Every year, 2nd grade students from Aspen, Basalt, and Crystal River Elementary schools ride up the Silver Queen gondola, duck the ski boundary rope, and head out Richmond Ridge on a snowshoe challenge course. As they walk, signs appear that invite students to try and experience the winter world as one of the winter animal residents that inhabit our local subalpine landscape.

On December 9th, 2015, ACES trail cameras captured footage of a Great Horned Owl with a trout in its talons. Current ACES staff have never witnessed this behavior before. Owls typically feed on small rodents, hunting them at night.

Male deer, elk, and moose have antlers, which they shed every spring, only to re-grow them again over the summer. ACES staff was lucky to catch a critical part of this annual cycle on our trail cameras recently at Hallam Lake.

Deer and elk typically shed their antlers around March and April, when the animals’ testosterone levels are at their lowest. The decreased amount of testosterone causes the bone connecting the antler to the skull to deteriorate, enabling the antler to fall off.  

Last fall, first graders at Basalt Elementary School became enamored with “Wormy,” the worm sock puppet that guided them through their soil unit in ACES Ed class. This spring, a caterpillar puppet named Crunch helped Kindergarteners at Aspen Elementary School with lessons in their insect unit. The students were thrilled to find that, just like the caterpillars they were observing live, Crunch the puppet also transformed into a butterfly! ACES educators constantly seek out new ways to make learning engaging and fun.