Spring arrives with new growth and new FUVP leadership

This article was adapted from a Friends of Ute Valley Park Instagram post shared on March 20, 2026.

Spring is beginning to show itself in Ute Valley Park. While the mornings are still crisp, the signs of the shifting season are everywhere for visitors who slow down and look closely.

Pasqueflowers are starting to emerge, especially on south-facing slopes. Scrub oak and willows are beginning to bud. If you pause to listen, you may hear the calls of Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Flicker, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Black-capped Chickadee moving through the park.

Like the park, Friends of Ute Valley Park is also in a season of transition. We are saying goodbye to our Secretary, Molly Murrow, as she begins a new chapter in California.

Molly has been a fundamental asset to FUVP. She brought invaluable experience from her board work with the Trails and Open Space Coalition and from her professional work as a field guide at SRAM. We will miss her strategic insight, her dedication to open spaces, and the steady care she brought to the organization. We wish her the very best on her next adventure.

We are also thrilled to officially welcome Jake Nixon to the FUVP committee as our new Historian. Jake is likely a familiar face on the trails for many visitors. He is a dedicated trail work volunteer and often commutes to work by mountain bike on the Winding Woods trail.

Since he began volunteering in late 2023, Jake has become a vital part of the FUVP community. He advocates for the multi-use opportunities in Ute Valley Park, gets to know his fellow volunteers by name, and brings a sharp eye to the park’s story. Jake is also a prolific photographer, having captured more than 150,000 images over the last decade. We look forward to the way his perspective will support the park’s preservation.

As the ground thaws and the park wakes up, our work to keep Ute Valley “bea-UTE-iful” will soon begin in earnest. If you want to help maintain our trails and beloved park, please sign up for our email list to receive notifications about upcoming volunteer work days.

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