Evening Snowshoe Tour at SnowmassJoin us on Friday evenings through March to experience this one-of-a-kind nighttime exploration into the snowy forests of Snowmass Mountain, where you will learn about mountain ecology under a starry winter sky. Bookend your tour with dinner or a night cap at the brand new Elk Camp restaurant! $35 includes gondola ride, snowshoes, and naturalist guide. Tours leave from the top of the gondola at 6pm and again at 7:30pm. Purchase tickets at any Aspen/Snowmass lift ticket office, or at the Four Mountain Sports in the Beginner Magic Lounge at the top of the Elk Camp Gondola. The evening gondola begins running at 5pm, please allow 30 minutes before the tour for ticket purchase and gondola ride. This one-hour tour takes place on gentle terrain and is held at a leisurely pace; warm boots are strongly recommended and please dress warmly.
12/21/2012 - 3/29/2013
Snowmass Ski TourDrop in at the Wapiti Wildlife Center at the top of the Elk Camp lift and ski a run with a naturalist from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. Learn about wildlife adaptations in winter, tracking, avalanches, and more. Tours require intermediate skiing ability. Offered at 11am and 1pm everyday the Elk Camp lift is operating. The Wapiti Wildlife Center offers free hot chocolate and our naturalists are available at the center when there is not a ski tour. Come in for a ski break and learn about the Rocky Mountains!
Free Members
Free Non Members Ages: All Ages 12/10/2012 - 4/12/2013 
Ashcroft Snowshoe TourExplore Aspen on this half-day snowshoe tour in the beautiful and pristine Castle Creek Valley. Your naturalist guide will share expertise on animals tracking, observing birds, and understanding sub-alpine ecology. Explore the historic ghost town of Ashcroft, then walk through serene spruce and fir forests, open meadows, and peaceful aspen groves on your way to lunch at the spectacular Pine Creek Cookhouse. Tours include unparalleled views, a gourmet lunch at the Pine Creek Cookhouse, snowshoe rental, and Ashcroft trail pass. Ashcroft Tours are offered seven days a week at 10:30am in partnership with Ashcroft Ski Touring/Pine Creek Cookhouse and the United States Forest Service.
Reservations are necessary - call 970-925-5756 (please dial 0 after hours and leave a message - we will return your call promptly) or request a tour by clicking on the RSVP button below. Requests with less than 24 hour notice, phone calls only.
Ages: All Ages
12/10/2012 - 4/12/2013 
Snowmass Snowshoe TourWeave in and out of spruce and fir forests along a babbling creek and learn about the animals that inhabit the Rocky Mountains in winter. Discover the multitude of tracks in the snow and learn about the signs of life found in winter. Your naturalist will point out the interesting facts as you enjoy the silence of a snow-covered forest. This snowshoe tour includes gondola ride, snack and warm drink, snowshoes, knowledgeable guide and basic instruction. All tours take place on gentle terrain and are held at a leisurely pace; warm boots are strongly recommended.
ACES' members at the $500+ level receive a free Aspen Mountain or Snowmass snowshoe walk for two. To set up your complimentary tour, please contact Christy Mahon, Development Director at 970-925-5756 or cmahon@aspennature.org.
Ages: 7 and up
12/10/2012 - 4/12/2013 
Aspen Mountain Snowshoe TourWeave in and out of serene spruce and fir forests as you take in Aspen's majestic vistas from Richmond Ridge with a knowledgeable local naturalist on this two-hour guided snowshoe tour. Learn about wildlife in winter, tracking, mountain ecology, history of Aspen, avalanches, and winter habitats. Price includes gondola ride, snack and warm drink, snowshoes, knowledgeable guide and basic snowshoeing instruction. Purchase tickets at any Aspen/Snowmass lift ticket office. Please allow 30 minutes before the tour for ticket purchase and gondola ride. All tours take place on gentle terrain and are held at a leisurely pace; warm boots are strongly recommended.
ACES' members at the $500+ level receive a free Aspen Mountain or Snowmass snowshoe walk for two. To set up your complimentary tour, please contact Christy Mahon, Development Director at 970-925-5756 or cmahon@aspennature.org.
Ages: 7 and up
12/10/2012 - 4/12/2013 
The Complexities of Climate ChangeHistorical photographs of the Canadian Rocky Mountains taken in the early 1900s show the treeline elevation to be 500 feet lower than it is today. This presentation explores what caused such a significant ecological shift, where variations in the change occur, and other changes occurring in the treeline environment of the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains. The presentation will explain how the documentation of the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on a remote alpine landscape poses challenging questions for conservationists and restorations. Unlike a the direct and localized impacts of mining or logging on ecosystems climate change affects the treeline and alpine ecosystems in diffuse ways which become integrated into prior ecosystem functions over the long-term. Traditional conservation and restoration strategies may not be logistically feasible or ethically appropriate.
Free Members
Free Non Members 4/01/2010 Hallam Lake 7:30pm at Hallam Lake 
How the West Was WarmedMelting glaciers. Pine beetle infestation. Drought. Carbon footprints. Green jobs and promises of a new energy economy…
In this entertaining and enlightening collection of essays, noted environmentalist and Greenprint Denver founder Beth Conover develops a portrait of the wide range of responses to climate change in the Rocky Mountain West. For over two decades, this region has been a leader in addressing climate change, and today it is a hub of solutions to this pressing global issue. Written by over forty veteran journalists, scientists, business people, and policy makers, these essays show us how climate change has and continues to affect the ways in which we live, work, and play. An alternative to the many dry scientific books and how-to greening manuals about global warming, How The West Was Warmed provides insights, hope, and a little dose of humor to inspire all Americans in facing our future. Editor Beth Conover has worked for twenty-five years at the intersection of environmental protection and economic development. As policy advisor to Denver mayor John Hickenlooper, she was the architect of Greenprint Denver, one of the nation’s earliest and largest urban sustainability programs, and helped lay the groundwork for the greening of the Democratic National Convention in 2008. She is a graduate of Brown University and holds a joint MBA/masters of environmental studies from Yale University. Conover is a founding partner in the consulting firm ConoverBrown, LLC. She is a native of Denver, Colorado, where she lives with her husband, Ken Snyder, and their two sons. Click here to find out more.
Free Members
Free Non Members 3/25/2010 Hallam Lake 7:30pm at Hallam Lake Fens: Ancient Wetland EcosystemsFens are peat-accumulating wetlands that receive their water from surrounding mineral soil and only develop where a constant flow of groundwater saturates soils and maintains anoxic conditions. In Colorado, they can occur anywhere in the subalpine zone (above roughly 8,800 ft.) where enough ground water emerges to perennially saturate the soil.
Although fens occupy only a tiny percentage of the landscape, they provide important wetland ecosystem functions including water quality functions, carbon and water storage, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity. Because fens take thousands of years to develop, they are essentially irreplaceable. Because of the uniqueness, importance and vulnerability of fens in our region, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has set a goal that every "reasonable effort" should be made to avoid impacting fen habitat. As a result of increasing threats, there is an urgent need to locate and evaluate all functioning fens. Dee Malone is involved in a process being conducted by the Colorado National Heritage Program and the U.S. Forest Service to inventory and assess fens in the White River National Fest. Please join us for this fascinating presentation!
Free Members
Free Non Members 3/18/2010 Hallam Lake 7:30pm at Hallam Lake 
Renewable and Efficient EnergyIn a time of rising energy costs (and rising global temperatures), many property owners are looking to energy improvements in order to save money and reduce their contribution to climate change. However, the average property owner lacks the upfront capital for energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy installations. In response to this issue, and to facilitate the retrofitting of our community’s existing buildings, Pitkin County has created the Energy Smart Loan Program. This program utilizes County bonding to provide property owners with the option of long-term, fixed rate loans for energy improvements that are repaid through a special assessment on the owner’s property taxes (tying the loan to the property rather than the person). This program, modeled after similar programs in Berkeley and Boulder County, has the potential to have a transformative impact on the way our community uses energy. This presentation will describe the creation and implementation of Energy Smart, and will demonstrate how creative financing for energy improvements can save money, save energy, and stimulate the local economy.
Free Members
Free Non Members 3/11/2010 Hallam Lake 7:30pm at Hallam Lake Confessions of an Off-Road OutlawGarrett VeneKlasen is a most unlikely proponent of the new nation-wide laws governing the use of off-highway vehicles. As a hunter and 16-year ATV rider, he says he’s done just about all the things that have given four-wheelers and dirt bikes such a bad rap.
"I’m as guilty as the next guy when it comes to abusing the resource. I own two ATVs and was used to going where I wanted, foraging into new country and opening new roads. It was easy to strap a chainsaw on my bike, and if I saw an area I wanted to get into, just cut my way in with my ATV..." By and by though, VeneKlasen began to notice the negative effects of his cross-country exploits. Both game and non-game species began to disappear in areas where he and other off-road users frequently traveled. The more closely he looked at the impacts of off-road use in his area, the more horrible the reality of the sport’s far reaching destructive capabilities became... Today, Garrett is an outspoken advocate of strict travel management, the creation of large tracts of roadless country and educating the public on the reality of the threat OHV use causes to wildlife and wildlife habitat. VeneKlasen presents a lively, amusing and practical approach to travel management. Topics covered include a close look into the mind set of off road users (both responsible riders and the outlaws), the effects of OHV use on wildlife and wildlife habitat, stewardship, a hard look at the economics of quiet recreation vs OHV use, public education, networking a nationwide support group of travel management advocates, forming alliances between the sporting community and environmentalists and a host of off-road related issues.
Free Members
Free Non Members 3/04/2010 Hallam Lake 7:30pm at Hallam Lake  |