The Durango Arts Center seeks volunteers to staff the reception desk in the Barbara Conrad Gallery.

This is an opportunity to meet and greet the community and become involved with current exhibits. Other duties include answering the phone and clerical tasks. Computer skills are helpful but not required. People can volunteer for a regular (weekly or monthly) schedule or can work as-needed. Training and support is provided. Shifts are 3½ hours (10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 5 p.m.) Volunteers also are invited to be on the center’s on-call list. Duties include assisting with special events, assembling mailings, delivering posters, staffing a cash bar at receptions and other events.

For more information or to volunteer, call Jeannie Berger at 259-2606 or email [email protected].

Construction begins on 160/550 intersection

The Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor Concrete Works of Colorado will begin the estimated five-month Continuous Flow Intersection project on Monday to lessen congestion and increase safety at the U.S. Highway 160/550 intersection.

The improvements will reduce driver delays by reconfiguring traffic turn lanes, striping and signaling for the three approaches. Because the intersection is close to College Drive, additional enhancements will be made at the U.S. Highway 550 (Camino del Rio)/College Drive intersection. The scheduled completion date is mid- to late-August. Single-lane closures Monday through Friday during day- and nighttime hours are possible. No weekend work is currently anticipated.

For more information, visit www.coloradodot.info/projects/us160_us550durangocfi.

Federal Indian service to be discussed

The Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College will host scholar, Cathleen Cahill, associate professor of history at the University of New Mexico at 6 p.m. Monday in the Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum Room No. 120 at FLC.

Cahill will present “Federal Fathers and Mothers: Federal Indian Service Employees at the Turn of the 20th Century.” Established in 1824, the United States Indian Service, now known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was the agency responsible for carrying out U.S. treaty and trust obligations to Native Americans, but it also sought to “civilize” and assimilate them. In her book Federal Fathers and Mothers, Cahill offers the first in-depth social history of the agency during the height of its assimilation efforts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

For more information, visit http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu or call 247-7456.

Commissioners to host ‘On the Road’ meeting

The La Plata County Board of County Commissioners will resume a series of “On the Road” meetings to discuss issues of interest or concern about La Plata County at 7 p.m. Monday at Sunnyside Elementary School, 75 County Road 218.

For more information, call 382-6219.

Bird walk to be held Wednesday

A bird walk will be hosted by Durango Bird Club at 9 a.m. Wednesday at For the Birds, 1560 East Second Ave.

The walks last about one hour and 15 minutes; bring binoculars. The walks are free, but donations to the hosting group are welcome.

For more information, call 382-9396.

Soup for the Soul to take place Wednesday

The Hospice of Mercy will host the 10th annual Soup for the Soul Wednesday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

Soups and appetizers from local restaurants and caterers will be available. All proceeds will go to Hospice of Mercy, which has provided end-of-life care for more than 30 years. Tickets can be purchased for $50 at the Mercy Health Foundation office or by calling 764-2800. For more information, visit www.mhffnd.org.

Herald Staff