Show your support for Broomfield Open Space and learn more about trends, local wildlife, and opportunities to increase your enjoyment of open space. This event is sponsored by the Broomfield Open Space Foundation and the City and County of Broomfield Open Space and Trails Department. These programs are free to attend and no registration is required.

Zoom Link:

 2023 Fall Speaker Series

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://broomfield.zoom.us/j/82125155838?pwd=UFB4SGpDK1lTSWJMOWYyWnA4SmUvQT09

Or Telephone:

    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

    877 853 5247 US Toll Free

    888 788 0099 US Toll Free 

Webinar ID: 821 2515 5838

Passcode: 163588

October 18,Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. (Virtual)

“Wild for Bees” with Jessica Goldstrohm

Bees! Bees! Bees! 

Join Jessica Goldstrohm, owner of The Bees Waggle, LLC, as she shares the many amazing skills of bees and all the things that make bees so important to the environment. Learn about the vast array of bee species on the planet, and how you can “bee” a good steward to bees in your own backyard. Jessica Goldstrohm is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, speaker, photographer, and naturalist with a passion for wild bees and other wonders of nature.

Jessica Goldstrohm holds a BS in News Editing from the University of Colorado and an MS in Biomedical Sciences from Colorado State University. She is currently working on a MA in Biology through the Denver Zoo and Miami University. Jessica has worked in labs doing research on cells but found that teaching people about nature, as well as observing nature is far more interesting, inspiring, and meaningful to her. 

Jessica owns The Bees Waggle, LLC, a small business aimed at raising awareness about wild bees as well as other wonders of nature. Jessica gives talks, guest teaches in schools, designs products for solitary bees, and writes articles and social media posts (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube). Additionally, she has developed curricula for elementary schools to teach about pollinators, soil, and biodiversity for organizations including Beyond Pesticides and Douglas County Conservation District. She has served on the boards of People and Pollinators Action Network (PPAN), Colorado Pollinator Network (CPN), and Douglas County Conservation District (DCCD), and is currently on the board of Broomfield Open Space Foundation (BOSF). Jessica has self-published two children’s books (The Hungry Honeybee and The Pollinator Hero Journal) centered around helping bees in the actions we take. 

Jessica spends most of her time outside with her family or alone looking for buzzing subjects and their kin to observe and photograph. Jessica has gained her naturalist expertise through rigorous studying, time spent with experts, and hours spent observing nature. Her current goals include expanding her writing, teaching, and curriculum development to include actions we can take in our yards to improve local biodiversity and to connect people to nature through these activities.

November 15,Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. (Virtual)

“Nature in a Digital World: Why Getting Outside in Nature Matters” with Louise Chawla

Declining mental health in children and adolescents coincides with two massive shifts in the culture of contemporary childhood: the rise of time on digital screens and the fall of free-ranging exploration and free play outside. This talk begins by sharing research that establishes these connections, and then shares examples of what can be done, as parents, grandparents, park and open space systems, and communities, to bring nature back into children’s lives in ways that support mental health and wellbeing. Examples include “green hours” outdoors, “nature bathing” with teens, nature breaks on schoolyards, and children’s participation in ecological restoration. Added benefits: time in nature is good for all ages! 

Louise Chawla is Professor Emeritus in the Environmental Design Program at the University of Colorado Boulder, and an active member of the university’s Community Engagement, Design and Research Center. She serves on the Scientific Advisory Council of the Children and Nature Network, and the Steering Committee of Growing Up Boulder, a program that involves children and teens in city planning and design. Her research and publications focus on children and nature, children in cities, and the development of committed action for the environment.