Photo Credit: CSU System
Given the changing nature of Denver’s landscape, new developments seem a dime a dozen. But recent and coming additions to the National Western Center are particularly notable for their focus on science and the environment and their exciting exhibits for visitors.
CSU Spur is the name of the overall development, which will eventually include three separate buildings.
Vida opened in January. Dedicated to animal and human health, Vida offers visitors an incredible range of events to observe. One recent day, its schedule included a kid’s mock vet clinic; equine underwater treadmill demonstrations; a “How to Meet a Dog,” program by the Dumb Friends League, and more. Visitors can routinely observe surgery on dogs and cats.
Vida houses the Temple Grandin Equine Center, where visitors can also watch human therapy sessions involving horses.
Slotted for completion in April, the Terra building focuses on the earth, as the name implies. It will illustrate for visitors “where their food comes from, the challenges that lie ahead as the global population grows rapidly, and how we can all participate in shaping our food future,” according to the CSU Spur website.
The building will offer summer camps, a food lab and teaching kitchen, rooftop greenhouses, a green roof and more. Interconnecting ideas will be integrated into its programs. For example, “Staff at the greenhouses and vertical gardens will explain the sustainable techniques used to grow your favorite salad’s ingredients, and chefs in the teaching kitchen will demonstrate how to make said salad during cooking classes,” notes 5280 magazine.
The final building, Hydro, is scheduled to open in November. It will focus on water research and education. “In one exhibit, kids will turn dials to hypothetically direct H20 to different operations, such as a farm, factory or home,” reports 5280, to illustrate the difficult decisions involved in allocating water resources. Lab experts will explain the processes used to test water safety, and more.
All three buildings will be open to the public at no charge.