings.