Learn the elements of birding and take flight! We’ll cover bird habitat, key identifying characteristics, and tips for when and where to find local species as we explore the banks of Grouse Creek – an ideal setting for spotting the abundant, local favorites. Binoculars provided, or bring your own.

Join the author of White Tailed Ptarmigan: Ghosts of the Alpine Tundra, for an enchanting hike above tree-line. You’ll learn about alpine ecology while looking for ptarmigan, the only bird adapted to spend its entire life in the alpine zone.

East Vail

Studying black swifts is not easy. It involves climbing cliffs to get to nestlings or setting up mist nets near waterfalls in an effort to capture adults as they swoop past. Join Jason Beason, the Special Monitoring Projects Coordinator for Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, to learn about the intricacies of black swift ecology by highlighting our location population – and even show us where to watch for swifts in Vail.

Activity Level: 2

This beginner’s course will teach you to identify plants, wildflowers, trees and shrubs. Walk away with core knowledge about plant family characteristics and how to use a dichotomous key.

Activity Level 1

Wildflowers are the jewels of the Rocky Mountains. Peer at penstemon, admire an avens and color a columbine. This class explains the basics of gathering information and drawing wildflowers in a field journal format. Participants will fill a small sketchbook with drawings, leaf rubbings and color swatches while they learn about the 'lifestyles' of Colorado wildflowers that populate this area. Please bring your own materials each day.

Activity Level: 1

Hike to Booth Falls with Nicola Ripley, Director of Horticulture and Research at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. You’ll learn the wildflowers, the differences between native and non-native species, and what you can do to improve the livelihood of Colorado’s native plants.

Activity Level 2

Saturday, July 12

Spend a morning with former Colorado Division of Wildlife Biologist, Bill Heicher, to learn the basics of Rocky Mountain Wildlife and the tricks of the trade for managing and monitoring the animals that live around us.

Activity Level 1-2

They see us, but we rarely see them. Join a mountain lion researcher on a hike to look for evidence of lions living in our valley. We’ll learn about the amazing adaptations of wild cats and hear tales from when Dr. Currier raised mountain lions in captivity.

Activity Level: 2

The occasional wolf spotted in Colorado is protected under the Endangered Species Act, but wolves living in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho can be shot on sight. Join the Denver Zoo’s Conservation Specialist to explore the complex story of wolf recovery in the West. We begin indoors with a slide show before venturing outdoors to examine tools and methods used for tracking wolves.

Activity Level: 1 - 2

The drive from Vail Pass to Wolcott Springs is one of the best places to see many of the dominant ecosystem types present in Colorado. We’ll travel by van as we journey through the amazing biodiversity of the Eagle River watershed, making stops along the way to explore high alpine meadows, dense spruce and fir forests, lush stands of aspen and towering Douglas fir, thriving wetlands and dry pinyon and juniper shrublands.

Activity Level 1

This popular program is guaranteed to whet your appetite for the fungus that rise among us during late summer on Shrine Pass. Led by local mushroom expert Ellen Jacobsen, we begin with a classroom session to learn the basics of identifying mushrooms, and then we spend time in the field discovering the amazing variety of mushrooms in our area.

Activity Level 1 & 2

Friday, June 27

If you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait five minutes; it will change, but what about the climate? Join our state Climatologist to learn about the nuances of Colorado’s weather and climate. We’ll investigate some current trends, and give you the opportunity to get involved in CoCoRaHS-the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.

Activity Level 1-2