Sunday, January 31, 2010, come celebrate Groundhog Day with Denver Zoo and Punxsutawney Phil’s distant cousin the prairie dog for a local twist on the holiday. Join in the celebration by discovering how prairie wildlife rely on prairie dogs for survival, how and why we should protect these intriguing creatures and even get nose to whisker with Denver Zoo’s resident prairie dogs and other prairie wildlife.

Activities will include:

Art Contest Showing – Gates Education Center 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

View art entries from local students showcasing the prairie dog and its prairie ecosystem. Want to enter the art contest? All children that enter a piece of artwork into the contest by January 22 will receive free admission to Denver Zoo on Prairie Dog Day, Sunday January 31. In celebration of Denver Zoo’s third annual Prairie Dog Day children ages 0-12 are encouraged to create a piece of artwork to be displayed to the public at Prairie Dog Day January 31. Twelve pieces of artwork will be chosen to create Denver Zoo’s first edition of a Prairie Dog Day calendar in 2011. Entries must be received by Denver Zoo no later than Friday January 22 at 5 p.m. Download an entry form with the art contest details.

Education Station: Little Habitat on the Prairie – Gates Education Center 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Discover how prairie dogs make the prairie their home.

Prairie Conservation Activities and Information  – Gates Education Center 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Visit with regional conservation groups to learn about their grassroots efforts to save prairie dogs, a local keystone species, and the many other species prairie dog colonies support. Live animals, video displays, educational activities and more will be offered to engage the whole family in learning about these important and imperiled critters!

Animal Demonstrations – Exploration Station inside Gates Education Center 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Get nose to snout with Denver Zoo’s resident animals and learn about each role these prairie species serve within their ecosystem.

Puppet Show – “A Prairie Saga” 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Enjoy performances of The Boulder County Audubon Society’s “A Prairie Saga,” a puppet show about the prairie. Follow Petey the prairie dog as he learns about life in the prairie dog town and about the other animals that are found in the prairie.

Prairie Dog Conservation Lecture by Travis Livieri – Norgren Hall inside Gates Education Center 1 p.m.

Join Denver Zoo and Travis Livieri for the annual Prairie Dog Day lecture series. Travis Livieri is the executive director and founder of Prairie Wildlife Research, an organization working to conserve prairie wildlife species and their habitats. Livieri has worked with black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs since 1995 and investigated ferret home ranges for his Masters degree.  He works primarily in South Dakota with one of the largest black-footed ferret populations but also contributes to recovery efforts in Kansas, Canada, Wyoming, Montana and several other states.   You won’t want to miss his fascinating presentation on the relationship between endangered black-footed ferrets and prairie dogs!

Lecture is free with general admission but space is limited. Reserve your seat today!

Don’t miss out on any of the fun during the Denver Zoo’s Prairie Dog Day, Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 11:00am – 3:00pm! Activities are free with paid admission

Share the love!

Getting to the Denver Zoo for Prairie Dog Day