Woman carrying a handful of mud.
Becky Peruti of Bailey prepares to throw a handful of mud infused with wildflower seeds onto the ground at the Rotary Club of Conifer’s Peace Park behind the Aspen Park Community Center. The park’s organizers hosted an afternoon to plant the seeds on Nov. 4. Credit: Deb Hurley Brobst

Attendees at an event at Conifer Rotary’s Peace Park were encouraged to sling mud — literally — but in a good way.

The mud was infused with wildflower seeds, and on Nov. 4, attendees threw the mud in various locations around the Peace Park, which is behind the Aspen Park Community Center. The hope is the colorful wildflowers, aspen trees and grass will help attract pollinators to the area while providing a quiet spot for reflection.

The Rotary Club of Conifer’s Peacebuilding Committee, the Conifer Peacebuilding Club and the Aspen Park Community Center collaborated to transform this space into the Rotary of Conifer Peace Park, which had its grand opening June 11.

Tim Berg, a Rotarian who also is a member of Operation Pollination, said planting wildflowers can have a huge impact, noting that Colorado has many ecosystems that present challenges and opportunities. 

Dennis Swiftdeer Paige, who designed the Peace Park, views the space as a way to take positive action in a world where international wars and political tension leave many feeling powerless. 

He told about 20 people who attended the wildflower seed planting that the Peace Park was an ongoing project, and he hoped the flowers would promote a microhabitat for bees. For the seed-spreaders, it was a chance to feel the earth teeming with seeds.

“Each of us is a seed that will grow, including the seed of consciousness,” Paige said. “That will have an impact on your relationships … and on the Earth.”

The Rollenhagen sisters, Isabel, 4, and Olivia, 2, were busy throwing mud, but actually, they were having more fun removing the tiny flags that marked where the seeds should be planted.

Their mom, Becky Peruti, who also planted seeds, said she brought the girls for some family fun, and an event such as this helps the girls understand how everything in the world fits together.

Two little girls behind a wheelbarrow with soil and marker flags in it.
Olivia, left, and Isabel Rollenhagen help with planting wildflower seeds. The flags were put into the wheelbarrow after seeds were planted in those spots. Credit: Deb Hurley Brobst
A young girls carries a handful of mud.
Isabel Rollenhagen, 4, prepares to throw mud infused with wildflower seeds onto the ground at the Rotary Club of Conifer’s Peace Park. Credit: Deb Hurley Brobst
Man standing near a wheelbarrow with a handful of mud.
Tim Berg with Rotary Club of Conifer and a member of Operation Pollination disperses wildflower seeds. Credit: Deb Hurley Brobst
People stand outside and listen to two men giving a presentation
Tim Berg and Dennis Swiftdeer Paige, left, speak with attendees at a wildflower seed dispersal event at the Rotary Club of Conifer Peace Park behind the Aspen Park Community Center. Credit: Deb Hurley Brobst

Suzanne Barkley, a member of the Rotary Club of Conifer, watched the planting. She called the Peace Park important because it helped with building peace.

“It’s perfect to get the wildflower seeds planted,” she said. “I stop by here on frantic days for a few moments of calm. I want this to be a place of peace and refuge.”

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