John Fielder: Family Photography, June 22
John is a nationally renowned nature photographer, publisher, teacher, and preservationist. In 1981 he founded Westcliffe Publishers, one of the nation's largest publishers of nature books and calendars. A former department store executive who turned an avocation into a career, he is the photographer of 39 exhibit format books, guidebooks, and children’s books, most about his home state of Colorado.
Fielder has worked tirelessly to promote the protection of Colorado's open space and wildlands. His photography has influenced people and legislation earning him recognition including the Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award, the University of Denver’s Daniel L. Ritchie Award, and the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Colorado. He was an original governor-appointed member of the lottery-related Board of Great Outdoors Colorado, and speaks to thousands of people each year to rally support for timely land-use and environmental issues.
His latest book is Maria’s Mysterious Mission, his second children’s book. His repeat photography book Colorado 1870-2000 is still Colorado’s all time best selling title with over 170,000 copies in print. His gallery John Fielder’s Colorado has locations in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe and in Breckenridge. John’s 39 th book Ranches of Colorado will be published in September, 2009 to promote preservation of Colorado’s remaining ranchlands.
Ross Willmore: Front Lines of Fire, July 8
Ross is theEast Zone Fire Management Officer, USDA-Forest Service, Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit, Eagle, CO.
Ross began his fire career with the BLM/Alaska Fire Service (AFS) in 1986 as a crewman on the Chena Interagency Hotshot Crew. After three seasons touring Alaska and the western Lower 48 at the north end of a pulaski, he joined the Fairbanks Fire Suppression Specialists (FSS) where he supervised the BLM-Alaska Fire Familiarization Program (FFP) crew and helped develop the AFS aerial firing and the FSS training programs. In 1996 Ross became a Lead FSS and shifted his focus to fuels/prescribed fire and the validation of the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System to Alaska.
In 1999 Ross joined the National Park Service as the Fuels Management Specialist for the NPS-Utah Group. He supervised the prescribed fire, wildland fire use, and mechanical fuels treatment programs at Bryce Canyon, Zion, Cedar Breaks, Golden Spike, and four other NPS units. In his spare time, he served as the Fire Management Officer for Bryce Canyon National Park. In 2002 Ross became an FMO full-time, first at Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California and then Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado. In 2004 Ross took his current position with the USFS, where he supervises the fire management program for the eastern halves of the White River National Forest and the BLM-Glenwood Springs Field Office. He plans to stay there as long as they’ll have him.
Eric Lovgren: Front Lines of Fire, July 8
I am responsible for the implementation of Eagle County’s wildfire regulations, which entails: coordinating wildfire hazard rating assessments for homeowners, builders and developers, and other agencies; mapping efforts on an on-going basis to ensure that the County wildfire hazard map always reflects current conditions; negotiating defensible space and solutions for all wildfire related issues arising from the planning and building permit process. I’m also responsible for the design, implementation and oversight of all Eagle County hazardous fuel reduction and forest health projects; providing public awareness education material as it pertains to wildfire hazard educational programs; I coordinate the County biomass utilization program by working with private and public landowners, other County departments, builders, and developers in order to maximize woody biomass utilization throughout the region; I organize and coordinate “Community Firewood Days” with fire districts and the Eagle County Youth Conservation Corps; I’m responsible for issuing and tracking open-burning permits. I am also a member of the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Type III Team.
I grew up in Michigan and moved to Colorado as soon as I finished High School. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Management from Colorado State in 2002. I was first introduced to wildland fire while assisting ranch managers with numerous prescribed fires as an intern at the Africa Center for Holistic Management in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. I moved to Eagle County in 2003 and worked for Vail Resorts as a Ski Instructor. I worked for the Forest Service on the White River National Forest for 2 years before taking my current job with Eagle County in 2006.
Donna Robinson: Wildflower Finder, July 14 & August 11
Donna is a third generation professional educator. Her experience ranges from public grade schools, to private high school academies, to the University level and out into the natural environment with NOLS and the Teton Science School. She has taught ages spanning from kindergarten to elderhostel presenting one hour classes, multi-day workshops as well as developing year-round curricula for Outdoor and Private Schools along with Public School Systems. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Biology from Wake Forest University in North Carolina and holds Math/Science Professional Teaching Certificates Grades 6-12 in three states. She has a passion for Botany and enjoys sharing her knowledge in formal teaching environments as well as informally as she guides trips into the backcountry year round.
Mary Taylor Young: Backyard Birds and Beyond, July 14 & August 11
Mary Taylor Young is an award-winning nature writer, biologist and naturalist. She is the author of nine books, including The Guide to Colorado Birds, the Watchable Birds series, On the Trail of Colorado Critters: Wildlife Watching for Kids and Land of Grass and Sky: A Naturalist’s Prairie Journey. Two new books will be out next spring— The Guide to Colorado Reptiles and Amphibians and The Guide to Colorado Mammals. Mary’s column, Words On Birds, appeared in the Rocky Mountain News for 16 years, from 1993 until 2009. She lives in Castle Rock, Colorado with her husband and daughter.
Ellen Jacobson: Musing Over Mushrooms, August 27 & 28
I started leading forays for members of the Colorado Mycological Society after I learned to identify about fifty mushrooms (how presumptious); then launched myself in the direction of the Colorado Free University where I taught for several summers. I've been the recorder for CMS for more years than I can count. A recorder labels and records all the specimens brought in to the annual Mushroom Fair at the Botanic Gardens. Since 1996, I've been the instructor at the King Boletus Mushroom Festival in Buena Vista. Last winter, I started an extremely rewarding and challenging position at Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG) Herbarium of Fungi as a volunteer for Vera Evenson. The DBG Herbarium houses approximately 24,000 specimens and is the largest one between Chicago and the West Coast. Introducing interested students to the absolute joy and wonder of mushrooms seems to be my true calling. When someone opens her eyes to her surroundings in the natural world and finds her first mushroom, I am as thrilled as the student. Even though I unearthed this avocation relatively late in life, I will continue to pursue it as long as I can bend over and pick an interesting specimen.
