By Rachel Balduzzi Field Seminars Manager

As winter fades to spring, many changes are taking place in the mountains.  The snow is melting, animals are moving about, and the Rocky Mountain Nature Association (RMNA) Field Seminars Program is busy taking reservations for its 2011 educational classes. This year, more than 81 seminars offer classes on a wide variety of topics for all ages.  Most seminars are scheduled to begin at the Field Seminar Center and then move into the Park to take advantage of its unique beauty and spectacular wildlife.

RMNA Field Seminars fill a unique niche in the Estes Valley by providing adult and children’s classes on natural and cultural history, art, photography, and outdoor skills.  Adults can learn more about local history in Estes Valley:  History and Historic Sites on July 15^th and August 12^th.  Curt Buchholtz, the executive director of RMNA, will lead participants on a unique tour of the historic sites in and around Rocky Mountain National Park.  The seminar includes lunch at an historic lodge and lots of great conversation.  The new course Enos Mills’ Wildlife: Then and Now will explore the changes in Rocky Mountain National Park’s wildlife populations over time and how some of these observations were noted in the works of park activist Enos Mills. Other cultural seminars include Native American astronomy and seminars exploring the journey of Arapaho elders through the Park and the legacy of the names they left behind for many of the prominent Park features.