8th Annual High Country Speaker Series On the Move: Science and Stories of Animal Migration
Through a partnership of the Eagle Valley Library District and Gore Range Natural Science School, the 8th Annual High Country Speaker Series launches on Tuesday evenings beginning January 26. Expanding from 3 to 5 speakers this year, the High Country Speaker Series brings scholars to our community to share their knowledge and views of our unique western landscape. The theme for this year’s series is animal migration and we are pleased to bring these exciting speakers to the Vail Valley.
All events start at 6:30, are free to the public and take place
at the Avon Library in Avon, CO.
For more information about the High Country Speaker Series please call Natalia Hanks at Gore Range Natural Science School, 970.827.9725 ext. 30.
January 26 Paige Bonaker is Staff Biologist for the Center for Native Ecosystems in Boulder, which works to prevent extinction and recover native species of the Greater Southern Rockies, such as the Canada lynx, the elusive wildcat and the black footed ferret. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University, and an M.S. in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana. Paige has studied human-wildlife interaction issues in areas as diverse as Montana and Africa and will focus her talk on these issues in Colorado.
Before coming to the Center for Native Ecosystems, Paige helped coordinate the Citizen Science Wildlife Monitoring Program with the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project.
February 9
Delia Malone will share the details of her current project, Song Birds as Indicators of Riparian Habitat Quality. Sponsored by the Aspen Field Biology Laboratory, Delia’s work studies stream health and how birds can potentially be used to measure changes in riparian quality. The project’s goal is to develop an index of riparian and stream habitat using breeding song birds as an indicator of habitat health. Protecting, conserving and restoring riparian habitat is essential to healthy streams.
Delia, who holds a BS in biology and MS degrees in education and environmental science, joins us from the Roaring Fork Valley. Her work conserving natural resources in a human-dominated landscape includes working as an ecologist for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program surveying, documenting and assessing wetlands throughout Colorado.
February 23 Chris Ray, PhD, is a researcher at CU Boulder in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and is a world renowned expert on pika, which she has been researching for over 18 years. She focuses her field research on understanding climatic and other influences on the many pre-historic and recent local extinctions of this species throughout the western United States. Dr. Ray will describe how man-made climate change is pushing pika populations up the mountains - closer to their preferred colder temperatures, and perhaps closer to extinction.
March 9 David M . Armstrong, PhD, will address the diverse and complex mammalian fauna of the Colorado High Country in this presentation, titled “Movements of Mammals of the High Country: Patterns and Prospects”. The fauna has changed over time-scales of years to millennia to eons. In the past dozen decades, rates of change have accelerated due to direct and indirect human influences. This presentation will look at the big picture—geologic history, biogeography, broad ecological patterns—and then focus on on-going changes in distribution and migration (most of them traceable to human domination of the environment) in the Colorado Rockies of both “charismatic mega-mammals,” and small mammals as well.
David Armstrong grew up in Greeley, Colorado, and holds degrees from Colorado State University, Harvard, and the University of Kansas. His research has emphasized the ecology and biogeography of mammals, especially of the Rocky Mountain West and the Great Plains. He has published several dozen papers and a half dozen books in this general field and is beginning a book on the natural history of the foothills of the Colorado Front Range. Dave retired spring 2009 after 38 years at the University of Colorado-Boulder as Professor Emeritus, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies. He is Resident at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, west of Loveland . Dave is a Trustee of the Nature Conservancy in Colorado.
March 23 Kim Langmaid, PhD, is an environmental educator and natural historian who has lived in the Vail Valley since 1969. She is the founder of Gore Range Natural Science School and she has taught environmental studies for Teton Science Schools' Graduate Program and for Prescott College's Master of Arts and PhD programs in Sustainability Education.
If an American Robin shows up at your Vail doorstep in January, is this evidence of climate change? How do we know if ecological change around us is due to climate change or some other phenomena? In her presentation, Seeing Shifts: Ecology and Climate Change in the Rocky Mountains, Kim will share her recent adventures exploring the scientific stories and experiences of prominent mountain scientists who study the effects of climate change on plants and animals from New Mexico to Montana.
The Nature Discovery Center
The Nature Discovery Center is located adjacent Adventure Ridge on Vail Mountain just east of the gondola. Guided, one-hour summer nature hikes leave daily at 11 am and 2 pm, and run June 25 through August 30, and do not require reservations. Programs are offered complimentary of Vail Resorts, the United States Forest Service and Gore Range Natural Science School.
Call the Discovery Center at 970-754-4675 for more details.
Guided Nature Discovery Walk
Offered Daily
Time: 11 am - noon; 2 pm - 3 pm
Join Gore Range Natural Science School on a morning or afternoon nature walk and discover how plants and animals adapt to the high elevation environment as you identify signs of life on Vail Mountain.
Nature Hikes from US Forest Service Trailheads
Gore Range Natural Science School partners with the White River National Forest to present a variety of community programs on public lands. Meet naturalists at the designated trailhead and be prepared for hiking in the Rockies : wear appropriate clothing and footwear and bring your own snacks and water. Call the Nature Discovery Center at (970) 479-4675, or the USFS Visitor Center in Minturn at (970) 827-5715 for exact trailhead and meeting locations.
Guided Hike on Meadow Mountain
Days: Fridays, June 26 - September 4
Time: 10 am - noon
Location: Meadown Mountain Trail. Meet at the Minturn Forest Service Visitor Center on Hwy 24 at the Minturn Exit off I-70.
Hike the popular Meadow Mountain Trail with a Science School naturalist and learn about Rocky Mountain ecology.
Evenings at Gore Creek
Days: Saturdays, July 11 - September 5
Time: 7 pm – 8 pm
Location: Gore Creek Campground Amphitheater
What makes the Rocky Mountains special? How about a clear night of dazzling stars, fascinating tales from mining history, or a glimpse into the lives of bear or moose? Weekly program topics vary so be sure to check out the campground bulletin board for details.
Evenings at Yeoman Park
Days: Saturdays, July 11 - September 5
Time: 7 pm - 8 pm
Location: Yeoman Park Campground Amphitheater
What makes the Rocky Mountains special? How about a clear night of dazzling stars, fascinating tales from mining history, or a glimpse into the lives of bear or moose? Weekly program topics vary so be sure to check out the campground bulletin board for details.
The Vail Nature Center
The Vail Recreation District partners with GRNSS to provide programming at the Vail Nature Center adjacent to Ford Park and Gore Creek. Programs run from late June to the beginning of September and cost a nominal fee charged by the Vail Recreation District. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and registration is required for evening programs. Call the Vail Nature Center at 476-2291 for reservations and program fee information.
Wildflower Walk
Days: M, W & F; June 22 through August 14
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 am, $3/person or $2/Vail tax payers
Wildflowers abound in the summer high country of Colorado. From April to October there is a succession of color at the Nature Center. Join us for a leisurely walk to learn about the flowers that carpet our mountain floors and about the places and conditions they need to thrive.
Morning Bird Walk
Days: T, & Th; June 23 through August 27
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 am, $3/person or $2/Vail tax payers
Birds love the Nature Center and so do people who love birds! On our morning walks we are likely to see Warblers, Western Tanagers, Grosbeaks, Dippers and a host of others. Come to amble along the streamside of Gore Creek and find a great variety of birds.
Evening Beaver Pond Tour
Days: Mondays, June 29 through August 24 & Thursdays, June 25 through August 27
Time: 6:30 pm – Dark $5 child/$10 adult/$30 family
Beavers are one of the animals that define the Rocky Mountains , and there is a healthy population right here in Vail! Join us at dusk to learn about and look for these amazing animal architects.
Family Campfire Program
Days: Tuesdays, June 30 - August 25
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 pm $5 child/$10 adult/$30 family
Stars overhead, a warm campfire, exciting stories of woodland adventure and the sweet smell of burning marshmallows fill this family program at the Nature Center ! We’ll take a short walk along the trails to look for owls and other night creatures and then return to the campfire to make s'mores and tell stories. It’s sure to be a fun evening for the entire family.
Family Fun Night
Days: Wednesdays, July 1 – August 4
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm Bring the whole family to meet a series of special guests who will teach us about our natural world. This is your chance for an up-close and personal encounter with live animals, outdoor professionals and other colorful characters.
July 1: Bee Keeper for Pollination
July 8: Raptor Education Foundation for Birds of Prey
July 15: Butterfly Pavilion for Interesting Insects
July 22: Leadville Fish Hatchery for Wet & Wild
July 29: Ute and Sioux Speakers for Native American History
August 5: Mining Historian for Mining and Minerals
Eagle Explorers Junior Naturalist Program
The Eagle Explorers Junior Naturalist program is a fun and engaging opportunity for kids ages 6 and up to get to know the Eagle River watershed. Spend a day, week, month or year becoming an official Eagle Explorer by picking up your Eagle Explorer Booklet at any of the program locations listed below. To earn your title and cool Eagle Explorer patch, simply complete the Eagle Explorer Booklet, attend two of the several programs offered weekly by Eagle Explorer partners, and return the completed booklet to any program location during regular business hours. The Eagle Explorers Junior Naturalist Program is a joint venture of Gore Range Natural Science School, the Vail Recreation District, the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Colorado Ski Museum and the White River National Forest. Pick-up or return the Eagle Explorer Booklet at:
The Nature Discovery Center. Open daily, 10 am – 4:00 pm; Adjacent Eagle Bahn Gondola atop Vail Mountain.
The Vail Nature Center. Open daily, 9 am – 5 pm; Adjacent Ford Park and Gore Creek in Vail.
The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Schoolhouse Gift Shop. Open daily, 10 am – 4 pm; Adjacent Ford Park in Vail.
Holy Cross Ranger District Visitor Center. Open M-Fri, 8 am – 5pm; On Hwy 24 south of I-70, Minturn exit.
Colorado Ski Museum . Open T-Sun, 10 am – 5 pm; Located below Vail Transportation Center.
