Westside Wednesday: "Nature is good at all times. Rainy days, gray days, windy days, all have something for you not ordinarily offered. So, too, have the sunny winter days when upon the dazzling snow fall, the deep-blue shadows of the pines." - Enos Mills Have you been experiencing the changing spring weather? (Photo mm)

Late last summer, park staff began a moose research project to better understand how moose use habitat in Rocky Mountain National Park. Moose presence has been increasing annually on both the east and west sides of the park, with recent reports showing animals observed in every major drainage in the park. Read more... https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/news/pr_moose_research_continues_in_rocky_mountain_national_park.htm

QUOTE OF THE WEEK The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. - Gertrude S. Wister (Stemless Easter Daisy NPS/VIP K Daugherty) ks This is the time of year to start looking for wildflowers in the lower elevations of #RMNP, including Stemless Easter Daisies, American Pasqueflowers, Springbeauties, and Mountain Candytufts.

FAQ FRIDAY: ANTLERS What is an antler? It is a fast-growing bony outgrowth of an animal’s head that typically is shed annually. In #RMNP, male elk, deer and moose have antlers. Large antlers are a sign of a healthy male. Males will use their antlers to defend against predators and during the rut as part of courtship to display dominance. One big difference between antlers and horns is that antlers are shed and horns (including male and female bighorn sheep, and bison) are not shed. Can I pick up and take home shed antlers if I find them in Rocky? NO! By federal regulation, nothing may be possessed, destroyed, injured, defaced, removed, dug up, or disturbed from its natural state, including antlers (also, any living or dead wildlife or fish, nests, plants, minerals, and more). Shed antlers are important to the interconnectedness of nature. Many species gnaw or chew on shed antlers as a source of vitamins and minerals, including squirrels, mice, fox, coyotes, bears, and even the elk and deer. So leave antlers where you find them so others can enjoy them, and to let nature take its course. (file photo of Bull Elk NPS/VIP Schonlau) ks

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Who is excited for the return of wildflowers?!?! Share your favorite wildflower pictures below! (NPS photo)

Westside Wednesday: It may officially be spring, but it still feels like winter! Spring brings wet, heavy snow to the Kawuneeche Valley, coating the aspen trees in blanket of white. What is your favorite part of March in the mountains? (NPS photo)

The word treehugger takes on a new form! Be grateful, and hold close those that are important to you! (NPS photo)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK A bluebird comes tenderly up to alight And turns to the wind to unruffle a plume, His song so pitched as not to excite A single flower as yet to bloom. It is snowing a flake; and he half knew Winter was only playing possum. Except in color he isn’t blue, But he wouldn’t advise a thing to blossom. - Robert Frost, from Two Tramps in Mud Time, 1926 (file photo NPS/VIP Schonlau) ks

FAQ FRIDAY: BEARS ARE BACK! Bears are active late March through November, and have already been seen in the Estes Park and Allenspark areas this spring (no word yet about the Grand Lake area, but they are bound to show up soon). Bears can visit any time of day! It’s time now to properly store food, keep grills cleaned, keep pet food dishes inside or under cover, and contain trash; if left out overnight trash must be in bear-proof containers. It’s time for garage doors to be kept closed. Vehicles left outside should be locked and windows rolled up. Be Bear Aware and Protect Our Bears! (file photo NPS/VIP Schonlau) ks

Rocky Mountain National Park is privileged to collaborate with Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center to present a special showing of All Who Dare on Friday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. This free program will be held at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. All Who Dare follows nine incoming Eagle Rock students who leave behind their families, friends, and familiar environments as they surpass their limits in the Lost Creek Wilderness of Colorado. The students have one mission: Make it to high school. Guided by experienced wilderness educators, the students are challenged physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially during this once-in-a-lifetime journey of personal growth. They quickly learn that there are no excuses in the wilderness and that completing the trip is only the first step in taking responsibility for their lives. All Who Dare – also the school’s motto – provides a compelling look at the unconventional approach of a nationally acclaimed innovative high school that provides hope for young people who are striving to turn their lives around. Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center, located in Estes Park, is an innovative, tuition-free, residential high school that is committed to helping the most disengaged students find their way back to an appreciation of education. For many students, it’s a last chance to find educational success. But first, they must have a desire to change their lives, starting with a wilderness expedition that will test them in every way

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Throw yourselves back into the soundscapes of the park with our newly updated sounds library! NPS sites protect many things, and one of them is natural sound. Turn up the volume, close your eyes and place yourself in the soundscapes of Rocky Mountain National Park. https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/photosmultimedia/sounds-wildlife-soundscapes.htm

Westside Wednesday: It's beginning to feel a lot like spring! Are you planning a spring break trip to the west side of Rocky? From warm sunny days reaching up to 50 degrees, to cold days filled with blowing snow, March is a time of ever-changing weather! Snow on sunny slopes is slowly melting, while shady areas still have 1-3 feet of snow in the valley. Bring snowshoes and/or traction devices for your shoes. If you are heading out to adventure in the park, check weather forecasts and stop in a visitor center to check the changing current conditions of park trails. (Photo T. Kierein, East Inlet Trail, 2/22/18)