Chatfield State Park is a state park located in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

and

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

counties of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The park centers on

Chatfield Reservoir Chatfield Dam and Reservoir is a dam and artificial lake located on the South Platte River, south of Littleton, Colorado. The dam and reservoir were built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a response to the disastrous flood of 1965. ...

, a 1,423 acre surface area lake fed by the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/ Mountain West. It ...

and two other creeks, including Plum Creek.

Reservoir Expansion Project

Chatfield Reservoir looking east from Chatfield Swim Beach

The Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project, a million construction project that took place between 2017 and 2020, created an additional of water storage in the reservoir, raising its level by about . The project involved moving some of the surrounding park's facilities back from the new, higher lake levels.

Wildlife

Over three hundred bird species both migrant and resident frequent Chatfield. Also a variety of mammals roam the park, including whitetail and

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

, coyote, red fox,

cottontail rabbit Cottontail rabbits are the leporid species in the genus ''Sylvilagus'', found in the Americas. Most ''Sylvilagus'' species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characteristic name. However, this ...

, prairie dogs and weasels.

Audubon Center at Chatfield State Park

Chatfield Reservoir from Chatfield Overlook

The

Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

of Greater Denver operates the Audubon Center at Chatfield State Park, a nature education center that offers classes, workshops and lectures for all ages, with an emphasis on children and families. The center's facilities were originally part of a ranch for the Atchison family that became the headquarters for the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1955. The land became part of the Chatfield Dam construction project after a flood in 1965, and later became Chatfield State Park. The Audubon Society of Greater Denver was invited by

Colorado State Parks The system of state parks in Colorado integrates outdoor recreation with tourism. There are currently forty-two parks open to the public, and there is one in development. Colorado State Parks host over eleven million visitors each year. Colorado ...

to develop a nature center in 1998 out of the old 1940s ranch buildings. In 2004 the Society completed the renovation of the stone garage building into an outdoor learning lab. In 2006 the stone farmhouse was rehabilitated for classroom space and an outdoor amphitheater was constructed. The Society is building a visitor center that will house natural history exhibits, a nature library, an auditorium and a nature-based

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...

References

External links

Official website

Audubon Center at Chatfield State Park
- Audubon Society of Greater Denver
Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project website
State parks of Colorado Protected areas of Douglas County, Colorado Protected areas of Jefferson County, Colorado Nature centers in Colorado National Audubon Society Protected areas established in 1975 Education in Jefferson County, Colorado 1975 establishments in Colorado {{Colorado-geo-stub