Staunton State Park Marmot Fest June 25-26, 2016!

Colorado Parks and Wildlife
For release May, 2016

Staunton State Park Celebrates Marmot Fest June 25/26

PINE, Colo. – Staunton State Park is celebrating Marmot Fest Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26. As the world’s largest ground squirrel, marmots spend 80 percent of their lives underground in the winter, so June is the perfect time to see the pups and marmot families playing and basking in the sun at Staunton!



In anticipation of Marmot Fest, join in a scavenger hunt with local businesses called "Where’s Raymond?” Participating businesses will display a special "Where’s Raymond" flyer. Ask for a free map to get started and find a list of participating businesses on the map and the park’s website.



Guided Marmot Meander Hike – 9:30 a.m.

Hike out early and see the marmots in the park. This hike meets near the Staunton Ranch Trail just past the Group Picnic Area parking area.



Marmot Observation Sites – 9:30 to 1:30p.m.

Park marmot monitors will help you scope out marmots on the Climbing Access Trail and at the Staunton Cabin District. Hike out on Staunton Ranch Trail and follow the signs to meet the monitors.



"All About Marmots" Activities for Children and Families – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Make marmot puppets and masks, experience what it’s like to crawl through a marmot burrow, spot marmots with binoculars, and explore skins and skulls. Head out on Staunton Ranch Trail just past Group Picnic Area parking area



Self- guided Marmot Scavenger hike – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Learn about marmots on a scavenger hunt in the park along the Staunton Ranch Trail.



Self- guided Marmot Vs. Dog Challenge – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Take your dog for a walk along the Staunton Ranch Trail to take the challenge.

Introductory Rock Climbing at Whistle Pig– 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Learn to climb a rock formation called Whistle Pig. All equipment provided. Head out on Staunton Ranch Trail to Climbing Access Trail and follow signs.

Friends of Staunton State Park "Adopt-a-Marmot" Stewardship Program

Help protect the habitat in the park so it can be a healthy home for marmots and all park animals. 
On Staunton Ranch Trail just past Group Picnic Area parking area



For more information about Staunton State Park, visit:
 cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/staunton



CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 42 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, big-game management, hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and nonmotorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Yes, there's a lot to do at Marmot Fest - lucky for us it goes 2 days so we can do it all!

Join the Scavenger Hunt! In anticipation of Marmot Fest, join in the "Where's Raymond" scavenger hunt beginning May 27th. Participating business listed here will display a special "Where's Raymond" flyer.

We will once again have our stuffed marmots available for adoption for $25 this weekend at Marmot Fest! Kids young and old alike have gotten these in years past to collect and help support the Friends of Staunton State Park. All proceeds from the sales of the marmots goes back into the park programs and infrastructure requests that we receive from the park manager to make Staunton a better place for us all! You can also purchase individual, family, or corporate memberships too and help even more!



The marmots are excited to see you all this weekend!

Exciting news to share! We will have a special young lady at ‪#‎MarmotFest2016‬ on Sunday selling two sets of 4 cards - one with marmots shot at Staunton and another with a mixture of different sets. The card sets will cost $10 and all profits will benefit Friends of Staunton State Park.

What makes this young lady special? Well, in her own words:
"My name is Kayla, and I am fortunate enough to live in Colorado. One of the reasons I feel so lucky to live here is because of the animals and nature. The marmots, squirrels, and mountain goats are especially good subjects. I feel like photography can benefit the world. That is why in 2012, when I was 12 years old, I started this non-profit called Cards for Caring. I am selling note cards with my original photos on them, and donating the money I get to non-profits such as the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keensburg. My favorite things to photograph are animals and anything in nature, and I am willing to wait for hours until I feel like I got just the right photo. It feels great when you capture a moment just right. Out of so many precious moments in life, you were able to get out there and capture one of them. Go take some photos!"

16 years old and already running her own nonprofit organization - not many of us were so ambitious so young! Please give her Facebook page a Like and check out her products at her website: www.cards4caring.com/ particularly if you can't make it to Staunton State Park on Sunday.

We look forward to having Kayla with us on Sunday!

It's a gorgeous day here at Staunton State Park - come on out for Day 2 of Marmot Fest and adopt a marmot to benefit the Friends of Staunton State Park!



Staunton Ranch Trailhead


Kids Crafts


Make a Marmuppet!


Explore Skins & Skulls


Where's Raymond Scavenger Hunt


We have marmot cookies!!

Our thanks to Michael Elizabeth Sakas for this lovely article about our Marmot Fest!

Revered rodent: Staunton State Park celebrates the marmot
By Michael Sakas
Tuesday, July 5, 2016

A group of hikers passed around pairs of binoculars on a recent Sunday, aiming at the roof of a historic cabin in Staunton State Park. Among the crumbling wood shingles and aging copperrain gutters sat a marmot, the very rodent these hikers had come to see during Marmot Fest 2016.

This is the season when the marmots and their offspring surface, making it the ideal viewing time for fans of the cuddly rodent. Marmots, which are vegetarians, tend to be highly social animals and communicate through a series of whistles.

Kids were encouraged to learn more about the marmots’ activities Sunday by participating in a scavenger hunt.

"It’s important to connect kids with their environment and realize that we're here,” Thran said. “It's a lot of city kids that don't even know what the mountains are and what nature is, and (we hope they) become stewards in the future of the parks and respect what we have here, because it's pretty special.”

Staunton State Park adopted the marmot as its mascot because of its likability, and because their presence at such low elevation is rare in Colorado. Marmot Fest, a fund-raiser for the park, features the Adopt a Marmot program, which is administered by Friends of Staunton State Park and that group’s president, Wayne Parkinson.

Read more at the High Timber Times! www.hightimbertimes.com/content/revered-...rk-celebrates-marmot