Thank you to Rocky Mountain Rescue – along with an Open Space and Mountain Parks Ranger – who helped Flatiron Freddy to carry out his annual Ground Hog Day prediction on Sunday, Feb. 2.
Open Space and Mountain Parks' Flatiron Freddy event on Groundhog Day is a quirky, uniquely Boulder tradition that has happened for more than 11 years. In the early 2010s, Flatiron Freddy existed peacefully as a deceased, stuffed yellow-bellied marmot – a close relative to the groundhog – in Boulder's Flagstaff Nature Center, where stuffed animal mounts are typically stored until the spring. One winter, Freddy was inadvertently left out, and his fur was damaged. He was about to be removed from the center, but Rangers felt he deserved more. Since then, Freddy has become part of an annual Open Space and Mountain Parks Groundhog Day tradition. In recent years, Freddy has made his way out of his burrow each year in various ways, such as skiing down a trail, driving a car out of his burrow, and even by zip line in a canoe. It’s up to OSMP Rangers to interpret Freddy’s weather forecast.