Key to ACESElizabeth Paepcke holding a key to ACES in 1974

History

When Elizabeth Paepcke founded ACES, she envisioned a place that would provide a bridge back to nature for an increasingly urbanized society and provide a sanctuary for wildlife in the heart of Aspen. In 1969, she donated the 22-acre property behind her West End home for the development of an environmental center and preserve (ACES).

Mrs. Paepcke encouraged every effort to provide programs in ecology and the natural sciences for everyone from school children to current leaders and decision makers. And, by the example of her own untiring physical labor, she inspired careful stewardship of the Hallam Lake Nature Preserve. In her own words, "establishing the sanctuary was a way of continuing the tradition of Hallam Lake, both as a place people could enjoy and as a place they could use."

ACES is a beloved part of this community. It is a landmark, visited annually by thousands of adults and children who are interested in the natural world. On any given summer day, hoards of children will be participating in any number of ACES' Naturalist Field School courses adjacent to the environmental center, while a deer (and sometimes, even a bear!) grazes quietly on the opposite shore, taking in the activity.