‘Naturalist Nights’ Speaker Series Set to Launch in January, Addresses Variety of Environmental Topics‘Naturalist Nights’ Speaker Series Set to Launch in January, Addresses Variety of Environmental Topics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Francis Sanzaro, Wilderness Workshop Communications Director, 315-415-7861 | francis@wildernessworkshop.org, or Morgan Gosda, ACES Communications Director, 205-886-8428 | mgosda@aspennature.org

Carbondale, Colorado, December 12, 2024 — The long-running speaker series Naturalist Nights is set to launch in early January. Addressing a variety of environmental topics, the series is a collaboration between Wilderness Workshop, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and Roaring Fork Audubon. The first lecture is on January 8th and 9th, 2025. These three organizations are bringing a great line-up of experts to explore topics of the natural world relevant to our community, such as fire mitigation on public lands and tribal engagement in the Colorado River Basin.

“Alongside our partners at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and Roaring Fork Audubon, Wilderness Workshop is excited to welcome another amazing group of speakers to our valley for our annual Naturalist Nights speaker series,” said Erin Riccio, Advocacy Director at Wilderness Workshop. “This winter’s series will feature a wide range of topics that’s sure to resonate with our community. I’m particularly excited to hear from some of our expert speakers about the impacts of recreation on our public lands and managing wildfires in wilderness areas. We can’t wait to share another winter of Naturalist Nights with all of you!”

Each of the 5 speakers will present on Wednesday evenings in Carbondale at the Third Street Center (520 South Third Street, Carbondale, CO, 51623) and on Thursday evenings in Aspen (locations vary; please see below). Presentations will also be available to view, after the live event, on each organization’s digital platforms. Registration is strongly encouraged for each presentation, but not required.

“ACES is thrilled to once again launch Naturalist Nights with our partners Wilderness Workshop and Roaring Fork Audubon,” said Jim Kravitz, Director of Naturalist Programs at Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES). “As always, we aim to bring timely issues and science education that impacts our lives and our region. We have a great lineup of diverse topics such as recreation impacts on public land, climate complicity, beavers, fire as a restoration tool, and tribal engagement in the Colorado River basin. Come hang out with your community, enjoy free education, and get involved!”

The Thursday Aspen presentations will be at the Pitkin County Library with the exception of the first week.

The 2025 Naturalist Nights series includes experts speaking a variety of pertinent topics and issues:

Terrible Beauty: Reckoning with Climate Complicity and Rediscovering Our Soul
with Auden Schendler
Wednesday, January 8, 6 – 7pm | Third Street Center, Carbondale | Register here
Thursday, January 9, 6 – 7pm | Limelight Hotel, Aspen | Register here
Auden Schendler is SVP of Sustainability at Aspen One. He is the author of the book “Getting Green Done,” and new this year, “Terrible Beauty,” which forms the basis of his talk.

Beavers are For Birds
with Delia Malone
Wednesday, January 22, 6 – 7pm | Third Street Center, Carbondale | Register here
Thursday, January 23, 6-7pm | Pitkin County Library, Aspen | Register here
Delia Malone works as an ecologist with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, where she conducts biological surveys of upland, wetland and stream habitats and looking for rare plants, animals and natural communities.

Tribal Engagement in the Colorado River Basin
with Celene Hawkins and Izabella Ruffino

Wednesday, February 5, 6 – 7pm | Third Street Center, Carbondale | Register here
Thursday, February 6, 6 -7pm | Pitkin County Library, Aspen | Register here
Celene Hawkins is a Tribal Water Partnerships Program Director at The Nature Conservancy. Izabella Ruffino is the Tribal & Indigenous Engagement Manager at The Nature Conservancy.

Wildland Recreation and Ecological Disturbance: Recreation and Public Land Management Implications for Western Colorado

with Christopher Monz, PhD
Wednesday, February 19, 6 – 7pm | Third Street Center, Carbondale | Register here
Thursday, February 20, 6 – 7pm | Pitkin County Library, Aspen | Register here
Christopher Monz is a Professor in the Department of Environment and Society and The Ecology Center at Utah State University and is an internationally recognized expert in the ecological implications of wildland recreation and has authored 180 scientific papers and reports and three textbooks.

Untrammeling the Wilderness: Restoring Natural Conditions Through the Return of Human-ignited Fire
with Clare Boerigter and Jonathan Coop, PhD
Wednesday, March 5, 6 – 7pm | Third Street Center, Carbondale | Register here
Thursday, March 6, 6 – 7pm | Pitkin County Library, Aspen | Register here
Clare Boerigter is a Wilderness Fire Research Fellow for the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute. Jonathan Coop is a Professor of Environment and Sustainability at Western Colorado University.

Wilderness Workshop works across more than 4 million acres of public lands to ensure their ecological integrity. We have led efforts to designate more than half a million acres of Wilderness and hundreds of thousands of roadless areas in western Colorado. Learn more at WildernessWorkshop.org

Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), a non-partisan, nonprofit organization, provides enriching environmental literacy programs for kids, teens, and adults as well as community and business leaders. With three locations between Aspen and Basalt, ACES offers year-round programs focused on science, ecology, natural history, stewardship, forest health, regenerative agriculture, civic leadership, and more. For more information and a full listing of ACES offerings, visit Aspennature.org.

Roaring Fork Audubon promotes the enjoyment, conservation and understanding of birds, other wildlife, and their habitats, through birding, education, advocacy and fellowship. Learn more at RoaringForkAudubon.org