Chatfield State Park

Chatfield State Park is a state park located in Douglas and Jefferson counties of Colorado, United States. The park centers on Chatfield Reservoir, a 1,423 acre surface area lake fed by the South Platte River and two other creeks, including Plum Creek.[2]

Chatfield State Park
LocationDouglas / Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States
Nearest cityLittleton, Colorado
Coordinates39.5366549°N 105.0694299°W / 39.5366549; -105.0694299[1]
Area3,895 acres (15.76 km2)
Established1975
Governing bodyColorado Parks and Wildlife
cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Chatfield

Reservoir Expansion Project

The Chatfield Reservoir Reallocation Project, slated to begin in fall, 2017, will create an additional 20,600 acre feet of water storage in the reservoir, raising its level by about 12 feet. The project will require that some of the park's facilities be moved back from the new, higher lake levels.[3][4]

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, coyote, red fox, cottontail rabbit, prairie dogs and weasels.

Audubon Center at Chatfield State Park

The Audubon Society 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 5,000-acre (20 km2) 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 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.

References
  1. "Chatfield State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  2. "Chatfield State Park [fact sheet] FY09-10" (PDF). Colorado State Parks. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  3. Rubino, Joe (2017-06-27). "Chatfield Reservoir expansion project will start this fall". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  4. "Project Overview". Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project. Retrieved 2017-07-19.


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