1) Bluff Lake Center Construction Underway

On a blue-sky day with the backdrop of the snow-covered mountains and the Denver skyline, children from programs at the center with hard hats and shovels welcomed the start of the next phase of the Bluff Lake Nature Center (BLNC).

The crowd at the official March groundbreaking, for the $8.5 million campus improvement project, heard from center leaders and donors who made the start of the project possible.

“All of us are here today because we love this space and this organization and truly believe that this project provides us an opportunity to be even better stewards of this land,” says Rachel Hutchens, executive director of BLNC. “This new space will make Bluff Lake more accessible, less logistically challenging for families and groups, and will truly bring our team on site in a way we’ve never had before.”

The 123-acre wildlife refuge, located at 11255 E. MLK Jr. Blvd., is adjacent to the site of the former Stapleton Airport and has seen the number of visitors grow as development in the area has increased. BLNC saw 100,000 visitors in 2024 during its 30th anniversary year.

The improvements are meant to enhance community access with a welcoming space, multi-use classrooms, and headquarters for the BLNC team, which currently works a few miles away. An accessible ramp trail leading to the site will also be added. The project is expected to be completed later this year.

Community members and big donors have helped get the project where it is today, but there’s still more money to raise. BLNC has a goal of 1,000 donors which will help bring in matching funds. So far, more than $7 million of the $8.5 million goal has been raised through families, organizations, and community members.

Access for visitors who use the area has changed and the main entrance and parking lot are now closed for the construction project. A new pedestrian entrance is located on the northwest side of the site across from the Florence Way crosswalk. A temporary pedestrian entrance is located between Iola St. and Kingston St., on MLK Jr. Blvd.

2) A Large Donation for Denver Museum

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science received a $20 million gift from the Sturm Family Foundation in March.

The money will be used to launch the East Wing Renovation Project which the museum says will “rejuvenate and reimagine the historic theater, lobby, and plaza on the east side of the museum, unlocking extraordinary new possibilities for the community.”

The project will include upgraded indoor spaces around the theater, enhanced accessibility, and new opportunities for programming and community engagement at the museum. Construction is expected to begin in April. The museum will remain open, but the Infinity Theater will be closed through July.

3) An Honor for the Mosaic Campus

The Mosaic Community Campus is the 2025 recipient of the Stephen H. Hart Governor’s Award from History Colorado. The award honors and recognizes Colorado’s history through outstanding archaeology and historic preservation projects.

The original building at Quebec St. and 17th Ave. was constructed in 1909 to serve as the Colorado Women’s College. The campus has expanded over the decades, adding dormitories that have been recently converted into affordable housing units.

“The transformation of four dormitory buildings on the historic Colorado Women’s College campus into multi-family, low-to-moderate-income housing units is a shining example of preservation success,” says Dawn DiPrince, president and CEO of History Colorado and state historic preservation officer. “This collaboration demonstrates the transformative potential of adaptive reuse in historic buildings and highlights how preservation can address critical community needs like affordable housing.”

The awardees honored are Archway Investment Corporation, Denver Housing Authority, and Urban Land Conservancy.

4) A New Denver Resident Needs a Name

BB, the giraffe at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, gave birth to a healthy calf on March 7, after a 444-day pregnancy.

The calf was the first born to BB and her mate, Jasiri. The pair arrived in Denver in 2022 from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs (BB) and Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, Kansas (Jasiri) as part of a breeding program.

In a statement, the Denver Zoo says the birth “provides a critical boost for the endangered species.”

The birth was exciting news for the zoo and residents, and the community is now being asked to help name the newborn through a contest.

The three name choices offered by the zoo are Kujali, meaning “to care” in Swahili; Dagg, in honor of the late giraffe researcher Dr. Anne Innis Dagg; and Thorn, a favorite woody food of giraffes. The voting runs through April 18 at denverzoo.org.

5) Children’s Hospital Opens New In-Between’ Unit

To help serve children who need support between a hospital stay and their return home, Children’s Hospital Colorado, on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, recently opened a Chronic Technology Dependence Unit for those ages 18 and younger. The new unit is for “rehab patients who have completed their hospital stay but need a little more care,” explains Shanna Fix, clinical manager. “This might be a pulmonary patient who is not acutely ill anymore but also can’t go home yet or people with a spinal cord or brain injury being reintegrated into daily life functions.”

The unit was “designed from the ground up” to be communal, colorful, and joyful, says Bryce Clark, director of patient care services. Patient rooms are centered around social hubs and rehab gyms, where youths partner with physical therapists and psychologists. Children can develop their creative skills in the kitchen and art space, and students who have missed school receive personalized lessons in the unit classroom. “We see kids in this unit who are getting their strength back and beaming at their progress,” Fix says. Adds Clark, “There’s a lot of smiles and laughter here, something you don’t always get to see in a hospital.”

Openings and Closings

OPENING

6) DAISO-Japanese household goods: 2353 S. Havana St., Aurora

7) Fiction Beer: 7101 E. Colfax Ave., Denver (reopening under new ownership)

8) Dragon Kitchen: 9598 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora

OPENING SOON: DATE TBD

9) Dutch Bros: 8928 E. 46th Ave., Denver

10) Cracker Barrel: 9111 E. 40th Ave., Denver

CLOSING

11) Seasoned Swine: 11601 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora

Denver Public Schools Close for Educator Day of Action

On March 20, more than half of all DPS schools were closed for the day as teachers joined the No More Education Cuts statewide day of action.

The rally, hosted by the Colorado Education Association (CEA), was meant to draw attention to the needs of Colorado students and educators who, the CEA says, are already being asked to do more with less every year. “Despite being one of the wealthiest states in the country, Colorado chronically underfunds its public schools by $4,000 to $4,500 per student per year compared to the national average. Now, facing a budget shortfall of more than a billion dollars, we must prevent state legislators from cutting public education funding to balance their budget.”

DPS Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero said in a news release that the district supports fully-funded education, but wishes the actions of the teachers didn’t have a direct impact on students’ education.