A group for adults who are grieving because of a death will be held from September to January.

This group is designed to assist grievers through the holiday season. Sessions will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays in Durango.

Call Norm Gottlieb at 749-1357 or Julie Madden at 749-7547 if interested in attending.

Purgatory to open downhill flow trail

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting for Purgatory’s new Divinity Downhill Flow Trail will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday at Purgatory Resort at the bottom of Lift 4.

Representatives from the Forest Service, Trails 2000, Purgatory Resort and others will participate. The trail is Durango’s longest and only lift-served flow trail. As part of the activities associated with Todd and Ned’s Durango Dirt Fondo and the 25th anniversary of the 1990 World Championships (originally held at Purgatory), athletes and mountain-bike legends such as Todd Wells, Ned Overend, Greg Herbold and Travis Brown will take the official inaugural ride on the Divinity Flow Trail immediately after the ribbon-cutting.

Purgatory’s Mountain Bike Uplift will be open and free to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday and will be closed briefly for the trail’s grand opening ceremony from 1 to 2 p.m.

Natural Food Co-op offers programs

Durango Natural Foods Co-op, 575 E. Eighth Ave., will offer these programs:

A beginning beekeeping workshop by Marlayna Martinez will take place at 6 p.m. Monday. Martinez will discuss top-bar hives, Langstroth hives, harvesting honey, catching a swarm and other issues, as well as why she primarily uses natural and organic methods. Frames with comb will be displayed. There will be honey tasting and handouts. The cost is $10 for co-op members and $15 for nonmembers. Prepayment and registration is needed by 9 p.m. Sunday.

A mushroom foray with Chris Ricci of Majesty Mushrooms will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday. Ricci will lead a foray for local wild mushrooms during a moderate hike in the San Juan Forest and will identify found specimens. The cost is $10 for co-op members and $15 for nonmembers. Prepayment and registration is needed by 9 p.m. Saturday.

Digital & Smart Phone Photography with Kit Frost will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 7. Frost will teach participants how to use their digital camera or phone and techniques to capture fall colors. Participants should bring their digital camera, CompactFlash card and charged battery. The cost is $18 for co-op members and $22 for nonmembers. Preregistration is needed by 9 p.m. Oct. 6.

For more information, email [email protected] or visit www.durangonaturalfoods.co-op.

South African botanist to speak

Georg Fritz, horticulturist at Heidelberg, Gauteng, South Africa, field botanist, speaker and storyteller, will talk about his experiences with rare plants and succulents for the South African National Botanical Institute and the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Bureau of Land Management Anasazi Heritage Center, Colorado Highway 184 in Dolores.

His area of South Africa is similar to Southwest Colorado, including hot summers, cold winters and dry conditions. This program is free to the public and will be followed by a tour of the Heritage Center Plaza and Plant Select Demonstration gardens. Fritz will be accompanied by his wife, Margaret, and Panayoti Kelaidis, senior curator at Denver Botanic Gardens.

For more information, call Ann Street-Joslin at 882-8022 or email [email protected].

Girl Scouts seeking volunteers

The local Girl Scouts are seeking volunteers in the Cortez and Durango areas.

The number of girls interested in Girl Scouts far exceeds the number of volunteers currently in the program.

Girl Scouts of Colorado will host two Campfire Kickoffs, which will provide an opportunity for girls and their parents to learn more about Girl Scouts. The events will include roasting s’mores, playing games and learning about the organization. Adults who are looking for volunteer opportunities are encouraged to attend. The kickoffs will take place at these locations:

From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday at Cortez City Park.

From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

For more information, call Hilary Martin at 628-8007 or email [email protected].

Herald Staff